Directed: Clarence Brown

Year: 1930

Nominated: Best Director – Clarence Brown, Best Actress – Greta Garbo

Plot in 25 Words: Love across the classes, across the years, and across the language barrier. Betrayal by friends and lovers but ultimately love should win out overall eventually.

In My Opinion: Well, this was a much better film than the last Garbo I watched, but there was a brief implication of prostitution so it would appear that so far she has a type of role!

A lot of films I’ve been watching from the 20s and 30s are set in high society. A social class I know absolutely bugger all about! But while everything I know about attitudes toward prostitutes seems upside down. Apparently in the 20s it was fine for everyone to be aware you’re paying for companionship!.

But I digress. Apparently if you love a woman, finding out your dearest friend is ‘sponsoring’ her can be a serious dampener on the relationship!

I quite like the idea of this film. An old man telling his nephew of his mistakes made in love, so his nephew can follow his heart and not make the same mistakes. Most of the story is told in one giant flashback and it worked well. I’d gotten so engrossed I’d completely forgotten the old man’s story til we came back to him.

As much as I enjoyed it, I did have a major problem with the ending. The old man basically tells his nephew to follow his heart like he didn’t. He didn’t want his nephew’s life to like his was – marrying his grandmother and eventually leading to his entire existence. Telling the kid it was all a mistake and he wished for a different life seems a bit cruel.

Star Performer: Greta Garbo. I still need convincing she’s anything special but she stood out amongst the faceless rest.

Overall: I was quite enjoying it til I fell out with the ending. Not the cheeriest of final scenes.