Am I the Only Person to find GREED to be Laughably Grotesque

Unlike CITIZEN KANE (which is not a favorite movie of mine), I just don't find GREED to be the overwhelming work of art that people say it is. It is so old-fashioned, with its iris in and out, its moments of the semaphore school of eleocutionary acting, and Zasu Pitts (looking like Lilian Gish's homely spinster aunt) bugging out her eyes when she's not giving a Popeye The Sailor-like gimlet-eyed stare to signal us her cunning. Jean Herseholt is a hoot, too, but it's intentional.

McTEAGUE, I mean GREED as a black comedy is great, but it's hard to take it serious. Von Stroheim's contempt for Americans is amazing, but like I said, it's good for some really belly laughs.

GREED is about as subtle as a Three Stooges short, and I love the Three Stooges. The wedding banquet scene should be use to illustrate the concept "Over the Top."

I've watched GREED five times now over 20 years, just recently last night in an old vaudeville house with organ accompaniement, so I keep going back for more. But "realism"?

It's a devilishly funny black comedy.

It's unfair to judge, since it is so mutilated, but I've seen the TCM long version and that footage looks pretty grotesque too.

But the scene in the desert where Marcus and McTeague shoot the horse.... I mean.... This is 3 Stooges Territory, cause with the horse dead, they aren't going to survive. It's absolutely RIDICULOUS. No one is that dumb, outside of the Stooges.

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"Why do people always laugh in the wrong places?"
--Gwyneth Paltrow lamenting her turn as Pepper Pots in IRON MAN 2