There is really nothing that unique about the plot. Variations on it have been done prior to this and would be done after this. Plus, for a precode, it sure had lots of moral lessons.
The film opens on a party as wealthy Raymond Delval (Lewis Stone)is pouring champagne into five glasses stacked one on top of another. He and his companions then toast each other and Yvonne Valbret (Greta Garbo) as their artistic inspiration - she has been the subject of the writing of one, the model for the sculpture of another, and the subject of a painting for a third. They all seem to be somewhat in love with her, and she is also being "kept" by yet another wealthy man. Garbo is simply beautiful here - an old soul yet full of energy. Her eyes settle on young André Montell (Robert Montgomery), as she is bored with artists. There is instant electricity between the two of them, and the not so subtle insinuation is that they begin sleeping together almost immediately. Now anytime somebody - in this case Garbo - can make the dapper Montgomery look like a tongue tied innocent schoolboy, you know you have a sophisticate on your hands. It turns out that Andre is still a student and plans to enter the consular service sometime soon.
Andre idealizes Yvonne, and although he was at the party - a place where he said he knew nobody so you have to wonder WHAT he was doing there in the first place - he has no idea she has such a checkered past right up to her present living arrangements. Also, there is another fellow who went to prison for embezzlement just trying to get enough money to dazzle Yvonne with presents. Although Andre seems horrified at Yvonne's past lifestyle when he finds out, you have to wonder if he didn't think something was up, because when his "respectable" family pays him a surprise visit shortly before Yvonne comes to call, he heads her off at the pass and is even just a little rude to her in not wanting his family to know about her. If Andre was so in love with her, wouldn't he want the family to meet her rather than shoo her out into the street? So Andre, after learning the whole truth about Yvonne's past, breaks off the relationship. However, Yvonne does not go back to her old life as mistress of a wealthy man, and eventually she becomes poor. Andre sees her in a café and when she doesn't have the money to pay for her meal, does it for her, and things seem to pick up where they left off, but not really.
Andre buys Yvonne a house, so she is in a "kept" situation once again, but she figures this is OK because she believes that she and Andre are in love again. Plus Andre has put her out in the French countryside, and you have to wonder if the isolation isn't intentional because Andre is not exactly being on the level with Yvonne. You see, he has become engaged to a "respectable" girl of whom his family approves and in keeping with his future profession as a consul. Something has got to give, and I'll let you watch and see how this works out.
Like I said in the beginning, there is nothing special about this plot, but it is worth it just for the acting, the atmosphere, and the art design. Earning honorable mention here is Lewis Stone. In the precode era he played more than a few cads, and he does a magnificent job here too, making teenage girls into his mistresses so that when he tires of them they will not be too old to find another man. How generous of him! Recommended but hard to find and not even in the Warner Archive yet at the time I am writing this.
The film opens on a party as wealthy Raymond Delval (Lewis Stone)is pouring champagne into five glasses stacked one on top of another. He and his companions then toast each other and Yvonne Valbret (Greta Garbo) as their artistic inspiration - she has been the subject of the writing of one, the model for the sculpture of another, and the subject of a painting for a third. They all seem to be somewhat in love with her, and she is also being "kept" by yet another wealthy man. Garbo is simply beautiful here - an old soul yet full of energy. Her eyes settle on young André Montell (Robert Montgomery), as she is bored with artists. There is instant electricity between the two of them, and the not so subtle insinuation is that they begin sleeping together almost immediately. Now anytime somebody - in this case Garbo - can make the dapper Montgomery look like a tongue tied innocent schoolboy, you know you have a sophisticate on your hands. It turns out that Andre is still a student and plans to enter the consular service sometime soon.
Andre idealizes Yvonne, and although he was at the party - a place where he said he knew nobody so you have to wonder WHAT he was doing there in the first place - he has no idea she has such a checkered past right up to her present living arrangements. Also, there is another fellow who went to prison for embezzlement just trying to get enough money to dazzle Yvonne with presents. Although Andre seems horrified at Yvonne's past lifestyle when he finds out, you have to wonder if he didn't think something was up, because when his "respectable" family pays him a surprise visit shortly before Yvonne comes to call, he heads her off at the pass and is even just a little rude to her in not wanting his family to know about her. If Andre was so in love with her, wouldn't he want the family to meet her rather than shoo her out into the street? So Andre, after learning the whole truth about Yvonne's past, breaks off the relationship. However, Yvonne does not go back to her old life as mistress of a wealthy man, and eventually she becomes poor. Andre sees her in a café and when she doesn't have the money to pay for her meal, does it for her, and things seem to pick up where they left off, but not really.
Andre buys Yvonne a house, so she is in a "kept" situation once again, but she figures this is OK because she believes that she and Andre are in love again. Plus Andre has put her out in the French countryside, and you have to wonder if the isolation isn't intentional because Andre is not exactly being on the level with Yvonne. You see, he has become engaged to a "respectable" girl of whom his family approves and in keeping with his future profession as a consul. Something has got to give, and I'll let you watch and see how this works out.
Like I said in the beginning, there is nothing special about this plot, but it is worth it just for the acting, the atmosphere, and the art design. Earning honorable mention here is Lewis Stone. In the precode era he played more than a few cads, and he does a magnificent job here too, making teenage girls into his mistresses so that when he tires of them they will not be too old to find another man. How generous of him! Recommended but hard to find and not even in the Warner Archive yet at the time I am writing this.