The Greta Garbo Signature Collection

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Eclisse
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2005 3:29 pm

#51 Post by Eclisse » Sat Oct 15, 2005 3:11 pm

I would like to recommend the new Book "Greta Garbo : A Cinematic Legacy" by Mark A.Vieira for everyone.To be honest,so far I only read 20 pages of it.It's a stunning looking book.The book doesn't seem to be about Garbo-the human being-or her films.But about the artist and how and why she made her films.And how and what she experienced on and out of the movie set while she was making them. How she made co-stars and crew members work with her.






[/quote]From Booklist
Only Marlene Dietrich rivaled Garbo as a beauty, a movie star, and a photographic subject, and one of the most amusing motifs in Vieira's film-by-film account of her career consists of regarding Dietrich's changes in image, style, and choice of film "vehicle" as reactions to those of Garbo. The critical consensus is that Garbo was the better actress but that Dietrich appeared in many more important films than Garbo did. Vieira doesn't dispute this but claims that Garbo's oeuvre is more significant than is commonly acknowledged. Unfortunately, he never argues the merits of any of the films enough to begin to prove his point. No lover of Hollywood history will mind, though, since his detailed, impressively well-written accounts of Garbo's 24 completed Hollywood features and one aborted project are entertaining as well as informative. And the accompanying 300 black-and-white photos are--need it be said?--ravishing. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved




[/quote]

Garbo and Dietrich are my favorites.But in my personal and humble opinion Garbo did all right for someone who only made 15 talking pictures her entire life (among them Queen Christina,Grand Hotel,Camille and Ninotchka.) I think it's easier to judge Garbo because her filmography is so "out there".Opposite someone like Joan Crawford who made 96 films.Does anyone here have the courage to say that they are all good?NO "Mata-Haris" for Crawford,uh? (or Davis,or anyone else) Yeah,right...there's probably,like,20 of them.We didn't even watch most of them...maybe we never will.Because Garbo made only 15 talking pictures every single little thing she ever did matter and it's criticized.I think this Garbo-cliche-is much too old in my opinion.So I guess what I'm trying to say is that Garbo doesn't have any "dirty little secrets" at all.They're maybe "dirty" but they are not a secret.
http://www.thestarlightstudio.com/garbopage.htm

Buy it.You won't regret it.
Last edited by Eclisse on Fri Oct 28, 2005 11:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Jean-Luc Garbo
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#52 Post by Jean-Luc Garbo » Sat Oct 15, 2005 8:17 pm

Well, we have Garbo on DVD in one place to get the goods so where can we go to see the brilliance that is Dietrich? Any suggestions for the best DVDs?

Narshty
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#53 Post by Narshty » Sat Oct 22, 2005 3:53 am

I was hugely excited by the prospect of Ninotchka, but, sad to say, it's a massive let-down. Everyone in it's very good, but where are all the gags? Lubitsch creates one premise then expects that alone to provide all the laughs (the communist frowns at everything). Aside from a couple of major chuckles (the waiter inadvertently calling Douglas's bluff, the final shot), it's all so bland and wishy-washy and, most shocking of all, totally anonymous. Even in something like Design for Living, the Lubitsch touch is still very much in evidence, even if much of the movie doesn't really get off the ground. I can't understand why Ninotchka has the reputation of one of Lubitsch's greatest - it's a Lubitsch picture for people who don't like Lubitsch.

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Michael Kerpan
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#54 Post by Michael Kerpan » Sat Oct 22, 2005 4:11 pm

There were nice moments scattered throughout "Ninotchka", but I found the lackluster visual sense even flatter than the humor. A real disappointment.

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tryavna
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#55 Post by tryavna » Sun Oct 23, 2005 11:05 am

I'm surprised that so many people dislike Ninotchka. While I agree that it's certainly not Lubitsch's best film, I always find it an agreeable and charming little romantic comedy. In many ways, it can be regarded as the sister film of Shop Around the Corner: not particularly edgy, but well-crafted and deriving its entertainment from the slow, inevitable thawing of the relationship between two people you know are going to end up together. Then again, I also derive a lot of enjoyment from watching Lubitsch's Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, whose charm seems to escape a lot of people. So I guess it depends on how much you like Lubitsch's more traditional romantic comedies.

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#56 Post by Michael Strangeways » Mon Oct 24, 2005 1:35 pm

Shocked, annoyed and irritated that there are some people that don't adore Ninotchka, but then again I have to remember that I don't really care for The Third Man, so different strokes for different folks.....

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hamsterburger
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#57 Post by hamsterburger » Mon Dec 05, 2005 1:23 am

So I was finally able to see Ninotchka at a screening at my local Cinemateque tonight.

Although I can see where some of you guys are coming from, calling it a letdown in some ways, I found my self dazzled all the way through. While I agree that the film may be easily over-praised because of its 'event' status (Garb+Lubitsch+Wilder, “see Garbo laugh for the first time!â€

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htdm
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#58 Post by htdm » Mon Dec 05, 2005 3:15 pm

davidhare wrote:But then again a lot of folks are unmoved by Shop Around the Corner.
Who?! Line them up against the wall...

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Rufus T. Firefly
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#59 Post by Rufus T. Firefly » Tue Dec 06, 2005 8:43 pm

I had to look that up to find out what it meant and, frankly, I wish I hadn't. And didn't. :shock:

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Gregory
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#60 Post by Gregory » Sun Apr 30, 2006 4:24 pm

I never got around to seeing Anna Christie before now. Is it the general consensus now that the German film is preferable, or are there any objections to this conclusion? It was Garbo's judgment, and is suggested in the text on the back of the DVD.

Anonymous

#61 Post by Anonymous » Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:38 pm

I've just had the pleasure of watching "Grand Hotel" (1932), starring Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, and John and Lionel Barrymore. What a constellation! You say it's hot outside? Why, I'd forgotten.

Although my daughter is named after her, I've only recently truly discovered Greta Garbo for myself. And I'm so glad. Strangely, I've never seen a Joan Crawford picture either. I've seen Faye Dunawaye's hamfisted portrayal of her ("No wire hangers!!). Oh, I've seen your Lauren Bacalls, your Claudette Colberts, your Rita Hayworths, all appealing in their own way, but this is something else entirely.

Garbo is cool, guttural, and silky. She hides away from the camera a good portion of the time, as if it would burn her, she is lunar. She has the dusky, mineral loneliness of a planet. In her walk, she leans forward with her shoulder, throwing around her lanky bones like a cadaver. But when she falls in love onscreen, you believe it-- her laugh is like a child's, musical, vulnerable and awkward. She changes from glum to excitable in an instant. Somehow you stare at this screen goddess, completely made of silver, and notice that her hair is frizzy, and that by turns she is ugly. She seems lost in a hazy world of her own, not quite able to focus, but turning guilelessly toward love. Today, such qualities are not thought of as sexy. They may even be seen as "un-American"! And Garbo, like my Norwegian grandmother or aunts, possesses a Scandinavian femininity. She was a Swede. The modest masculinity required to do farm chores, coupled with a quiet, poetical pastoralism that relishes white gloves and full dinner service. A serious scowl broken by deep enjoyment of a bawdy joke. A clean earthiness with a metallic aftertaste. The ability, perversely like that of Julie Andrews, to make sentimental cliches new again, like when you are in love.

Joan Crawford could only prove fascinating but shrill in comparison. Undoubtably very pretty, but not beautiful, she seems to avariciously seek the camera. Every take begins with her adjusting her facial expression, as if she is preparing to be seen. From what I've heard of her early life, she had a very hard way to go, and the look of hard ebullience on her face is lovely but desperate. Kind of like when you look at Britney Spears and see that pit of desperation in her eyes, smile as she might. Crawford is brassily American, though she comports herself in the "Continental" way. I would so badly like to have seen her in a quiet moment, smoking a cigarette and chewing gum, her face fallen into a sullen stupor. I can't help but think that her legendary abuse of her adopted daughter came out this desperation, for things to be ideal for a change. She seems like the kind of woman who would affectedly say, "Who? Me?" when told she was pretty. Like the kind of woman who would deftly manipulate men's eyes and pocketbooks, but go home alone because real intimacy would be impossible. In this movie, she cannot manufacture a believable grief response to the death of the man she loves. Dunawaye's portrayal, though artful, foxy, and hard, does seem to be missing this vulnerability.

John Barrymore gives a delightful turn as the admittedly oily thief-slash-Baron, with both women pining for him. Gene Wilder seems to borrow his genteel, bemused air, mascaraed lashes, and weaselly moustache. He professes his love for his only constant companion, a...wait for it... weiner dog. This dog was so adorable, I could see his eyes yearning for Mandy Henderson, circa 2006. He seemed to opine, "If only time's cruel hand had not parted us...".

There is a phenomenon that takes place in movies like these, love at first sight. It could be perceived as incredibly sexist and counter-progressive. But I love it. The man comes along and recognizes some vulnerability in the woman. And something unique. He throws himself in defense of her honor, in exchange for her utmost trust and fidelity. So crazy, it just might work!!

The other thing about movies like these: those doors. I'm talking about inlaid wood-veneer parquet doors, with crazy Cubist patterns. Remember when all rooms had doors between them? Not like your subdivisions with naked drywall portals. And these doors are not your American farmhouse doors: these doors say, "America is the new Paris". These doors come from a time when the Empire State Building would be the terrorist's locus of attention. From a time when people who drove cars everywhere were called "automobile enthusiasts" and wore goggles to do so.

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devlinnn
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#62 Post by devlinnn » Fri Aug 04, 2006 10:50 pm

David, where do you keep the cigarettes? Thanks mandyrose - beautiful, just beautiful.

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HerrSchreck
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#63 Post by HerrSchreck » Sat Aug 05, 2006 9:47 am

Great post Mandyrose. Your post brought up visceral memories of an ex-girlfriend of mine from Stockholm; she had that same althletic, nervous, fragile while tough femininity that oozed out of Garbo. It's a peculiarly Scandinavian femininity, I'd see it in Ingrid Bergman as well. There is a slight crack in the smoothness, revealing a slight whiff of a physical jerkiness, or lankiness, a hint of bad nerves, of a head too smart for itself to operate in a completely charming manner, seeming, in the back of it's mind, to be counting the seconds until it can get away from crowds... hints of overbearing fathers, a desire and willingness to fuck painted over religious guilt, an inability to be completely wanton, while at the same time being game for just about anything that doesn't degrade the self. My ex had the same slightly husky, self-conscious voice of Bergman and Garbo, the same tendency to move the whole torso when the head moved (inner tension creating stiffness instead of well oiled, independant joints). I can picture them in bed, spending the first 3/4 self conscious, licking their lips, their eyes very active and self-aware, unable to quickly extinguish the front-brain, breathing through the nose and not making much noise..... then finally latching onto something down in there and blowing out an atomic blast so desperately needed that it rocks the platelets.

With that soccer/hockey/ballet/skiing-cultivated Swedish-female physique. Greta oozes Scandinavia from her very core.

Eclisse
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#64 Post by Eclisse » Sat Aug 05, 2006 11:58 am


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skuhn8
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#65 Post by skuhn8 » Sat Aug 05, 2006 2:15 pm

HerrSchreck wrote:Great post Mandyrose. Your post brought up visceral memories of an ex-girlfriend of mine from Stockholm; she had that same althletic, nervous, fragile while tough femininity that oozed out of Garbo. It's a peculiarly Scandinavian femininity, I'd see it in Ingrid Bergman as well. There is a slight crack in the smoothness, revealing a slight whiff of a physical jerkiness, or lankiness, a hint of bad nerves, of a head too smart for itself to operate in a completely charming manner, seeming, in the back of it's mind, to be counting the seconds until it can get away from crowds... hints of overbearing fathers, a desire and willingness to fuck painted over religious guilt, an inability to be completely wanton, while at the same time being game for just about anything that doesn't degrade the self. My ex had the same slightly husky, self-conscious voice of Bergman and Garbo, the same tendency to move the whole torso when the head moved (inner tension creating stiffness instead of well oiled, independant joints). I can picture them in bed, spending the first 3/4 self conscious, licking their lips, their eyes very active and self-aware, unable to quickly extinguish the front-brain, breathing through the nose and not making much noise..... then finally latching onto something down in there and blowing out an atomic blast so desperately needed that it rocks the platelets.

With that soccer/hockey/ballet/skiing-cultivated Swedish-female physique. Greta oozes Scandinavia from her very core.
Now your just getting me all turned on and jealous! Bastard.

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Scharphedin2
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#66 Post by Scharphedin2 » Sun Aug 06, 2006 1:05 pm

HerrSchreck wrote:...visceral memories of an ex-girlfriend of mine from Stockholm; she had that same althletic, nervous, fragile while tough femininity... It's a peculiarly Scandinavian femininity. There is a slight crack in the smoothness, revealing a slight whiff of a physical jerkiness, or lankiness, a hint of bad nerves, of a head too smart for itself to operate in a completelycharming manner, seeming, in the back of it's mind, to be counting the seconds until it can get away from crowds...
8-)

Living a stone's throw from the waterfront in Malmö, I have crowds of these lovely creatures practically right outside my front door all summer long. I took a walk amongst them today, and you know you are right... in a way that only someone, who has seen Garbo and Bergman on the screen can be right about Swedish women. They are in many ways the archetype of the feminine elegance, these Swedish (Scandinavian) women :D ...of course there are a few pages before and after Schreck's description, but in classic movie terms: "Enter the story as late as you can, and exit as soon as you can."

Schreck, if you ever need a break from the big apple, or wherever it is that your haunt is, you herewith have a standing invitation.

shearerchic
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#67 Post by shearerchic » Sun Aug 06, 2006 3:24 pm

they need to release garbo v2 with her remaining talkies:
-susan lenox: her fall and rise
-inspiration
-romance
-the painted veil
-conquest
-as you desire me
-two faced woman
-3 disc dvd with silents: Wild Orchids, The Single Standard, The Kiss, A Woman of Affairs, The Torrent and Love

Now you couldn't disagree in saying that would be an awesome set. With releasing this set, her whole MGM catalog would be on DVD.

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HerrSchreck
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#68 Post by HerrSchreck » Mon Aug 07, 2006 1:11 am

Scharphedin2 wrote:
HerrSchreck wrote:...visceral memories of an ex-girlfriend of mine from Stockholm; she had that same althletic, nervous, fragile while tough femininity... It's a peculiarly Scandinavian femininity. There is a slight crack in the smoothness, revealing a slight whiff of a physical jerkiness, or lankiness, a hint of bad nerves, of a head too smart for itself to operate in a completelycharming manner, seeming, in the back of it's mind, to be counting the seconds until it can get away from crowds...
8-)

Living a stone's throw from the waterfront in Malmö, I have crowds of these lovely creatures practically right outside my front door all summer long. I took a walk amongst them today, and you know you are right... in a way that only someone, who has seen Garbo and Bergman on the screen can be right about Swedish women. They are in many ways the archetype of the feminine elegance, these Swedish (Scandinavian) women :D ...of course there are a few pages before and after Schreck's description, but in classic movie terms: "Enter the story as late as you can, and exit as soon as you can."

Schreck, if you ever need a break from the big apple, or wherever it is that your haunt is, you herewith have a standing invitation.
Yeah my ex's sister used to live in Malmo. Land of the immortal ferry driver.

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George Kaplan
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#69 Post by George Kaplan » Wed Aug 09, 2006 7:05 pm

davidhare wrote:I think it might have been David Ehrenstein, or at least someone at a_film_by who related a story from a crew member on one of Crawford's movies who descibed her, when asked to change expressions for the next take or shot, would turn around and literally physically contort and reorganize her face to achieve the desired expression.
Actually, this originates with F. Scott Fitzgerald interviewed in the New York Times:

"...Writing for [Joan] is difficult. She can't change her emotions in the middle of a scene without going through a sort of Jekyll and Hyde contortion of the face, so that when one wants to indicate that she is going from joy to sorrow, one must cut away and then cut back. Also, you can never give her such a stage direction as 'telling a lie,' because if you did, she would practically give a representation of Benedict Arnold selling West Point to the British..."

This has always seemed unnecessarily unkind, (probably borne of a more personal animosity) especially considering how modern Crawford seems compared to many other actresses of her generation. And that modernity being particularly measurable when one regards her facility in shifting emotional register.
Last edited by George Kaplan on Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

viciousliar
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#70 Post by viciousliar » Tue Aug 15, 2006 3:49 pm

Image

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dadaistnun
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#71 Post by dadaistnun » Wed Mar 28, 2007 8:23 am

Interesting news regarding uncensored versions of Mata Hari and Two-Faced Woman posted at Home Theater Forum.

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dadaistnun
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#72 Post by dadaistnun » Thu May 17, 2007 12:28 pm


Saimo
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Re: The Greta Garbo Signature Collection

#73 Post by Saimo » Mon Dec 31, 2012 5:56 am

Anna Christie was shot in 1929, so what original aspect ratio should we have? I expected a 1.18:1 (or 1.15:1 or 1.20:1), but the DVD is 1.33:1, and sometimes you have unbalanced shot composition... Is this vertically cropped?
Image

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Tommaso
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Re: The Greta Garbo Signature Collection

#74 Post by Tommaso » Mon Dec 31, 2012 6:14 am

Yes, definitely the usual aspect error case when it comes to early sound films. 1.19 should be correct.

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rohmerin
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Re: The Greta Garbo Signature Collection

#75 Post by rohmerin » Tue Dec 24, 2013 8:21 am

I have always liked Garbo when she doesn't speak (She was not so good in the talkies, except in the comedy, sadly she only made Ninotchka, where she's magnificent).
I re watched the 3 TCM DVD silents and the all 3, specially The temptress, are amazing: once upon a far time when Argentina was a rich country (sic), when a Spaniard was the most successful writer (Blasco Ibañez, totally forgotten today), when a latin lover from Málaga, named Antonio (Moreno), conquest Hollywood 70 years before the other Antonio, Banderas.

Fred Niblo is notably underrated. The mysterious lady is quite good, and it's set in pre WWI Austro Hungarian empire, a mythical and interesting era for me.

The Kiss is excellent, spite its limited old fashion bourgeois plot; and its ending is totally pre-code. I'll revisit Goulding's Anna Karenina with a happy ending and art deco non Soviet Russia this week.

finishing 2013 questions: are the other Greta Garbo silent films available in pressed discs? I really like The torrent where she is a Spaniard !!! (sic)
and why don't WB release The four horsemen of apocalypse (Valentino version)? It's out on DVD in Spain but it looks a DIVX for 12 euros. WW1 seen by the cinema with the 100th anniversary?

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