Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

Chirphymium It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

ksf-2 Yikes. the Hollywood names don't get much bigger than this. Greta Garbo, at 31, Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore. and one of my favorites from the oldies.. .Jessie Ralph, who made those films with W.C. Fields. Margeurite (Garbo) meets two men at the opera, Duval (Taylor) and the Baron (Henry Daniell). Duval pursues her, but she is getting more and more ill, and spending all her time with the Baron. Her maid (Jessie Ralph), and her friend (Laura Crews) keep an eye on her in supporting roles. Written by Dumas, it's quite similar to Moulin Rouge, but that was a novel written by Pierre LaMure. Both stories are about a tug of war, where the girl can't decide between the rich Baron and the common guy. Lots of scheming, and talk about the proper thing to do. This one turns into a love story, with some humor and tragedy, sacrifice. again, similar to Moulin Rouge. It's quite good, although quite dated story-line. Lots of old fashioned themes, that would never fly today. But a good story of it's time.Directed by George Cukor, who will get an Oscar for My Fair Lady. Garbo only made a couple more films after this one. Unfortunately, Conquest and Two Faced Woman were both big failures, which is probably why she didn't make more films.

Larry Glinzman-Murphy Overdone acting, as if silent screen stars were performing with exaggerated expressions and movements to make up for a silent film's lack of sound despite having it. Did not get better as it got older. Seems to be another factory produced over dramatic version of a novel no one actually reads anymore (or then).

writers_reign Having recently bought a boxed set of eight Garbo talkies ranging from Anna Christie to Ninotchka I've been working my way though them and though the newest is 76 years old it has to be one of the best boxed sets available. Garbo is simply magnificent and capable of transforming dross into gold. This war-horse for example is pure melodrama and with anyone other than Garbo the central role of Marguerite would be risible and laughed off the screen but against all the odds, common sense, intellect, reason, Garbo makes you CARE deeply for this vain creature dying of consumption and, against all the instincts of a lifetime of manipulating affluent men, hopelessly in love with the callow youth who offers puppy-dog devotion. It's yet another tour-de-force from arguably the finest screen actress of them all and that 'all' embraces Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, both Hepburns (Katherine and Audrey) Barbara Stanwyck, down to Meryl Streep. I think there's still plenty of mileage in this enchanting star.

secondtake Camille (1936)This melodramatic tale of true life in the face of the strictures of social reality is tried and true. You feel for both the male lead (Robert Taylor, who is quite good) and the female (Grate Garbo, of course, who is excellent). That's the whole point. These are two people who are not quite appropriate because they come from different social levels, but there is a sense they could make it work if they wanted to.But outside forces get in the way. Chief among them is the man's father, who wants to save his son from a marriage that will ruin both husband and wife. This is a key role in the film, and a critical if brief 10 minutes or so. The father is played, importantly, by Lionel Barrymore, who does little else int he movie. But here he makes his case to the Garbo with amazing force. It's a great scene, even if you wish Garbo would leap up and say, no, no, I'm going to follow my heart.But exactly what happens is what the movie is about. The rules of the culture of the time (1800s France) prevent an honest sense of two people marrying out of simple love for one another. In a way, that's the whole point of continuing the old Dumas story, which has resonated for decades into the Hollywood era. I'm not sure it would work now, except as an historical drama. This is set in the period (around 1850) and feels legit. Unlike the curious (and not bad) 1921 silent version, which sets it in a 1920s culture, this one transports us back to the original. Fair enough! There is a contrived quality to the plot, for sure, partly because of its origins. While this doesn't ruin the whole enterprise, there is a slight feeling of being led along the whole time. Garbo and Taylor are both terrific, however, and we feel some honesty to their feelings for one another. It's on that basis that the movie works. And it really does, even through the over the top drama in the last scene. Moving and beautiful overall.