I usually watch films from the 20s to see how the people of the 20s lived. I'm not really interested in films that are made by people of the past making films about even earlier times in other lands. They almost always get things wrong. But this one is notable for several reasons.
First, it is Garbo's third American film and where she met John Gilbert. The love scenes between them, disappearing into each other's eyes as they danced, the scene in the garden, is their actual emotion taking hold. It got so personal that at one point filming was stopped so they could be alone.
The script is rather a tired one. Gilbert plays a soldier , Leo, who falls for Garbo's character, Felicitas. Who is bad to the bone. He never stops to wonder why such a pretty girl is all alone waiting for him? She is romancing Leo when she is already married to a count. When Leo kills the count in a duel over her honor Gilbert is shipped away on active duty as punishment. When he finally gets back due to the efforts of his good friend Ulrich, he returns home to find that time is money to Felicitas, and thus she has passed the time by marrying Ulrich and spending his money.
Eventually Ulrich falsely believes Leo has attacked Felicitas and the two are about to have yet another duel over this woman on the hammily named "Isle of Friendship". But Felicitas has a change of heart - or she grows one - and goes out across the winter ice to stop the duel, breaks through the ice into the cold water, and drowns.
Now the ponderous ending has to do with Ulrich and Leo suddenly coming to their senses and stopping the duel the minute Felicitas seems to have drowned. Was this woman some kind of witch who had the power of insanity over men and her death broke the spell? I'd like to think so or else this is just another hammy production by early MGM with a tacked on happy poll tested ending.
But it was a huge hit in its day. In fact, the reason Buster Keaton's possibly ultimate achievement, The General, was a bust financially was it had to compete with this film at the cinema.
First, it is Garbo's third American film and where she met John Gilbert. The love scenes between them, disappearing into each other's eyes as they danced, the scene in the garden, is their actual emotion taking hold. It got so personal that at one point filming was stopped so they could be alone.
The script is rather a tired one. Gilbert plays a soldier , Leo, who falls for Garbo's character, Felicitas. Who is bad to the bone. He never stops to wonder why such a pretty girl is all alone waiting for him? She is romancing Leo when she is already married to a count. When Leo kills the count in a duel over her honor Gilbert is shipped away on active duty as punishment. When he finally gets back due to the efforts of his good friend Ulrich, he returns home to find that time is money to Felicitas, and thus she has passed the time by marrying Ulrich and spending his money.
Eventually Ulrich falsely believes Leo has attacked Felicitas and the two are about to have yet another duel over this woman on the hammily named "Isle of Friendship". But Felicitas has a change of heart - or she grows one - and goes out across the winter ice to stop the duel, breaks through the ice into the cold water, and drowns.
Now the ponderous ending has to do with Ulrich and Leo suddenly coming to their senses and stopping the duel the minute Felicitas seems to have drowned. Was this woman some kind of witch who had the power of insanity over men and her death broke the spell? I'd like to think so or else this is just another hammy production by early MGM with a tacked on happy poll tested ending.
But it was a huge hit in its day. In fact, the reason Buster Keaton's possibly ultimate achievement, The General, was a bust financially was it had to compete with this film at the cinema.