On the trail of the secret: In search of the happy ending

Viennese Hollywood pioneer Erich von Stroheim often had bad luck with his elaborate films. This was also the case with "The Wedding March," one of the most beautiful and saddest films in the world. Why did this masterpiece remain unfinished?

Once a film has left the turmoil of commercial cinema operations behind—distribution, advertising, daily cinema programming—and can land in a cinematheque, a film museum, it's a safe haven. A print is carefully preserved and professionally stored, possibly even a negative, and missing parts are restored.