willfulness and pride

His revolutionary montage theory and monumental films like Battleship Potemkin explore the clash between individual will and collective forces, examining pride in ideological struggle.

His characters are consumed by ambition and pride—from Sunset Boulevard to The Apartment—showcasing how willfulness leads to moral compromise and psychological destruction.

His melodramas dissect how pride and stubborn willfulness destroy relationships and lives, particularly in works like Ali: Fear Eats the Soul and The Marriage of Maria Braun.