Barbara
Benjamin
A Deadly Walk in the Sun: A Comparison of the Final Scene in Frank
Norris' McTeague with Erick von Stroheim's
"Greed"
Although
Erich von Stroheim's intent was to follow Frank
Norris' novel, McTeague, as closely as the
film medium would allow, we must consider his work through the mutilated
version left us by the scissor-wielding MGM editor. The resulting unusual condensation of a film
makes comparisons with the text difficult.
Nonetheless, I persevere. Few sections appear to be
left relatively intact. But one that appears less mutilated is the final scene, the
desert scene. This scene experienced
editing shears; regardless, it maintains a close integrity with Norris'
novel.
I approach the scene as Marcus stealthily advances
towards the sleeping McTeague. Marcus foolishly makes his way into the heart
of
The
entire scene accents the barrenness of this hell on earth by simply showing the
actual desert landscape as it exists:
nothing but miles of white alkali under an oppressively hot sun. In the far distance, the faint outline of
mountains can be seen.
The sight of
In the
film, Marcus approaches Mac from behind.
However, in the book, he approaches in front. No doubt, the director simply made a
logistical decision here. Marcus'
approach after the title card is one long take.
In this shot, the mule standing in the lower left side of the frame
nicely balances Marcus slowly approaching on the right---both are upright;
plus, the long horizontal line of the distant mountain range in the upper left
balances the prone, sleeping figure of Mac in the lower right. Most of the shots are well-balanced,
but I feel this one is exceptional.
Replacing
this shot is a horizontal, full-body shot of the two men lying flat on the
ground. The camera films at their
level. As Mac raises his head from
sleep, a close-up shot reveals his face and a look of surprise. Then, in a quick crosscut to a close-up of
Marcus' face, we see a look full of vile intent. The camera cuts quickly back to the previous
full shot of the two men flat on the ground.
Marcus orders Mac to stand. As he
does, Mac rises slowly and cautiously.
The camera capitalizes on Mac's slow, guarded rise without changing
shots, allowing tension to mount. When
he nearly reaches full height, the shot changes to a semi-close-up (the lower
torso to tip of heads) of the men staring fiercely into each other's eyes. This shot also lingers, sustaining the
tension, as Marcus searches Mac for weapons.
The
appearance of Marcus crawling on the ground towards Mac resembles the motions
of a snake. The image is eerie and
suggestive of evil. In addition, seeing
both men lying on the ground suggests how far each has fallen. Facial expressions are snarling images,
showing the animal state these men have regressed into. At this point, a title card appears: "What
did you do with the $5000?" The
camera returns to both men, though a tighter close-up of them face-to-face,
while Marcus points the gun at Mac's stomach.
As Mac indicates with a motion of his head that the gold is on the mule,
the camera opens to a wide shot to provide a distant view of the mule and the
two men. This shot evidences the
enormity of the desert, minimizing the size of the men---thus, trivializing
their existence. This landscape shot
reminds us where they are, and exposes the futility of fighting in this
isolated and forbidding place. Then, we
return to the previous face-to-face shot.
At this
point in the book, Marcus begins to feel a little abashed. He does not know quite what to do with
Mac. To me, he
steps out of character here. If this
momentary deviation in his character appeared in the uncut film version, the
loss of it really is not a loss. Anyway,
his anger seems to be subsiding somewhat when it finally sinks in just where he
is and how uncomfortable he feels under the raging sun. He asks Mac if he has any water. The "abridged" version of the film
follows this fairly close. Marcus and
Mac both suffer the effects of the intense heat as they glance about the
seemingly endless desert. The shot
changes to a "close-up" view of the white-hot sun. It fills the entire frame. The camera angle points up, which maximizes a
sense of the sun's massive power. The
entire frame is nearly white to capture the blinding glare, but still shows the
faint outline and rays of the sun. A pan
back returns to the two men as before, and Marcus asks: "Got any water?" Mac nods towards the mule again and Marcus
walks away towards the animal. The
camera changes shots, pulling back to reveal the mule dashing away, Marcus in
"hot" pursuit. Mac remains
standing with his hands in the air, showing again the man's slow-witted
nature. The camera shifts to a broad
shot of just the mule, from its backside, in the oppressive scene. Then, it quickly returns to the men,
semi-full body, from lower torso up.
Another
title card reveals Marcus asking: "Is that all the water we got . . . on
the saddle?" Back to the previous
shot, Mac shakes his head yes. Again, we
see a wide panoramic shot of the mule walking in the mid-left foreground. Watching one small animal in this endless,
flat, white alkali generates a feeling of utter hopelessness. After we see the hapless mule, the camera
quickly swings back to the men. This
shot is different than the previous shot of them and
appears to have been cut at this point.
The positions of the men relative to each other has
changed. Prior to the mule shot, the men
were facing each other, Mac on the left and Marcus on the right. This returning shot shows them standing
side-by-side, Marcus now on the left and upstage from Mac. If something was cut out here, it doesn't violate the novel's story line.
Another
title card reveals Mac saying: "He
ate some loco-weed. We'd
better finish him . . . tain't right to let 'um
suffer." The return to the men
after this card is now the same shot just prior to the mule shot, further
evidence things were rearranged at this point in the
scene. The two men now take off after
the mule, running completely out of the frame.
The next series of shots alternates quickly from the mule to the
men. The mule is seen standing alone in
the wasteland, then a quick cut back to the men---Marcus shoots at the mule, a
full-body shot (both the camera's and Marcus').
A return to the mule, the same shot as before, cuts back to the men
chasing the mule. A shot of the mule now
reveals that a bullet hit him and falls forward on his front legs; then back to the men in pursuit. The quickening tempo of shots during the
action produces a sense of urgency and desperation. The camera could have shown a wide,
stationary shot fixed on the mule and the men.
Two possibilities why this wasn't done. First, the takes of the mule may have been shot independently of the men, and the frames
later spliced together. The second
possibility suggests dramatic purposes: a rapid switching back and forth from
the pursued to the pursuers creates a stronger sense of desperation than if
both elements were seen together in the scene. Watching the mule separately shows the poor
beast isolated and cut off, making his pending doom all the
more poignant. And
seeing the men together, although they are also desperate, makes them appear
more powerful and evil, especially as Marcus stands firm, aims the gun, then
fires. He represents a destructive
force, ironically, in an area that seems merciless to all living things. The evil of Marcus outstrips momentarily this perception of the desert.
The mule
is then seen lying on its side, his feet kicking and
then they stop. The men enter the frame
and approach the dead mule. Marcus
quickly unfastens the canteen. A close-up
shows Marcus with the canteen, looking at Mac (who is not in the frame) with a
look of horror. Then, we see a cut to a
close-up of Mac, then back to Marcus shaking the
canteen, finding it empty, then discovering why it's empty. A close-up of the canteen betrays the bullet
hole. The series of shots alternates
quickly from Marcus (as in previous shot), then again to Mac, to emphasize the
men's quickening doom. Curiously, we
recognize in these shots a conspicuous lack of anger and hatred. Their common bond of inescapable doom
temporarily displaces their prior hostilities.
Now, we're shown the result of the men's self-destructive actions
as the camera pulls back, showing the two men standing side-by-side. Both turn to look towards the ground by the
dead mule. A close-up discloses the ground,
soaking up their precious, life-sustaining water; the possibility of escape is
now sealed. The shot seen previously
returns. At this point, there is
evidence cutting probably occurred.
Earlier, as the camera cut back and forth from a close-up of Mac to a
close-up of Marcus, it appeared the men were standing apart from and facing
each other. However, the later shot of
the two together showed them standing very close, side-by-side---a definite
change in perspective. If something was cut here, however, the story-line integrity of the novel
is still unaffected.
Two
deviations from the novel were made, however, not obvious in the film. The
first is the men's pursuit, then fatal wounding, of the mule. Norris' characters pursue the mule for
hours. Only then, after miles of
fruitless pursuit, Marcus and Mac decide it is best to shoot the poor
devil. They are desperate for the water
the mule carries on the saddle, and the mule is apparently crazed from the loco-weed. In
comparison, the chase scene in the film version is comparatively short, lasting
perhaps ten or fifteen minutes (story time).
Whether or not this is a change made by von Stroheim,
it doesn't significantly alter the story line. The longer pursuit time in the novel deepens
the desperate need for water. A shorter
space of time can be used in the film because of the
medium's visual advantage to create this affect.
The
second change, which has to be a change made by von Stroheim,
is the bullet hole in the canteen.
Norris' mule falls on the canteen as it goes down after being shot, bursting the canteen, the contents
spilling. I'm
not sure why von Stroheim decided to make this
change. The impact of von Stroheim's version doesn't seem to
have any particular advantage over Norris'.
In fact, I feel it's a little less
believable. The bullet hole is
relatively small and appears to be towards the center of the canteen. Some time would be needed
for the canteen to drain all the water. Plus, it would need to be laying in a certain position for
it to run out at all.
After
the two stunned men look at the water-soaked ground, a title card displays
Marcus' comment: "There's no water
within 100 miles o' here!" The
camera returns to Marcus dropping the canteen to the ground. The camera pulls back to a full-body shot of
the dead mule in the foreground, with an extensive view of the desert in the
background. After returning to the
previous close-up of the men, a title card shows Marcus saying: "We . . . are . . . dead . . .
men!" The camera returns
again to the previous shot. The
men are breathing heavily, obviously suffering from the overwhelming heat. Once more we see the
shot of the scorching, merciless sun.
Then, a speedy shot series: the two men; a close-up of Mac; a close-up
of Marcus staring out at the desert, turning to look at the spilled gold coins; a close-up of the
gold; and finally back to the two men.
They are standing together in this shot, and a card of Mac's words: "Even if we're done for, I'll take some
o' my truck along," returns afterwards to the previous shot. Another card shows Marcus saying: "I ain't so
sure 'bout who that money belongs to!" The men are now facing each other
aggressively. Another card shows Mac
warning: "------an' don't try and
load that gun either!", and returns to the previous shot. The camera takes a tight focus on Mac's face
alone, with a threatening expression.
Then, it drops to a close-up of his hands, squeezing into fists, then
another look of the facial close-up. The
camera crosses over to a close-up of Marcus' face, equally menacing, and a card
states: "Don't you lay your fingers
on that sack!" A full shot appears
of both men preparing to fight; the camera pulls back to show a very wide shot
of the desolate landscape with the men in the foreground beginning to fight, the
dead mule just behind them. The camera
pulls in tighter to follow the two men fighting; Mac ultimately knocks Marcus
to the ground. The camera zooms in to reveal two pair of hands struggling to
possess the gun. The gun is finally wrenched free from the possessor's hand, and
quickly the film cuts to a shot of Mac's back as he beats Marcus beside the
dead mule. We see a gruesome close-up
looking down on Marcus' face as he goes unconscious;
then a close-up of Mac beating Marcus.
In this shot, the camera faces Mac head on, at his eye level, as he kneels
on the ground. While he beats Marcus,
this shot shows only the top of Mac's head.
His face is visible only as he lifts it to look at Marcus, an eerie
illusion that he is looking at the viewer.
Von Stroheim deviates somewhat at this point,
too. Norris has Marcus trip backwards
over the dead mule, and the cuffs are fastened to
Mac's right hand.
Although
the various shots of the fight are in quick succession, the following series of
shots is flashed even faster. The shot series alternates several times
between Mac beating Marcus, then of Marcus' face
dying. Finally, the camera pulls back,
showing the murderous scene as Mac continues to beat Marcus, then another quick
shot of Marcus' dying face. The tempo
then dies off rapidly as Mac realizes Marcus is dead. He stops beating him, he hesitates, then he rises up almost in slow motion. Not until now does
he discovers the handcuffs locking him to Marcus' dead body. A close-up of his left wrist reveals the
cuffs. The camera closes on Mac's dazed
look. The whole
deadly scene emerges as the camera pulls back:
the men---one dead---and dead mule in the immediate foreground framed by
the endless desert, which comprises 3/4 of the frame. Mac vainly works at the cuffs and gives
up. This wide shot emphasizes the total
irreparable condition of the situation, because there is nothing around him but
death and he is locked to it. A prolonged facial close-up of Mac captures
his slow recognition of the impact of what has befallen. The sluggish action, compared to the previous
rapid shot series during the fight, calls attention to Mac's slow-moving wit
and suggesgs that all he has now is time: time to wait for a slow death. In contrast, his quick physical movements
during the fight, culminating in the murder of Marcus, recalls Trina's fate, as
well as the suggestion that Mac lives close to the animal realm, reacting to
situations from a sensate level. The two
wrists cuffed together appear again, slowly returning to the previous shot of
Mac, and again the shot of the dead Marcus' face---which still moves! A shot of Mac returns,
dazed, looking over toward the mule.
A close-up of the gold coins exposes the object of his stupefied stare; a return to Mac as he moves his gaze elsewhere. The empty canteen is shown in a close-up,
then again a wide shot of the dead and Mac and miles of desert behind
them. Interestingly, the mountains fade
out almost completely in this shot. It
appears that von Stroheim had the far landscape
"bleached out" to create an even more intense feeling of the
tremendous heat in this wasteland. The shot lingers on Mac, who slowly sits
down, lifting his arm to look again at the cuffs as if he can't
quite comprehend the finality of it. A
closer view shows Mac gazing at the cuffs, and once again Marcus' dead face,
moving in that ghostly way, as if he can't quite give
up the ghost. It is obviously the same
shot each time. I
wonder if this is the work of von Stroheim or the MGM
scissor-hand. Mac moves his head to look
at Marcus, then towards the mule.
The
small covered bird cage appears in a close-up. Mac returns, the shot changing to a full
horizontal shot. Mac retrieves the bird cage, brings it back, and sits down pulling the cloth
off the cage. In a close-up, Mac is seen
kneeling, reaching in for the bird, retrieving it and
looking at it compassionately. The
camera flashes a close-up of the tiny bird---his constant companion---held
within his bloodied hand. The power of
this shot hits hard. The tiny bird's
helplessness is contrasted by Mac's huge bloody
hand. The blood on the hand is
incongruous in such a tender shot, but suggests the irony of Mac's life. A series of shots here deepens the
tragedy---of the bird and of Mac---the shots move from Mac, to the bird, and
back to Mac where he raises his little friend to his lips and tenderly kisses
it. He then tosses it in the air to let
it fly away. But,
the next shot is utterly heartbreaking, for it shows the little creature lying
on the canteen, half dead and unable to fly.
That the bird landed helplessly on the canteen adds greater poignancy to
this little scene, because due to the lack of water, the little bird meets its
cruel doom, as does Mac. The shots move
in quick succession now: from Mac, to the gold, to Mac again. Now the camera pulls back for a last tragic
view of a scene of desolation and death, with Mac sitting amidst the death
waiting the eternity of his own unalterable destiny---a horrid death under this
relentless sun, without water or the ability to leave. The camera moves away from this tragedy and
shows a wide shot of the unforgiving, cracking and
vast alkali desert. It is a long, slow
look at Mac's living hell, as the circular lens contracts slowly and the scene
fades to black.
Von Stroheim makes one final change in the last sequence of
shots. In the novel, the men knock the
birdcage off the saddle as Marcus falls over the mule, causing the cover to
fall off. After Marcus dies, Mac just sits
down. He does not retrieve the bird cage. Von Stroheim's change adds heart-wrenching drama. More importantly, Mac seems more in character
here than he does in the novel. When
reading the book, I was disturbed by Mac's actions at the end and couldn't accept that he would just sit and watch the bird
die. This canary has been part of
him. Because of Mac's love of the little
creature, he has carried it everywhere with him. Inherently, Mac is not a mean character, just
simple. The murder of Trina is unforgivable, nonetheless, he's still a sympathetic
character---unlike Marcus. Mac's violent
tendencies come to life through provocation and not through aggression. I think von Stroheim must have felt great empathy for Mac, which he
shows by his changes in the closing scene.
Because
so many drastic cuts were made throughout this film,
why was this scene left relatively unharmed?
Because this scene not only provides a dramatic end to the lives of
these men, it also serves as a summation of their wretched lives. In the wilderness, for the first time, Mac
looks natural. He belongs to the land
and remote areas, away from large centers of civilization. He is a simple creature like the animals he
loves so much. As a dentist, in suits
and fashionable dress, he appears uncomfortable and out-of-place. When he wears the garb of a miner or simple
laborer, it seems a natural part of him.
Even his beard looks natural on him.
At his core, Mac is a good-hearted man.
His downfall was to be taken out of his
element.
Marcus,
on the other hand, is a despicable individual.
He had no right to Trina's gold and his insistence on his
"rightful" ownership of it is as senseless as his foolish decision to
go into the desert. Mac probably would
have survived the crossing to the other side of the desert because he seems to
belong here. But
Marcus' irrational insistence on the gold causes his own senseless
destruction. Given the fatal situation
the two men faced, if they had agreed to split the gold evenly and part
peaceably, both may have survived. At
least, the water wouldn't have been destroyed. Once the water was lost, both knew the
hopelessness of ever leaving there alive.
The gold, then, was useless. The
fight over the gold, therefore, was as senseless an act as Marcus' life. One might suggest that he was revenging
Trina's death, but he never mentioned her---only the gold. Mac reacted to him, as he always did. Had he possessed greater intelligence, he may
have offered to give up the gold completely.
The gold obviously didn't mean much to
him. He walked away from the wealth he
could have had from the gold strike he found with his partner (assuming he
could remain uncaught---wealth can buy many things). His need for Trina's gold was
based on principal only. Giving
up the gold would have improved his chances of survival, and he might have been
able to escape capture. So, ultimately,
why were they fighting such a hopeless fight in the heat of God's oven? Without water or the mule they were doomed,
the gold was useless. They fought
because neither could transcend their own basic instincts of greed, pride, and
hatred.