Altars of Desire

Altars of Desire (1927) is a cynical dissection of the American obsession with European pedigree, centered on the transformation of Alice Reed. Her father, a self-made industrialist from the American Midwest, views his daughter’s unpolished vitality as a liability to his social aspirations. He ships her to Paris, not for education, but for the acquisition of a 'varnish' that only the Old World can provide. However, the refinement she finds is a facade. Alice becomes the target of a predatory 'nobleman' whose title is as hollow as his bank account. The film explores the friction between raw American capital and decaying European aristocracy, ultimately questioning whether the 'refinement' sought by the nouveau riche is merely a more expensive form of corruption.