Now here is one of my favorite romantic pairings, yet I had mixed feelings about this late silent with Greta Garbo and Nils Asther. This is mostly due to the fact that I don't think the characters or the background are developed enough to make the whole cohesive.
A case in point is the suicide of the chauffeur in the beginning of the movie. He and Arden (Garbo) are having a love affair, but for some reason, when he's dismissed, he inexplicably wrecks the car, committing suicide. I was wondering, " What in the world!" because there wasn't enough background on this character to understand why he would make a decision like that.
Arden believes in, as she puts it, " living life freely, without restraints," and we believe at the end of the movie that she is going to sacrifice her husband and adorable little son to do that, but she makes the traditional choice and stays. I realize that was the best decision and I don't think the audience would've had much sympathy for her had she gone away with Packy (Asther), but I wonder if that's the choice her character would realistically have made given what we know about her before.
This movie is beautifully photographed and lit, and the secondary actors are enjoyable as well! ( Johnny Mack Brown is a doll!)The director John S. Robertson gets a sensitive, restrained performance from Garbo. The love scenes are idyllic and tender.
Watch this one for the Greta and Nils, but the story doesn't completely gel for me! P.S. Packy's hair has oddly turned white in the front during a trip to China!
A case in point is the suicide of the chauffeur in the beginning of the movie. He and Arden (Garbo) are having a love affair, but for some reason, when he's dismissed, he inexplicably wrecks the car, committing suicide. I was wondering, " What in the world!" because there wasn't enough background on this character to understand why he would make a decision like that.
Arden believes in, as she puts it, " living life freely, without restraints," and we believe at the end of the movie that she is going to sacrifice her husband and adorable little son to do that, but she makes the traditional choice and stays. I realize that was the best decision and I don't think the audience would've had much sympathy for her had she gone away with Packy (Asther), but I wonder if that's the choice her character would realistically have made given what we know about her before.
This movie is beautifully photographed and lit, and the secondary actors are enjoyable as well! ( Johnny Mack Brown is a doll!)The director John S. Robertson gets a sensitive, restrained performance from Garbo. The love scenes are idyllic and tender.
Watch this one for the Greta and Nils, but the story doesn't completely gel for me! P.S. Packy's hair has oddly turned white in the front during a trip to China!