According to Bazin and other members of the New Wave, cinematic realism could be achieved through various aesthetic and contextual media.
"The trend was toward cinematic realism, and that's what we aimed for."
The restored film is now known for its cinematic realism compared to many other films of the silent era.
The editing of motion pictures has been a focus for various theories of cinematic realism, where editing is usually rejected as manipulative and propagandistic.
Nor does Eminem - who released a more conventional gangsta-rap album, "Infinite," in 1996 - try for the cinematic realism of gangsta rap.
Many other efforts at cinematic realism are also stilted.
But it is also impressive to see cinematic realism pared down to hallucinatory intensity through careful camera work and meticulous sound design.
It heralded a new style that employed greater cinematic realism and addressed relevant social issues in black-and-white low-budget films.
The film was nothing special, but it did accomplish one thing: it proposed a new ideal of cinematic realism, a new way to look at a woman.
Stroheim intended it to be an exemplar of cinematic realism.