Cinematheque: Josef von Sternberg

Tragedy ensues when socially ambitious Clyde (Phillips Holmes) is tempted by the rich, alluring Sondra (Frances Dee), but frustrated by the helpless vulnerability of his factory girlfriend Roberta (Sylvia Sidney). Two decades before George Stevens’ "A Place in the Sun," Sternberg delivered his own big-screen version of Dreiser’s classic novel. Made before the enforcement of the censorship code, it is the more frank of the two films. (35mm, 96min.)