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Garbo won two consecutive New York Film Critics Awards for best actress in this and Camille--an altogether more satisfying selection. At 95 minutes, this handsome David O. Selznick production for MGM hasn't a prayer of doing justice to the rich supporting cast of characters in Tolstoy's thick novel (notably Kitty, through no fault of the perky Maureen O'Sullivan). That was equally true of Clarence Brown's 1927 silent version Love (1927), also starring Garbo, but it was both more passionate and more fluid; Brown's direction here gathers no momentum within scenes or in the film overall. Garbo's quiet "Too late, too late," as she realizes early on what a tragedy her obsessive love affair must lead to, is exquisitely doomed; but Fredric March makes a tiresome, even petulant, Vronsky. It's a measure of the film's misdirection that Basil Rathbone, icy-cold as the careerist husband Karenin, inspires more sympathy. At least he's entertaining. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Oh, could have used more Basil!
I'm extremely partial to Basil Rathbone, who played Anna's husband Karenin in this 1935 movie. Now, we're all familiar with Basil's villains, like Sir Guy in "Robin Hood" or his indestructible hero Sherlock Holmes. This time he was trying something different for a while: he actually was conveying nervousness when his character had to take his wife to task for her improprieties. Very unlike Basil, and I was surprised and delighted to see it. However, his character quickly had to become A Mean Vengeful Husband in order to make Garbo's Anna look good, and that was a bore.

Which brings me round to my general opinion of "Anna Karenina", notwithstanding BR. I found this an unsatisfactory representation of Tolstoy's novel because the characterization of Anna is all wrong. Garbo is much too confident, too together to make this story work. Anna is a formerly above reproach wife of a bureaucrat. Finally, she attracts some attention from a dashing army officer and then she falls from grace. I guess no one had tried to seduce her before; she is not in love with her husband. But though she chooses to pursue her illicit affair with Count Vronsky the officer, she cannot withstand society's rejection of her. It's not just "oh, she saw him talking gaily to a blonde"--it's the whole of Russian society that turns its back on her for her sin. So, she starts to lose her grip mentally which is why she takes A Drastic Step at the story's end. Greta Garbo didn't seem all that interested in Fredric March's Vronsky, at least not so much to follow him to Venice. I also didn't think she interacted effectively with her husband in their early domestic scenes, either. Here, she was the one giving him the cold shoulder and he looked alienated. I would more certainly have believed he would be the one to look for consolation from Vronsky! Or at least somebody.

Of course, with such a short running time, the Levin/Kitty subplot went nowhere. That's also too bad, because Maureen O'Sullivan's Kitty was cutting a good figure as the jilted somewhat jealous Kitty at the ball. Although a lot of reviewers really slam Fred March, he's okay, especially when he becomes increasingly exasperated with all the doggone togetherness his affair with Anna has brought him.

Bottom line: Garbo not cast correctly. Lengthier treatment would have allowed for more deserved depth of character for both Basil and Maureen.

Greta Garbo in one of her greatest roles
The classic 1935 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's tragic masterpiece is still a joy to behold. Greta Garbo is breathtakingly-lovely in one of her greatest screen performances.

Anna Karenina (Greta Garbo) lives a life of dull monotony, broken only by the presence of her engaging son Sergei (Freddie Bartholomew). Her cold husband Karenin (Basil Rathbone) treats her more like a trophy than a wife, and she relishes her carefree visits to her relatives.

When Anna falls in love with the dashing - and younger - Captain Vronsky (Fredric March) she gives way to a great passion...and even greater tragedy.

This was in fact a remake of the hugely-successful silent film LOVE, again starring Greta Garbo with her frequent leading-man (and lover) John Gilbert. Both versions are splendid, but this version stays more faithful to Tolstoy's novel.

Also starring Maureen O'Sullivan, May Robson and Reginald Owen.

Garbo Salvages It
Greta Garbo stars in this adaptation of Tolstoy's famous novel as the title character, a woman whose loveless marriage leads her into the arms of another man ... and then to tragedy. Garbo, always fascinating to watch, is very strong in the role of a woman torn between her love for an officer and sacrificing her child. Fredric March, as the officer she loves, does not register as strongly. It's difficult to see the attraction he holds for Garbo. Basil Rathbone, playing Garbo's rigid husband, is appropriately cold, while the rest of the cast walks through their roles without much notice. All in all, the film failed to engage me to any great degree. The screenplay is stiffly written, with little time given to showing how the lovers' relationship developed, and several wooden moments of dialogue that fall flat. Were it not for the presence of Garbo, I don't think there would be much to recommend in it. From the great moment at the beginning where her face first emerges from the smoke by the train, she gives the film whatever magic it has.

Triumphant
It is appropriate that one of literature's greatest and most tragic figures, Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, is given compelling life on screen by one of fildom's most gifted and spellbinding artists, Greta Garbo, in MGM's luxurious production of Tolstoy's masterpiece, "Anna Karenina".

Anna is the neglected wife of Russian aristocrat/bureaucrat, Karenin, haughtily portrayed by Basil Rathbone. Karenin is consumed by his career and social standing. It seems that the only reason he married Anna and had a son with her is to enhance his "respectibility" in society.

When a handsome officer, Count Vronsky, played with conviction by Frederic March, understandably is infatuated by the astonishingly beautiful and charming Anna, he makes this known to her. He is persistent in his pursuit of her.

At first Anna is reticent to his charms, but eventually succumbs. This story takes place during the 1800's under the reign of Czar Nicholas I of Russia. In this era, there was a strict and judgmental social code. Adultery was treated like a crime or a contagious disease, and Anna finds herself the object of scorn and ridicule among society.

Anna's husband Karenin refuses to grant Anna a divorce and tells their son that Anna is dead when she flees to Venice with Vronsky. Eventually Anna becomes a social outcast because of her affair, and Vronsky begins to suffocate from their relationship. He decides to go off to war rather than be with Anna constantly.

Devasted by Vronsky's abandonment and shunned by society, Anna's fate is tragic.

I can imagine few other actresses than Greta Garbo who could so realistically embody the character of Anna. Anna is essentially a good person, a loving mother, and dutiful wife. But she is starved for tenderness and affection so she turns to Vronsky. Garbo subtly conveys Anna's despair and loneliness in her loveless marriage to Karenin. Garbo makes you empathize with her predicament, and you truly feel the joy, passion, and guilt that Anna experiences as she falls in love with Vronsky.

As an actress, Garbo is a minimalist in the best sense. She understands that less is more. She can gladden or break your heart with a glance, a smile, or the slightest tilt of her posture. Her eyes are wondrously expressive. This is a masterful, mature, and dignified performance by a consummate actress.

As for the rest of the movie, the direction, sets, and photography are all impressive. And Garbo's unearthly beauty is complemented by the ravishing costumes designed by Adrian. This version of "Anna Karenina" is a triumph.

I Like Fredric March, but I didn't like him in this film...
....because he plays a cad and I just can't take seeing Fred playing a cad! I was glad to read in his bio that he himself didn't want to do this part, feeling it wasn't really the best for him. But he had to do it...Really, he is much better as the romantic GOOD guy, not the sort of romantic, selfish BAD guy.

I will start first with what I liked about this film. First of all, Fredric March. This man rarely fails to impress me as an actor. He was just such a wonderful guy too...so handsome and romantic. In this, he looks terrific in the military uniforms, has a GREAT haircut and a cute little mustache. Once again he has a drunk scene, which is very unique. All these Russian soldiers drinking shots in unison and with the precision as if they are doing drills on the parade field. And then they must crawl under the table, come back to their place, and then the commander shouts orders to prepare for the next drink...truly weird!! Also, the opening shot of the LONG LONG table of food was very impressive. I liked Basil Rathbone because he did a great job of being the strange husband of Anna's. I liked the relationship Anna had with her young son. I liked seeing Fred doing the Russian dance at the party.

What I didn't like. As mentioned before, seeing Fred as a cad. I didn't like his selfishness. I don't like Greta Garbo much, and while she did okay in this film, she just seemed so tragic in spirit all the time, like she never really was happy, but was in a trap of an unhappy marriage, yet her affair with Vronsky was not any happier. It didn't seem like they really liked each other; I didn't feel any passion between them; it was very strange how the whole love affair was handled in the film, but then I read that the Code had a lot to do with that. I don't approve of affairs; and I couldn't respect Anna as a person because her values were wrong. She gave up her son for a fling with another man. A mother who truly loves her children will never go and seek something for herself at the expense of her children.

The whole film was generally dark and meloncholy, sad and tragic. You could be happy for neither Anna or Vronsky. You sit at the end of the movie only feeling sad for their tragedy. It is not a "happy" watch.

But I did like to gaze upon a handsome Fredric March! If you want to see Fredric as a Russian soldier again...see him in We Live Again. He is young and handsome and beautiful in this one too. Based on Leo Tolstoy's "Ressurection", he plays a cad in that one as well, but happily we get to see him realize the errors of his ways and he make his wrongs right.

I must also share with you that this Anna Karenina is MUCH better than the later remake with Vivien Leigh. Skip that one, watch this one. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Good girls go to heaven; bad girls go everywhere
Women are said to fall for the guy who drives the biggest car. With Neville Holderness (John Gilbert) at the wheel the highway becomes a race-track and his childhood love Diana Merrick (Greta Garbo) is duly impressed. She is impatient to build a nest, but he has an antiquated code of honor: she is rich and he is poor...Her brother, Geoffrey (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) would prefer David Furness (John Mack Brown) as brother in law, a star-athlete and in Geoffrey's eyes a shining example of decency. But Geoffrey's knowledge of human nature is not undisputed: all the Merricks hit the booze and Geoffrey downs two bottles a day...Diana has no luck with her aimed at father in law either: Sir Morton Holderness (Hobart Bosworth) can't stand her and sends his son to Egypt.

Diana plunges into the kind of life that explains the film's title, but after two years David's perseverance is rewarded: she marries him. Two imaginative shots depict the beginning and the end of their marriage: Diana, shown in the most flattering light awaits her husband, in whose integrity she believes, in her marriage bed. He has rice in his hand, but the grains run through his fingers. Two men await him and he jumps from the window in his panic, while his wife turns the lights on and off...

Why should a happy man take his life? In an act of selflessness Diana decides to protect his memory rather than vindicate herself. She endures her brother's insults, his repudiation. Neville believes in her, but his father interferes again. He will not yield to her imploring looks.

Diana resumes her turbulent life: Longchamps, Monte Carlo, St. Moritz, Biarritz, Kairo. She returns to England after seven years to nurse her brother whose liver lost its struggle against his drinking habit. She nearly turns up at Neville's engagement party. His marriage to Constance is to take place in three days. He keeps an eye on his bride's innocence (You use too much lipstick). Constance is curious of Diana, but Sir Morton is disgruntled: One does not talk about Diana; She is declassee.

While Geoffrey remains implacable, Neville is conscience-stricken and brings Diana to his apartment. She tempts him ("The ring is loose, it's like myself: it falls easily") and we are tempted by the prospect of seeing one of the very first horizontal bed scenes: Diana lies down on the bed in an inviting pose ("Did you love all those men?" "No, my heart remained faithful to you") and he lies down upon her - but all we see is her hand: for a while she makes an effort to hold the ring - then it falls...

Some people cause trouble even in death: Diana's brother, for instance. The moment of his exit was so cleverly chosen, that Neville and Diana feel more guilt towards him than the living Constance...

Nine months later: Diana, ill and delirious, cries for Neville. Constance, Now Mrs. Neville, reminds her husband of his duty. He has no idea what's wrong with Diana, not even when she holds his flowers like a baby and speaks to them...At this point the women start a who-is-more-selfless-contest: both are willing to renounce. They deliver so many disclaimers, that Neville may wonder if the ladies want him at all...Ah, and Diana has still to be cleared of the responsibility for David's suicide...

Snobs will dismiss this film as the twenties version of a soap opera. It is expensive, fashionable and hollow, the action stumbles along and when the director has a brain wave he rubs our nose in it. And yet it has a strange appeal: isn't it a comforting thought that the taste of the audience has changed so little? I rather enjoyed the film, for it has all the charm of a dancing elephant: a plump animal, but it moves with grace.

Classic Garbo/Gilbert!
Set in England, Diana Merrick (Greta Garbo) has been in love with Neville (John Gilbert) since childhood. Now an adult, she plans on marrying him. Neville's father, however, disapproves of the wild Merrick girl and sends his son abroad. Diana does the "honorable" thing and agrees to stay away ("honor" is a reoccurring theme in this film). Another suitor since childhood is David who is regarded as a highly respectable young man. Diana's heavy drinking brother Jeffry (played expertly by Douglas Fairbanks Jr.) worships David as the gallant man he wishes he could be. Diana eventually marries David only to find out he was not the saint everyone believed. She covers up the real reason behind his suicide at the expense of her own reputation in order to spare her brother's faith in David's "decency" (another reoccurring theme). She makes no effort to defend herself when Jeffry loudly (in text, anyway) declares that Diana's reckless past is the reason for David's demise.

Her own reputation tarnished, the widow Diana goes abroad and lives the loose life everyone expects of her. When she returns to England, she finds that true love Neville is engaged and her brother is in a worse drunken state than before. Will she lose them both along with her sanity? Get this film and find out! Beautifully acted--Garbo definitely shows off her toughness in this one. This version also includes a wonderful musical score. It is an hour and 37 minutes. I also recommend Flesh and the Devil-my favorite Garbo/Gilbert film.

The best of the Garbo-Gilbert films, despite the censors
"A Woman of Affairs" is the best of the silent films teaming up Greta Garbo with John Gilbert. Garbo plays Diana Merrick, an aristocratic English girl in love with Neville Holderness (Gilbert). However, his father, Sir Montague (Hobart Bosworth), prevents their marriage because he disapproves of her reckless family. It seems Diana's brother Geoffrey (Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.), is a wastrel and she is not much better. Diana then goes out and continues to lead a wild life, ending up marrying David Furness (John Mack Brown), not knowing he is a thief. When he is caught he commits suicide and she has to try and pay back what has been stolen. Meanwhile, Neville has married Constance (Dorothy Sebastian), but leaves her to come back to Diana, who knows that their love can only ruin him.

Adapted from the novel "The Green Hat" by Michael Arlen, this 1929 film was directed by Clarence Brown. Garbo's performance holds the film together with help from a nice performance from Fairbanks and a solid effort from Lewis Stone as Dr. Hugh Trevelyan. The plot, of course, is basically the same as most Garbo films, a fallen woman seeking redemption. Bess Meredyth's screenplay was nominated for an Oscar, although some were dismayed that the Hays Office censors changed David's venereal disease into embezzlement. Much has been made of the change from "purity" to "decency" that resulted, but then who wants to pass up an opportunity to bash the censors. In fact, the names of the characters were changed by the Hays Office and we can only imagine what would have happened to the nation's morals if Garbo had played someone named Iris March.

Garbo remains timeless. Silent film, an art form in itself.
Greta Garbo, along with John Gilbert, remain timeless and undated in this adaptation of the "The Green Hat." Perfectly written, acted, and casted. If you love the romance and nostalgia of the 1920s, you'll definitely enjoy "A Woman of Affairs."

See what the art of silent film acting is all about. It's an art form all by itself, which many actors of today may have failed miserably at.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. does a brilliant job with the character of Garbo's doomed alcoholic brother. Dorothy Sebastian perfect as the jilted wife.

Carl Davis, the brilliant composer,who scored Pride and Prejudice, among others, along with many other silent films, rescored this restored silent film with an understanding and knowledge of this era, no other composer could even attempt. We can only hope he will rescore many other silent films (hopefully the Gilbert/Garbo film "LOVE," costaring John Gilbert). Carl Davis' silent film scores are available on his CD "The Silents"

one of garbo's best films.
the quality of the film was surprisingly good, compared to other silent films. though the film was simply a melodrama, the performances were great that they made u forget all other odd things. don't miss. ... Read more

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Ah, those fun-loving Communists! In Ninotchka three Soviets make their way to Paris to sell off imperial jewels to raise money to buy tractors for the USSR. When Grand Duchess Swana (Ina Claire), former owner of the jewels, discovers what's happening, she deploys her lover Leon (Melvyn Douglas) to recover her gems. He starts a court proceeding while seducing the three bumbling Soviets with the luxuries of capitalistic life. The delay of the sale is noticed in Moscow, and Comrade Ninotchka (Greta Garbo) is dispatched to Paris to settle the matter. Soon after arrival, she meets Leon, who is charmed by her severe, uptight manner and her stunning beauty ("I love Russians! Comrade, I've been fascinated by your five-year plan for the last 15 years"), and he sets about wooing her, despite her disbelief in love (it's merely a "chemical reaction," she dourly informs him). Romance, jealousy, and capitalistic frivolity ensue.

When this film was released in 1939, it was advertised as "Garbo laughs," as it was her first and only comedy. The film, directed by Ernst Lubitsch, is amusing not only for its story line, but also for its dated look at early Communism (Ninotchka keeps a photo of a stern-looking Lenin by her bedside, although she feels uncomfortable doing so in a room that costs 2,000 francs a night, the price of a cow back home). The satirical image of the young Communist fighting against corrupt Western ways seems somewhat idealistic today but nonetheless provided levity during the shaky political times of the film's release. Viewers may be jarred by the casual "Heil Hitler" greeting of a couple at the train station, but overall this film holds up as one of Lubitsch's masterpieces and a lighter glimpse of the mysterious Garbo. --Jenny Brown ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Garbo Was Amazing!
Ernst Lubitsch has made many wonderful films such as "To Be Or Not To Be", and "The Shop Around The Corner", and while I perfer those two over this one, this film definitely is not without it's own charm. I seriously don't think Lubitsch was capable of making a bad movie, even if he wanted too! He was a far too talented filmmaker! And this movie showcases his talents very well. Three russian agents ( Felix Bressart, Alexander Granach, and Sig Ruman) are sent to Paris in order to sell priceless jewels once owned by the grand dutchess (Ina Claire). When word gets to her about the agents, she immediately waits to get back her jewels. This all makes for a setup to introduce Ninotchka (The Great Greta Garbo. While I'm definitely too young to remember her when she was at her peak. I've always been aware of the famous name GARBO!) Once she arrives in Paris she is amazed at the way people live, she can't stop looking at the "wild" fashions she finds women wearing. She soon meets a man, Melvyn Douglas (Count Leon d' Algout) and they fall in love. Now, I don't want to give too much away, but, all I can say is, this is a wonderful "classic" comedy to watch that I'm willing to bet will please many movie lovers with it's warm charm ,wit, and Garbo! The movie was nominated for 4 Oscar and one for Garbo's performance which was rightly deserved, too bad she didn't win.

"Not radio. Let's have music that's just for ourselves."
Ninotchka is a funny, well-written film with a good dash of romance showcasing Greta Garbo's beautiful, expressive eyes.
Her unlikely relationship with Melvyn Douglas is a hit; one that you hope will succeed.

The only flaw in the film is its characterization of Soviet Russians as buffoons (contrast the simpleton emissaries with the multi-faceted duchess) and its constant smug references to the superiority of the U.S. political system. Initially these references are just another facet of the good comedy: "I've been fascinated by your five year plan for the past 15 years" but after awhile they wear thin: [the man walking through another's apartment to get to his own or the line about the bird leaving a crumb of black bread].

Nevertheless, the action and the script, taken as a whole, is very smart and very funny. It includes some great romantic lines such as when a wooing Douglas (referring Garbo to a clock) says, "Look, one hand has met the other hand...they've kissed."

Garbo is the star. I didn't have any pre-conceived expectations of what she wouldn't do but the laugh scene in the cafe is certainly one of the highlights and key moments of the film--one that will likely have you laughing too.

Garbo's great comedic role
Yet another yummy Ernst Lubitsch comedy, this time starring the often-dour Greta Garbo as a humorless Soviet agent who is seduced by Western materialism (and a dashing, jovial Melvyn Douglas) while on a mission in Paris. Some may find the film's political aspects to be dated -- but hey, that's totally the point! Lubitsch manages to lampoon both Stalin-era communism and the American stereotypes of the French (as libertine sensualists) all at one time... And while the Soviet state is roundly mocked, the plight of its people is not, so that Garbo's character is given her dignity and honor... as well as some swell close-ups and nice clothes! The best part of this film is her transformation from a robotic, literal-minded Party functionary into a fully-rounded human being... The scene in which Douglas tries to crack Ninotchka's icy facade, telling jokes and acting up in order to provoke a laugh or a smile, while she rebuffs his every overture in a clipped, chilly monotone, is one of Garbo's best performances, and a brilliant comedic stroke for Lubitsch. In effect, the manic, wisecracking Douglas is turned into a straight man for Garbo, whose minimalistic delivery controls the scene, in an almost Steven Wright-like manner. And, of course, the rest of the film is a delight as well. A fascinating, frivolous look at prewar European politics, and a real humdinger of a screwball comedy, with a clever, snappy script co-written by Billy Wilder. What's not to enjoy, comrade?

Definitely one of Lubitsch's ten best films -- A classic!
Ernst Lubitsch is my favorite director, and this movie shows him at his best. He is sometimes incorrectly identified as a screwball director, but in fact he never really directed a screwball comedy in the sense of Howard Hawks or Leo McCarey. For the most part, Lubitsch specialized in sex comedies in the European tradition, even if after 1934 the Code administered by the Hays Office forced him to minimize the sex.

NINOTCHKA is a very great film. It features a marvelous leading performance by the always spectacular Melvyn Douglas, and an unexpectedly successful comedic debut by Greta Garbo. Rounding out the cast is a spectacular collection of great character actors, many of them Lubitsch regulars like Felix Bressart (though Bela Lugosi is shockingly underused in the film, certainly not enough to justify his high billing). The script was primarily the work of the great Billy Wilder, arguably the greatest comedic writer in the history of Hollywood (he paired with an American who could clean up his frequently ungrammatical English, early in his career with Charles Brackett and later with I. A. L. Diamond) and still three years from being allowed to work as a director. But primarily, this is yet another great work by one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema, Ernst Lubitsch.

One thing that truly amazes me about Lubitsch is how little he seems to have been affected by the Hays office and the imposition of the Code in 1934. There is no question that his pre-1934 films are a lot more fun and a heck of a lot more mischievous, and that is a huge loss because Lubitsch was always better when he could be a tiny bit naughty. I think of the hysterical moment in DESIGN FOR LIVING where Miriam Hopkins, Gary Cooper, and Fredric March take an apartment together in Paris, and although she is deeply attracted to both men, they make a "gentleman's agreement" not to engage in any non-Platonic activity. Everything is fine until playwright March goes to London for a production of his play. Left alone, Hopkins and Cooper pace nervously around the apartment without their chaperone, until they bump into one another, Hopkins gazes up at Cooper, and then flings herself lasciviously on a couch, proclaiming, "We had a gentleman's agreement. But I'm not gentleman!" A great moment, but DESIGN FOR LIVING was released in 1933, and a year later the line would have been stripped out of the movie (indeed, many of Lubitsch's pre-1934 films wouldn't be certified by the Hays Office for re-release because they considered them too naughty, like THE MERRY WIDOW, TROUBLE IN PARADISE, and ONE HOUR WITH YOU). But despite the Code, Lubitsch was ever the imp, and manages a delightful degree of anarchy in NINOTCHKA. Very little is stated, but a great deal is implied.

As fine as this film is, it is far from my favorite Lubitsch film. Despite being regarded as one of the greatest directors in the history of film, and arguably the finest comedic director ever, Lubitsch is still stunningly underrepresented in DVD. Although the film I believe is his finest, TROUBLE IN PARADISE, was recently released as a Criterion disc, and THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER is available, none of his other best films are out on DVD. At least some of his finer films like TO BE OR NOT TO BE or HEAVEN CAN WAIT (not to be confused with remakes of HERE COMES MR. JORDAN) were available on video. I'm not sure that ONE HOUR WITH YOU was ever even released on video. The good news for those who love NINOTCHKA and THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER is that Lubitsch made several other films just as good as these, and a few that were even better. We can only pray that these will be made available shortly.

Madame , this is a restaurant not a medow!
So says the Parisian waiter to the stern Ninotchka (Greta Garbo) as she orders a plate of---well I guess it could pass for nouvelle cuisine in California today.

Meanwhile Count Leon (Melvyn Douglas) smitten hopelessly with 'my beautiful, barbaric Ninotchka' attempts to convince her that he dines at this 'worker's proleteriat' restaurant every day, and worse, tries to make her lsugh by telling her a lame joke about two Scotsmen. Am I getting to complicated? No matter, this scene, like every other scene in this film, is funny, witty, urbane and has a wonderfull pay-off at the end.
NINOTCHKA is THE archetype of the romantic screwball comedies.

The best.--and Garbo's only comedy.

Lubitsch's masterpiece (I'd give 'To Be or not To Be' a close second place) is delicious fun all the way through.

Greta Garbo spoofs communism, French sophisticates, the eternal war of the sexes, but most of all, she spoofs the screen personna of Greta Garbo.

One can tell that she had a blast playing counter to type--no melodramatic semitragic heroines here, it's pure wit and laughs. A fast and crazy ride, as the idealistic Ninotchka falls in love.

Among the writing credits you might notice a recent emigre to America: Billy Wilder.

See it with someone you love. And if you start to get carried away, 'Suppress it' ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A GARBO MILESTONE.
The once highly esteemed script-writer, Frances Marion, faithfully followed the text of the famous Eugene O'Neil play which starred Blanche Sweet on Broadway in the early twenties. Bette Davis, who was a devout "Garbomaniac" (as Garbo fans were called in the thirties), once stated about Garbo's acting: "What Garbo did on the screen was sheer witchcraft... I cannot analyze this woman's acting". In her first sound film, after what seems an eternity, Garbo finally comes into view, weary and cynical, she says to the bartender: "Gif me a viskey - chinger ale on the side. And don't be stingy, baby!". Her voice was blissfully right on target! This 1930 antique is very talky and reminds one of a silent movie with dialogue. If it were not so well-acted, it would be very tiresome indeed. Garbo's voice was noted as being in strange and beautiful accord with the Garbo personality of the silent pictures. Garbo had, more than than any other actress on the screen in the early thirties, the ability to emit the power of suggestion, and, in infinite degrees, expose the isolated mysteriousness of the human soul. Charles Bickford does quite well as the Irish seaman, and as the the old waterfront hag, Marthy Owens, Marie Dressler put an infinite amount of detail in her excellent (albeit a bit hammy) characterization; Garbo was so impressed by Dressler's performance that she personally brought a bouquet of chrysanthemums to Dressler's home in appreciation. On both the stage and screen, George Marion seemed destined to be old Chris; his remarks about "Dat old davil sea" has made audiences laugh for over 70 years.

German with English subtitles version is better!
Of the two versions I saw, I preferred the German version with English subtitles. Garbo's performance as well as that of the supporting cast was more inspired. I will keep looking for that version before I buy!

Much more than 'Garbo Talks!'
Eugene O'Neill's play was here adapted to the silver screen, and to Garbo. The plot is dated, and this being 1930 the sound's quality is not entirely mastered. But there are the characters, the actors, the gloom and doom of early Depression. And, of course, this also very much Garbo's film. Unlike many past(and following) roles she's no femme fatale here. Anna's character is the strongest in the film, not so much dominating the males (boyfriend, father) but being manlier more mature and more independent than either will ever be. She might survive without them. It's doubtful if they could have achieved the same.

And that's pretty much where Garbo stands in relation to this film. She's the one that breathes life into it, and whenever she's off camera only Marie Dressler's drunken-lucid banter keep the interest. Still, undoubtedly a classic. Minus Garbo this would be a 3 stars... ... Read more

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Arguably Greta Garbo's best MGM movie--depending how you feel about Camille and Ninotchka--this tale of the 17th-century Swedish monarch who preferred men's togs to gowns plays the most provocative games with the great star's ambisexual personality. At her request, Rouben Mamoulian directed (all three Garbo's-best-movie candidates were done by the best directors she worked with: Mamoulian, George Cukor, and Ernst Lubitsch). Two sequences are legendary: Christina memorizing the room at a snowbound inn where she has first experienced love; and the long, concluding closeup of a queen become ship's-figurehead--as blank as a tabula rasa, and filled with all the meaning and emotion seven decades of audiences have chosen to see there. Those scenes are anthology pieces, but unlike most Garbo pictures, the whole movie is intelligently scripted and sustained. With Lewis Stone, C. Aubrey Smith, and John Gilbert--Garbo's premier silent-era costar--making a tentative comeback as her love interest.--Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Garbo in the greatest final close-up in cinema history
"Queen Christina" is famous for its final shot, a slow close up on Greta Garbo as she follows director Rouben Mamoulian's suggestion that she think of "nothing." Garbo plays the queen of Sweden in this 1933 film, who is supposed to marry Prince Charles Gustavus (Reginald Owen), the military hero. Even her former lover, Count Magnus (Ian Keith), approves of the wedding, knowing the Queen does not love Charles. However, Christina declines, insisting she is not ready for marriage. When she learns that a new ambassador from Spain, Don Antonio de la Prada (John Gilbert) is arriving, she dons men's clothing and goes to the inn where he is to stop. Learning there is not enough room at the inn, the two spend the night, but it is not until the next morning that the Don discovers his companion is a woman. They fall in love over the next few days and she wants to marry him and run away to Spain. But then he discovers she is the Queen and he reveals his mission: to arrange a marriage between Christina and the King of Spain. The film then deals with the conflict between the Queen's heart and the demands upon her as a ruler, leading to a tragic conclusion and the famous final close-up.

"Queen Christina" was Garbo's fourth and final film with John Gilbert, and the only one with sound and the only serious flaw with this film is his performance, which is almost laughable at times. Garbo is regal, in her own exotic sort of way, and one of the treats of the film is the opening scene where Cora Sue Collins impersonates Garbo as the young Christina. Standing out in the supporting cast are Lewis Stone as Lord Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna (his 7th film with Garbo), Elizabeth Young as Countess Ebba, and C. Aubrey Smith as Aage, the simple countryman who loves his queen. Although I think of "Queen Christina" as being a shade short of a classic because of Gilbert, it does have that unforgettable final shot, so I will round up the 4.5 for this one.

WHAT I DID FOR LOVE...
This is a vastly entertaining film about the enigmatic, cross dressing, 17th Century Queen of Sweden, who abdicated her throne for love of a Spaniard, the Spanish Envoy to the Swedish Court, Don Antonio De La Prada. The film follows their romance from their first chance meeting through their full blown love affair to its final tragic conclusion. Real life is often stranger than fiction.

Greta Garbo, a native of Sweden, is positively glorious as this most unusual of Queens, giving a performance that is intelligent, complex, and passionate, with a touch of whimsy interjected. John Gilbert, Garbo's real life, handsome ex-lover, is excellent in the part of Don Antonio, a man conflicted by his mission on behalf of his king and his passion for Christina.

Queen Christina, too, is conflicted, as she does not wish to enter into a political marriage of convenience with Swedish war hero, Prince Charles Gustavus (Reginald Owen). This is the marriage that the people of Sweden seem to want and one that is being fostered by both her Chancellor, Axel Oxenstierna (Lewis Stone), and her former lover, Count Magnus (Ian Keith). Nor does she wish to marry the Spanish King. Instead, she wishes to marry for love. So, she does the unthinkable. She abdicates for love, creating shock waves that reverberate throughout the courts of Europe, and arranges to leave her native Sweden with Don Antonio and head for Spain.

The best-laid plans, however, often go awry. Jealousy rears its ugly head, when Count Magnus realizes that his affair with Christina is over and that Don Antonio now has her affection. It is he who throws the final monkey wrench into their plans to live happily ever after. Who, having seen this film, can forget Garbo's last scene as Christina, the Queen who lost everything in the final analysis: her throne, her lover, and her future. Her last close-up in this film is unforgettable and one that will long linger in the memory of the viewer. Never was Garbo more luminous or soulful.

This is a movie classic that will be enjoyed and appreciated by those who love vintage films, as well as historical dramas.

Garbo & Gilbert - best team ever - timeless
I loved this film, the only talking picture of the great Gilbert/Garbo team. (You note I put his name first, because it appears like that in their three silent films!)
Contrary to the first review in this section, which states that Mr. Gilbert is almost "laughable" (?) in his role, I think his performance is excellent, like Ms. Garbo's, certainly better than Ian Keith's. You can actually see on screen the great love that once existed between the two during all their classic, great silent films, and the chemistry is still there. Makes one wish she had accepted one of his several (real) marriage proposals!
I am sick and tired of seeing Mr. Gilbert being maligned; he was one of the silent screen's best actors; his teaming with Ms. Garbo is timeless; and due to the machinations of a "person" named Louis B. Mayer, his career was deliberately ruined for several reasons, e.g. personal animosity between the two men (which twice led to blows), highest salaried contract, relationship w/Ms. Garbo, etc. Once and for all, let us finally put an end to the "voice" myth and realize the truth!
In summary, Ms. Garbo is perfect and she is here reunited with her perfect leading man. Just as in the three silent films they made together, this one is a classic which will be remembered forever. Never again did she have a co-star so "perfect" with her.
P.S. To the person who wrote "laughable": Ever hear about "The Big Parade" - maybe you should take a look at it to see how excellent an actor Mr. Gilbert was, and definitely view all of the Gilbert/Garbo silents. You'll learn a lot.

Glorious Garbo
The gloriously beautiful and gifted Greta Garbo gives an alternately commanding and comedic performance as Sweden's cross-dressing monarch, Queen Christina. Christina falls in love with a Spanish ambassador, played by Garbo's real-life ex-beau, John Gilbert, and in doing so, changes the course of history.

This film has a dated artificial look to it. The sets LOOK LIKE SETS, and the action often feels stagy and claustrophobic, as if it were conducted on one of MGM's cumbersome sound stages (which it was).

However, "Queen Christina" is worth seeing because of the sheer pleasure that the ever effervescent Garbo generates through her skillful portrayal of the eccentric monarch. Garbo on screen never fails to captivate. She is often better than the movies she appears in.

See "Queen Christina" for the joy and artistry of Garbo's performance. You won't be disappointed.

a masterpiece
After watching this classic once again last night after several years, I have to say that this is a masterpiece. Rouben Mamoulian was one of the most stylish directors of the classic Hollywood era, and he has imbued this film with many unforgettable moments. Of course, his efforts are greatly complemented by some screen goddess called Greta Garbo! I did not watch any of his famous silent films which actually developed her screen persona, but her famous '30s talkie performances in this film, together with those in Anna Karenina and Camille are more than enough for me to land her in my top 10 favourite performers of all time. Her screen allure is something which cannot be properly described in words. So sensual, touching and strangely contemporary and not a bit dated after all these years. Her famous scenes in this film, all classics in their own rights, shows us an actor in strict command of her art, mastered by effortlessly opening her inner self to the camera and letting her radiant charisma take over the audience. Whether scrolling the inn room she spent her happiest days with her lover to memorize its details, addressing an angry crowd of citizens with a firm stance or in that undescribably moving final shot, staring enigmatically at a future of loneliness and hard-earned freedom, she is pure movie magic destined to enchant many generations long after she has left these mortal shores. Immensely aided by Herbert Stothart's original score and William Daniels's lush photography, Queen Christina is a true delight. Enjoy. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

A Silent on the Verge of Sound
This 1929 silent film is almost a "talkie" with its synchronized sound and fitting music, making it an interesting viewing experience, whether you are used to silent films or only 'talkies'. The sound effects are things like a cheering crowd, slamming doors and hand clapping, and the music is quite varied, according to the mood and scenes, such as Javanese natives performing their tribal dances (though it's not authentic Javanese music; only a Hollywood version of 'something exotic'!)
This aspect alone makes this silent film worth experiencing, but add to that the excellent performances by the principle players: Greta Garbo, the wife who longs for more romance and attention from her husband; Lewis Stone, the 'blind' husband who only has his business on his mind; and Nils Asther as the enigmatic Javanese prince who tries to seduce the neglected and frustrated wife.
Greta Garbo goes through many emotions, all of which she plays wonderfully, and each of the characters is solid and realistic. The story is, in fact, just like Erich von Stroheim's "Blind Husbands", only more detailed and sophisticated, and in a more exotic setting. Even if the storyline is familiar or somewhat simple, the actual telling of the story, the acting performances and visual -and audio! - experiences make up for it very nicely.

Greta Garbo caught up in a love triangle in the orient
Greta Garbo is involved in another exotic love triangle in "Wild Orchids," a 1929 film directed by Sidney Franklin, adapted from John Colton's story "Heat." Garbo plays Lillie, the young wife of John Sterling (Lewis Stone), who takes her on a trip to inspect his plantations in the Orient. Aboard the ship they meet Prince De Gace (Nils Asther), who starts pursuing Lillie. At his palace in Java, the Prince entertains the couple and when Sterling is away finally seduced Lillie. Sterling returns, sees them, and ends up with the necklace she left on the couch where she and the Prince were making love. When the trio goes on a tiger hunt, Lillie discovers the necklace in Sterling's coat and realizes her husband knows the truth. Suddenly, she is very afraid about what might happen on this tiger hunt. While "Wild Orchids" is not a great Garbo film, it is certainly above average. I started off thinking, here we go, another love triangle movie, but the ending was actually something of a surprise. Having Garbo in the "Orient" allows her to wear a few exotic outfits along with the standard furs and silks, so she certainly looks as alluring as ever. Asther is nothing special as the exotic Prince of the Orient, while Stone provides his usually solid performance.

Passionate sexdrama
Greta Garbo in one of her very best silent films. Although she is for once not the tantalizing vamp of her earlier films,Miss Garbo never looked or acted more sensual than here. Watch out for the erotic climax between Nils Asther and her,this is definately great fun to watch ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

One of Greta Garbo's touchstone films, this 1937 adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas novel finds the actress playing a dying courtesan who falls in love with a young nobleman (a slightly miscast Robert Taylor) and must sacrifice her happiness. Directed by George Cukor (The Philadelphia Story), the supreme "women's director" in Hollywood at the time, the film could have existed just to give Garbo room to be luminous (despite her character's illness) and a great star. But it is also a gorgeous MGM production with strong performances from Lionel Barrymore and the rest of the cast. (Henry Daniell is a standout as the villain.) --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Brilliant and Timeless Love Story - a Masterpiece
I have seen many, many classic movies. I have seen the best performances of the best movie stars and I have seen all of the most respected classic films. None come close to Camille, the best movie ever made! I'm not kidding, either. This film is pure magic. The screenplay is brilliant and flawless. The romantic lines will last in your memory just as long as the beautiful images. And there are many unforgettable scenes.. Garbo drops her fan as she walks down the staircase (in a magnificent Adrian gown), as she sees the man she loves. The scene where Robert Taylor throws his money at the woman he can't have. And the single best scene in motion picture history..Garbo's legendary and tearjerking death scene. The first time I saw this movie, the end made me cry uncontrollably for half an hour. Just as magnificent are the heartfelt performances by Garbo and Robert Taylor, who is sensitive and tender, as his character should be. Garbo is breathtaking in her best role. Her lines are perfectly blended with her character, such as when she is on her deathbed and whispers, "If you can't save me, how can a doctor?" or "My heart isn't used to being happy." As they are falling in love, the lines are absolutely wonderful, such as when Taylor tells Garbo his parents were married 30 years and Garbo says, sadly, "Nobody could ever love me 30 years." People could laugh at this movie and say it is sentimental, but that just indicates lack of heart. I have never seen a movie without a sentimental script that ever inspired me to write. This movie inspired me in every way.. It inspires us to be more compassionate towards each other and live to love. This is the most effective love story ever told, and this 63 year-old film still breathes life into a 150 year-old story. Why? Because it is timeless. A story is only old if the artists think so, but this film is a masterpiece. It will always be my favorite movie.

Little bit on the boring side....
Yes, I just saw this movie tonight at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a tie-in to its exhibit on MGM costume designer Adrian, and I was surprised to find myself getting restless.

I think there might be too many scenes in the beginning that are similar, when boytoy Robert Taylor keeps trying to convince jaded courtesan Greta Garbo that he can love and take care of her better than anyone else. In movie shorthand, this should've been established with just one scene. It's a Cukor film, and looks it. By that I mean, Cukor somehow managed to make his movies look antique--just think of Hepburn's "Little Women" or Bartholomew's "David Copperfield". A tad treakly and too soft focus not to sit 100% right with present-day viewers.

But that's not to say that "Camille" is a bad movie, because it's not. Garbo gives a very interesting performance as Marguerite; she does a lot with her eyes in the early scenes to convince us she's got some kind of interior life going on. Laura Hope Crews offers good support as her flighty friend Prudence--hard to believe it's the same woman who played Aunt Pittypat in "Gone with the Wind" a few years later. Best in show: Henry Daniell as Marguerite's lover the Baron. Now, we're supposed to see him as an ogre, I suppose. But really, she IS trying to play him for a chump and cuckcold him with Taylor's Armand, so I must side with the Baron on that one, for self respect. Daniell puts over cynical acceptance of things like the pro he is.

And about that tie-in to the Met: These costumes are truly outstanding, not just for Garbo but for every woman in the movie. Exquisite, every one of them! Dying of consumption may not be fun, but it sure is something to look at clothes-wise.

Great Garbo--The Rest , well . . .
Greta Garbo is so good in this film, so witty and touching and appealing, that it's easy to forget how ordinary much of the surrounding film is. To be sure, it was given a lush budget and Henry Daniell, as Garbo's "patron" of the moment is almost as accomplished and touching as she (how much more interesting; a love story between two people who are prevented by convention from admitting the fact, even to each other), but Robert Taylor's perfromance is as stiff as his collars, the rest of the cast is little more than competent, and George Cukor's direction confirms that he was much luckier in his casts than they were in getting him as a director; Vincente Minnelli actually got a performance of sorts out of Lana Turner--a few years earlier Cukor did little more than make sure the lighting was flattering and that Turner didn't trip over the furniture. Fortunately, Garbo had no such problems, and her performance makes Maguerite Gautier one of the wittiest and most appealing characters in film history, and when she dies at the end, she makes you feel that a little bit of what makes the world good left with her--not a bad accomplishment, that.

Inspiration for Baz Lurhman's "Moulin Rouge," perhaps?
I thought Camille was a very good movie. Greta Garbo is stunning as always, and I really liked Robert Taylor as her love interest. As I was watching the movie, I couldn't help but notice some startling similarities between this film and the more recent, Moulin Rouge, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan MacGregor. Some lines in Camille sound almost exactly like one's in Baz's flick, and Greta's character, Marguerite, does resemble Nicole's Satine; at first, they seem over the top party animals, and then you realize they're regular, sensitive girls (and they both have a fatal illness). Also, the Baron in Camille is quite a lot like "the Duke" in Moulin Rouge.
Anyways, sorry for the rambling. I recommend you see this film. Especially if you enjoyed Moulin Rouge!

"You will never love me thirty years; no one will"
Quite by accident I saw this film and "Bridget Jones Diary (2001)" on consecutive evenings; both are about women of a similar age with somewhat similar dilemmas. Their approach (as films), however, is two generations apart--with the contemporary one rather shallow, the former (Camille), more idyllic and, in my opinion, more satisfactory.

Camille (an odd title--flowers?) is about Marguerite Gautier (Greta Garbo), a Parisian woman of the 19th century torn between love and money. The main attraction of this film is its romance. Robert Taylor, as Armand Duvall, shows undying love to Marguerite, in spite of his occasional jealousy. She, who initially resists his advances because she is practical and worldly, is eventually taken by his devotion. Armand's father (Lionel Barrymore) intervenes--leading to a sacrifice by her, and, eventually, tragedy.

The Baron (money), is a superbly-played character and not so hateful as many reviewers imply. He, too, makes a noble sacrifice. There is a great scene where he plays an incredible piano amidst a very tense moment.

This film, because of its age, may not seem readily accesible to the contemporary viewer. But in spite of such it did not take long before this viewer was sold on watching it all. "Camille" is well done and, for those who really like romance, probably a classic film. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Garbo's Tortured Love For Rising Gable
There are some stars in Hollywood's history that by their sheer star power and magnetism are always able to transcend inferior material and create memorable work. Greta Garbo was one such performer and in "Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise", she succeeds in making a fairly ordinary storyline (based on an early "racy" novel by David Graham Phillips), great viewing with her convincing performance and commitment to making an incredible set of circumstances more acceptable. Produced in 1931 this early sound film is unique in being the only teaming of MGM legends Greta Garbo and Clark Gable. Despite numerous reports about the pairs mutual dislike for each other and their very different acting styles, they in actual fact team well in this melodrama of one woman's quest for true love in many wrong places. Garbo is most definately the star here but as in most of the eleven roles he performed that year Clark Gable reveals a startling acting presence that matches the more experienced playing by Garbo all the way.

Garbo, fresh from her triumphs in the talkies "Anna Christie", "Romance" and "Inspiration", here plays the down trodden Helga, the illegitimate niece of a gruff farmer called Ohlin (Jean Hersholt in a brief but vivid perfromance). Used to a grim life of servitude because her mother "didn't have a ring", Helga finds herself in danger of being married off by her uncle to an uncouth older man called Mondstrum (Alan Hale). When he is forced to stay overnight in the house because of a storm Mondstrum attempts to "claim his property" early and in the ensuring struggle Helga flees the house and wanders lost out into the storm. Seeking refuge in a barn she is detected in her hiding place by weekend resident engineer Rodney Spencer (Clark Gable) Having nowhere to go Helga stays on at Rodney's Cabin and the pair fall in love and plan marriage. Rodney returns to the city for his work promising to return to Helga when his tasks are completed. However Ohlin and Mondstrum track Helga down and she is once again forced to flee without telling Rodney her whereabouts. Her flight finds Helga teaming up with a travelling carnival she encounters on a train and she becomes a dancer and the mistress of the show's owner Burlingham (John Miljan) who believes in enjoying the favours of his staff to the fullest. Rodney in the meantime manages to track down Helga who has been christened "Susan Lenox" by the troupe , however he rejects Susan when he discovers the terms of her "employment" with Burlingham. Moving on from the carnival by sheer self preservation and will power Susan finds herself the mistress of society go getter Mike Kelly who has political aspirations. By a fluke Susan runs into Rodney at one of Kelly's dinner parties where she realises her old passion for him is unchanged however Rodney still harbours the old bitterness towards her and in a nasty scene embarrasses her and storms out of the party. Susan then sacrifices her new found social position as the "kept woman", of Kelly and pursues Rodney down to South America. Encountering the decent Robert Lane (Ian Keith)who wants to marry her Susan is torn between his uncomplicated love and her unresolved feelings for Rodney. When she finally finds Rodney down on his luck she realises he will always be the one for her and at the fade out just before Rodney is due to return to his work upriver the two decide to make another go at sharing their lives.

Certainly "Susan Lenox", is a complicated and contrived melodrama with a bewildering array of men seeking the love of the elusive Garbo but out of such proceedings Garbo by her well honed abilities, succeeds in making this story a satisfying if not great one. Even with it's early origins "Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise", is a quite polished production befitting the divine Garbo's status as the aloof queen of MGM. Despite the well documented lack of offscreen chemistry between Garbo and Gable, on screen they team well and Gable performs excellently in the type of no nonsense characterisation that became his later trademark. While alot of these early characters of his were your typical "he-men" more often than not they were also intelligent and decent individuals under the outwardly gruff exteriors. His Rodney Spencer is one of his better performances from this early 30's period and his famous "roughing up" of Garbo around the time he was giving the same treatment to the likes of Norma Shearer, and Joan Crawford earned him a huge number of female fans and helped make him the uncrowned King of Hollywood. "Susan Lenox", is certainly one of Garbo's more earthy roles from this time but even in this film's surroundings of carnivals and cheap nightclubs Garbo still manages to exude that special magic thanks to the superb lighting of veteran technician William Daniels who was her favourite lighting man, and of course through the special magic of legendary designer Adrian who manages to create just the right look for Garbo whether the scene takes place in the lowly carnival or in an exclusive penthouse. Being a pre-code effort "Susan Lenox", also manages to be a bit more open and honest about Garbo's status as a "kept woman" despite her choosing the right path at the film's conclusion. Supporting performances are uniformily fine with MGM regular Jean Hersholt shining in his brief role of Helga/Susan's hateful uncle.

For anyone like myself who is an MGM buff "Susan Lenox: Her Fall and Rise", is required viewing if for nothing else but to experience the once only meeting on screen of Greta Garbo and Clark Gable. It certainly is a curiosity item in tracing Garbo's screen progression from her early vampish and "fallen women" roles to the grand dames of tragedy she became renowned for later in the thirties decade. There is alot to enjoy in this film despite its at times unbelievable premise and as stated previously Garbo, by her sheer star power is once again mesmerizing on screen. Highly recommended viewing for film buffs.

OFFBEAT CASTING=MEDIOCRE FILM.
Garbo plays the illegitimate daughter of a brutal farmer (Jean Hersholt); he plans to marry her off to a low-class but wealthy farmer played by Alan Hale. Garbo (as Helga) runs off to escape her fate and hides out in a mountain cabin which belongs to young engineer Rodney Spencer (Gable, natch); they fall in love...The picture wasn't ever considered a box-office or artistic success, but it's a curio for those who would like to witness the unlikely pairing of two legends of the screen when they were young (Garbo was 25 here, Gable was 30). Garbo makes up for a great deal of the film's weaknesses by a clever study in alternating moods, while Gable gives a fairly strong, straightforward portrayal as her lover. Even back in 1931, the picture was considered rather scrappy and unpalatable - yet the acting and personalities of the leads still have the ability to mesmorize, even in a hopelessly hokey plot such as this. Interestingly enough, the book on which the film was based was written in 1917 by Graham Phillips; he was shot in the early twenties by a crank who objected to the treatment of women in the novel. His work subsequently aroused a storm of protest in America.

After a little of this, you'll want to be left alone too
A few years back, I was on a Clark Gable kick and went through many of his movies, so naturally, "Susan Lennox" was rented in due course. This is not a winner. Nope, Garbo was too bad to be endured this time, so I had to stop watching and returned to my dinner. You may differ, so view and decide for yourself.

Greta Garbo and Clark Gable in an early talkie
This 1931 film directed by Robert Z. Leonard is Greta Garbo's fourth talking picture. While "Susan Lenox" offers an above average performance by the star and has the virtue of teaming her up with young Clark Gable, the film is one of those early talkies where the poorly written dialogue and the limitations of the new technology on the camera make the film suffer. Ohlin (Jean Hersholt) is a farmer who wants to marry his illegitimate daughter, Helga (Garbo) off to a brutish man, Mondstrum (Alan Hale). Helga flees into the mountains and finds a cabin belonging to Rodney Spencer (Gable), a construction engineer. They fall in love, but when Helga learns Ohlin is still looking for her she flees again, ending up with a carnival where she has an affair with the owner (John Miljan). When Rodney finds her he leaves as soon as he learns of the affair. Changing her name to Susan Lenox, she becomes the mistress of a wealthy politician, Mike Kelly (Hale Hamilton). Rejected by Rodney once again, Susan ends up following him to South America, where he has fallen on hard times. Refusing to believe she has changed, Susan is confronted with a final choice between Rodney and another rich man, Robert Lane (Ian Keith).

I think one of the reasons this story bothers me is that Garbo spends most of the time in the movie making love to men she does not love. One of the chief charms of Garbo is how she looks in the throes of passion and here she has to fake it. Besides, how many times does she have to make the same mistake? The film is based on the David Graham Phillips novel, which became a banned book in some places because of its eroticism. I am sure most people figured that since Helga/Susan was illegitimate to begin with, being a Fallen Woman was her obvious fate. Besides, as the title indicates, this is a tale of Redemption, which was how Hollywood worked in sex during the early days.

I CANT BEGIN TO DESCRIBE GARBO'S TECHNIQUE
GARBO AND GABLE HAVE MORE THAN AN AGREEABLE APPEARNCE TOGETHER,THEY ARE EXQUISTELY PAINFULLY IN LOVE. AS IN MOST GARBO MOVIES SHE SHOWS AN APTITUDE FOR THE TRAGIC-LOVE STORY(I HAVE NEVER SEEN GARBO MORE EMOTIONALY EFFUSIVE). ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Must disagree with most critics
This was one of the first Garbo films I saw. I've since seen most of her MGM releases, and her German film. This film compares very favorably with most of the others, I'm sad to say, since I admire Garbo tremendously, and believe she deserved better. I would place this film in my favorite 5 Garbo films.
The plot is a little silly, as is Ninotchka in places, but it doesn't appear any sillier than other hits of the period, like the Thin Man series. The film is about entertainment, not reality, and scores big.

Many attribute Garbo's retirement to the "bad" quality of this, her last film. I disagree. Her letters indicate that Garbo was profoundly unhappy with MGM and her choice of roles as early as 1932, when she mentions quitting. She is quoted by one of her later friends as saying Two Faced Woman wasn't any worse than most pictures of the time, and she supposedly said it had nothing to do with her retirement.

Its a vibrant, healthy Garbo who bursts on the scene as Karin, the ski-instructor. Her ski-scenes, as well as the bathing-suit scene, underscore the fact that Garbo is still a young, beautiful woman, only 36 years old. I enjoy the bickering between Garbo & Douglas, who seem like married folk.

Many credit her female on-stage rival, but Garbo more than keeps up - she rules! The dance scene, displaying some fine stepping for one not known as a dancer, is my favorite, and her accidental "invention" of the new dance is nothing short of hilarity - pure comedy - which it turns out was Garbo's hidden talent for so long.

If you're looking for pure entertainment by one of the all-time greats in films, this movie will not disappoint. Its a fine ending to an incomparable career.

Screamingly funny, this is good comedy!!!
This film may look better now than it did 60 years ago. While I can't pretend to get into the mind of a 1941 viewer, I think I can see why "the official line" would go against this movie: it's a giddy comedy as bubbly effervescent as the champagne its sophisticated characters swill; there's no agenda other than to have and give a good time. So I can't go along with the fashionable types who pan this movie. Besides that, 2-Faced Woman is just flat out fun!

Come to think of it, the movie has its share of astutely observed social commentary, i.e., the extent to which people are willing to appear foolish in order to be "in" on a trend. Look no further than the ebullient, delightful supperclub sequence when Karin/Katherine who's never danced a step in her life ends up dominating the dance floor when the train of her evening gown gets caught under her slipper. She tries to stomp the bit of fabric free when a percussionist in the orchestra takes the rhythm from her lead --an absolutely joyous eruption of stomping ensues. And on the sidelines, the fools who say, "oh, yes, the Chica-Choca." Like they knew all along.

Garbo is terrific; her identity crisis is quite endearing. The ski shots are marvelously fun for snow enthusiasts. I wish there had been more time for Constance Bennett --she is priceless as the playwright/vamp; maybe its the glasses Bennett wears --those frames are back in style --that make her seem so oddly contemporary.

Summary: relax, and be transported back to a more glamorous era. We need high-class fluff like 2-Faced Woman in our times more than ever.

Garbo fan, and yet I liked it
I realize I'm sticking my neck out in speaking in favor of this film, but I feel I must. I am nuts about Garbo. I have seen 11 of her films (nearly half) so far and while I might not rate this as the best (it's hard to argue with Queen Christina isn't it?), from the moment she begins turning into "the twin sister" in "Two Faced Woman", I find myself mesmerized by the whole mood she conjures up: humorous, whimsical, mischievious, wild abandon yet focused intent...she is oblivious to all around her and to all setbacks, wisely and foolishly at the same time. How is it that one actress can convey so much? It's just not the kind of role I've seen her play in any of the other 10 films I've seen, and that in itself is interesting to me.

I find the film pleasantly humorous in places not just because of her lines, but other actors and lines in it as well. It's a pleasant George Cukor comedy.

No I haven't read what she had to say about the film, I've only read one book about her so far, but give me time. I can't help it I like this film and she seems very happy in it, which is infectious.

GARBO SINKS
MGM and Garbo were faced with a problem in 1941; the European audiences that made the Swedish Sphinx's movies profitable were cut off by the war. You would think the solution would have been to put Garbo in intrigue-laden movies about the war, so as to entice American audiences with topical material. You would be wrong.

Someone made the decision that Garbo- the most European star ever to reach top stardom in the States- would be "Americanised" for the duration. "Two-Faced Woman" was the story of a ski instructor who marries a magazine publisher and runs into marital difficulties, and who pretends to be her own twin sister to win him back. If it sounds incredible, it was. The movie is slapdash and makeshift from start to finish, with none of MGM's usual care to be found anywhere.

The script goes blue in the face trying to be "hot" while also attempting to satisfy the censorship requirements of the day. The players are obviously uncomfortable with what they're doing; Garbo tries to apply the comedic lessons she learned in "Ninotchka" to material unworthy of her efforts, and the result is beyond strained. Melvyn Douglas's usual debonair lover is made to look sexist and mean, even by the standards of 1941. And Ruth Gordon (years before "Rosemary's Baby") is wasted in a thankless sidekick role.

Even the usual MGM gloss goes awry in this one; much of the movie's beginning and end involve ski-slope mishaps, and the rear-projection and stunt-doubling employed are painfully obvious. Garbo is given unflattering wardrobe in a swimming scene, and when she comes out of the water, she's first taller than Douglas, then shorter, then taller, then shorter again.

There are a few moments in the movie that make it worth a look in spite of itself. Constance Bennett is a rival to Garbo for Douglas's affections, and her screwball comedy training serves her well, especially in a powder-room scene. There's an in-joke in a seduction scene; Garbo and Douglas are romancing, and the radio music cuts for a commercial. The product is "ARKO- That's OKRA spelled backwards, folks!" Implausible as it sounds, okra was one of Garbo's favourite foods in real life.

And there's the "Chica-Choca Rhumba". Garbo supposedly makes this dance up on the spur of the moment in a posh nightclub, and the staging of the dance's invention is silly indeed. But by the end of the number, Garbo is leading an entire soundstage full of dance extras with all the precision and elan of a Ginger Rogers, and for a moment, "Two-Faced Woman" gets a badly needed shot of magic.

There have been rumours over the years that this movie was MGM's punishment to Garbo for all the years of her salary demands and covering for the unconventionalities of her private life. On that score, if no other, "Two-Faced Woman" succeeds. It is hard to imagine any studio taking the most revered star in the business and putting her into a comedy that wouldn't have passed muster in Mack Sennett's time, but this picture is evidence it happened.

Garbo never made another movie after this, and small wonder. There are people who have attempted to say that "Two-Faced Woman" isn't all that bad. I remind them that Garbo felt so let down by the studio system on this film that she could never bring herself to trust any moviemaker enough to do another picture. Garbo, and all of us, got robbed.

Greta Garbo's film career misses ending on top by one film
Greta Garbo's final film reunited her with "Ninotchka" co-star Melyvn Douglas, but "Two-Faced Woman" is not a successful comedy. Garbo is Karin Borg, a ski instructress who marries vacationing news magazine publisher Larry Blake (Douglas). Larry promises his new bride he is going to give up the sophisticated night life of New York City, but when Karin arrives in town and sees that old flame Griselda Vaughn (Constance Bennett) is trying to get Larry back, she knows dour Karin can never compete. So Karin pretends to be her own twin sister, the gay and vivacious Katharine. This means the film comes down to who is going to take Larry away from Karin: Griselda or Katharine? This 1941 MGM film was directed by George Cukor and really does make for a less than satisfying swan song for Garbo, who is just not at all comfortable with either of these roles. Actually, it is Constance Bennett who is the funniest thing in "Two-Faced Woman." When I watch this film and I think about Garbo wanting to go out on top, it is clear she missed that goal by one film. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

High Life in Paris MGM Style
Following her first sound film, the box office hit Anna Christie, Greta Garbo made six films for MGM in a period of 24 months. But in the words of John Bainbridge in his still readable study of Garbo's career (1955), "None added much to her reputation. Only 'the greatest living actress' could have survived the banality of most." Inspiration, one of the lesser items in the series, deals with the rising and falling fortunes of Yvonne (Greta Garbo), the "inspiration" for a circle of affluent Parisian artists. But when she encounters the young Andre (Robert Montgomery), she recognizes true love and abandons the demimonde. Sadly, however, Andre, a contemptible twit who comes from a respectable bourgeois family, is being groomed for the foreign service and abandons Yvonne when he learns of her past. At the conclusion, just as he is on the verge of marriage, Andre returns to her, but Yvonne, far nobler than he, renounces him and while he sleeps steals off with a former lover who has just come out of prison.

Inspiration was adapted by Gene Markey from the short novel Sappho by Alphonse Daudet--uncredited--written in 1884, which has more than passing similarities to Camille by Dumas fils. But Markey updated the story to the present time, with the unintended effect of making these bohemian antics seem wildly anachronistic--after all, this was the Paris of James Joyce, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and the surrealists, not to mention Getrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway, and not the playground of superannuated roues posing as bohemians. But if the film would have seemed ludicrous to anyone familiar with the contemporary European art scene, it is even harder to fathom what audiences here would have made out of it at a moment when most American males were more worried about where their next meal was coming from rather than about where they could latch onto a poule de luxe.

Inspiration is emphatically a pre-Code production, and anyone still suffering from the false impression that MGM was a goody-goody studio in the early 1930s may find the picture an eye-opener. (In an early scene a cab driver brags about one of his lady fares granting him her favors after he takes her to her house.) But the main reason for watching Inspiration today is not to peek at a salacious curiosity but to worship at the shrine of the most unique leading lady in American cinema history. Garbo did not so much transcend a movie like this as she transformed it altogether, and the emotional intensity she brought to a role like this rivaled the fabled skill of any alchemist in changing dreck into gold. At the end, after she has penned her farewell letter to Andre, she silently pauses for a moment before parting, and the gamut of emotions that plays over her face has the electric force of a revelation.

A vehicle for a great star was as much of a genre as the western or the musical, and Metro lavished its resources on Garbo with the same abandon that Yvonne's admirers lavish their bank accounts on her. William Daniels photographed the picture, Cedric Gibbons designed the sets, and Gilbert Adrian contributed the costumes. Sadly, Garbo did not get as much of an assist from her fellow performers, especially the men. Although Lewis Stone is appropriately villainous as the cruel Delval--whose discarded mistress commits suicide by jumpimg out a window and falling at his feet--but the indefatigably stuffy Robert Montgomery takes a rather unsympathetic character and succeeds in making him even more obnoxious.

Although the video is not a digital transfer, MGM/UA has done a reasonable job of manufacturing. Nevertheless, the materials used for the video do not seem to have been very well preserved, and the optical quality is often disappointing--scratches and cinch marks show up throughout the picture, which often has quite a washed-out look in comparison to Mata Hari or Grand Hotel, both from the same period as Inspiration. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

One of the true gems of the Silent Era
The first time I saw this film I was completely overwhlemed by its artistry. I believe every would-be actor should see this film to understand the fine art of acting at its best. Of most note is not John Gilbert or Greta Garbo but LARS HANSEN. If you need more proof of this actor's phenomenal talent -- see The Scarlet Letter (1928)!!

My Favorite Silent Film!
Flesh and the Devil is my favorite silent film and one of my favorite movies period. Of course, this film was the one that sparked the real life romance between Greta Garbo and John Gilbert. Motion Picture Magazine, at the time, was right on it. In the December 1926 issue, an article on Garbo and Gilbert sported the following subtitle: "When Clarence Brown Filmed the Love Scenes with Greta Garbo and John Gilbert for 'The Flesh and the Devil,' He Was Working with Raw Material." Yes, especially for its time, the love scenes are red hot (accounts from the cameramen claimed that Garbo and Gilbert kept going even when the cameras stopped). I think this film, however, is often overshadowed by the Gilbert/Garbo romance and the tragedy that would follow. I find this film to be a classic based on the relationship between the two best friends in the film, the incredible acting, and the seductive atmosphere it presents. The interesting backdrops (sometimes of a fantastical nature) lend further charm to the story.

The film seems to take place in 1800s Germany. It certainly takes place before the First World War, as there is a sense of confidence and security among the characters and their families at the beginning of the film. It was a time when the privileged classes lived in a sheltered world of their own and when honor meant everything. The two best friends Leo (Gilbert) and Ulrich (played by Lars Hanson) are from this wealthy "Junker" class. Leo is the free-spirited, spontaneous one, Ulrich the sensible, naive one. Their seemingly unassailable friendship is threatened by the "devil" herself, Felicitas (Garbo). Unaware, at the time, of the seductress' marriage, Leo soon finds himself in a duel with her husband. Leo's victory results in his 3-year military assignment in Africa, where he waits anxiously to be with Felicitas again. Only the two of them know of the passion they shared as a dispute at cards was the public reason for the duel. When Leo returns, he finds that his Felicitas is now married to his best friend. The evil enticement of Felicitas soon seizes Leo by the flesh, and he cannot resist her passion, even at the sake of his friendship with Ulrich. Will the devil cause the two best friends to meet their end in their own duel, or will the naive Ulrich prove the stronger of the characters? Suspenseful to the end, you will definitely watch this film more than once. Worth the price, especially for any Garbo, Gilbert, or silent film fan.

"...when the devil cannot reach us through the spirit...
he creates a woman beautiful enough to reach us through the flesh..."

I enjoyed all the drama... The characters were easy to believe...I try hating Felicitas (Greta Garbo) but it's dificult (what a face!!)

One more thing ... actually Leo was suppose to be gone for 5 yrs. but was really gone for 3 thanks to his friend...

fave scenes: 1)Leo covers up for Ulrich's being out late and get caught celebrating... 2) Greta Garbo's close up at her home when she's laying down talking to Ulrich... 3)when Ulrich finds out his love is married to his bff... (damn! that's gotta sting!)
4) Pastor saying "...you still love her" and him and Leo just stare at each other...

Always remember: Bros be4 hos...

Greta Garbo's first and best film with John Gilbert
Leo von Sellenthin (Gilbert) and Ulrich von Kletzingk (Lars Hanson) are a pair of best friends whose Austrian estates are near each other. At the train station Leo sees the beautiful Felicitas (Garbo) and is immediately bewitched. Later he runs into her at a ball at Stoltenhof, where they quickly find some privacy. However, as Leo basks in the afterglow of their lovemaking, Felicitas' husband, the Count von Rhaden (Marc MacDermott) catches them and challenges the young rascal to a duel. The next day Leo kills the count and is forced to serve several years of military service in Africa. Before he leaves Leo makes the big mistake of asking Ulrich to look after Felicitas. Not knowing about the affair, Ulrich ends up marrying her. But when Leo returns five years later the couple immediately pick up their torrid romance. Ulrich discovers the truth and challenges Leo to a duel, as history threatens to repeat itself.

The story of "Flesh and the Devil," based on Hermann Sudermann's novel "The Undying Past," is pure melodrama. But that does not matter. The story is merely an excuse for director Clarence Brown to put as many love scenes between Garbo and Gilbert into the movie as possible and he ends up with three pretty involved sequences. More importantly, Brown brings a great cinematic style to depicting the romance. At the ball, where he makes great use of the light and shadows when they meet in the garden, there is an exquisite shot of Garbo's face is framed over a lit match. This was the first time Gilbert co-starred with Garbo and as we all know now their passion was extended well beyond the film. The point of a Garbo movie was never the story, but the star. "Flesh and the Devil" is arguably the best of her silent films to drive that idea home. Forget the story and just watch these two look at each other.

Greta Garbo ,the very essence of it
There once was a time,when movies wanted to be more than just entertaining, this film is an artistic triumph,almost like grand opera. Garbo and Gilbert are the tragic protagonists, although the story is far from convincing,it is directed and acted so brilliantly that you will forget everything that is annoying to you ... Read more