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mmallon4 The costume drama, a genre I struggle with; wealthy, upper-class people with problems and conflicts I just can't summon any interest in. However there is a handful which I do manage to enjoy and Queen Christina is one of them; what is it about Queen Christina which makes it compelling? The craftsmanship of the underappreciated director Rouben Mamoulian is certainly a factor but ultimately I believe it all comes down to the fascinating individual at the center of the film.Queen Christina is the role Greta Garbo was born to play, the androgynous, unconventional Swedish film star as the androgynous, unconventional 17th Century Swedish Queen. Christina is one of the great gender-bending characters in film history, referring to herself in masculine pronouns to having what could be mistaken as the body of a man; just look at those incredibly broad shoulders Garbo possesses when they are exposed. In the opening to Queen Christina her confidant Axel Oxenstierna (Lewis Milestone) speaks of how Christina was brought up as a boy in order to prepare her for the throne. This does raise the question; do positions of power require a sacrifice of feminine virtues? If the role was reversed of a king dressing and living as a woman, just how powerful and noble would such a king come off? Likewise while it is a likely possibility of Christina being bisexual, the girl on girl kiss she shares with Countess Ebba Sparre (Elizabeth Young) never struck me as a particularly romantic kiss and more of a sign of friendship however Christina speaking of the two of them going to the county for three nights would certainly imply otherwise. Yet even if you're the biggest tomboy in the world like Christina, there still exists in her the desire to be a woman with her proclamation to love interest Antonio (John Gilbert) "that it had been so enchanting to be a woman. Not a queen, just a woman in man's arms".The fascinating figure of Queen Christina goes beyond her disregard of social norms. She is a figure of great intellect with her values of personal freedom, the quest for knowledge, self-improvement as well as spending the few spare moments she has reading books ("One can feel nostalgia for places one has never seen" - so true). As a Queen she has a great sense of national pride and has a fierce devotion to the individual citizens of her county; a romanticised depiction of a world leader many of us wish was more of a reality.The one portion of Queen Christina which puts realism to the side is that in which she escapes from her palace to the country in order to get away from the strain of being a ruler. I enjoy the trope of a public figure in power sneaking out disguised as a commoner as seen in films such as Roman Holiday or The Shoes of the Fisherman. What is hard to shallow however is everyone Christina meets on her escapade including future lover Antonio and the alumni of the inn she spends the night mistaking her for a man. I know it was unusual back then for a woman to ride on horseback, carry a sword and pistol and go to a tavern to drink but she still clearly has the face of a woman. Regardless I can overlook this lack of realism as it doesn't impair my enjoyment of the film. John Gilbert shows in Queen Christina that he was an effective presence in talkies (contrary to the popular belief that his failure to make the jump from silent to talkies destroyed his career). I don't find him quite great but he is good enough. After a night of lovemaking with Antonio, Christina compares the experience to how God must have felt when he created the world; yep, she went there. The ending of Queen Christina on the other hand in one which inspires even if everything is not tied up in a neat bow. It is a tragedy in one sense but with one of the greatest uses of close up in film history of Garbo's expressionless face looking out to sea, the viewer gets to write their own ending.

Jackson Booth-Millard The actress who starred in Camille and Ninotchka only acted in twenty eight films and retired at the age of thirty five, and this is one of her most quintessential and famous roles, from director Rouben Mamoulian (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Basically, set in the 17th Century, in Sweden in the year 1632 during the Thirty Years' War six year old Christina ascends the throne, and growing into an adult Christina (Greta Garbo) often dresses as a man for a more authoritarian appearance, and has a love for literature and the arts. Massive casualties on both sides of the war are happening as it rages on, and despite the Swedish side seemingly winning, the Queen would rather have peace, and at the same time her loyal subjects have her love life on their minds and know that there should be an heir to ensure longevity of the nation. Christina is believed and seemingly assured that she will marry the hero of the battles in the war Prince Charles Gustavus (Reginald Owen), but the Lord Treasurer Count Magnus (Ian Keith) makes the mistake in the believing he can have the queen, but she is not pursuing love to pay attention to fighting the war. But she changes her mind the visiting Spanish envoy Antonio (John Gilbert) who works for King Philip of Spain, they meet in a snowbound inn, and with their forced time together they fall in love, but he has no idea who she is. When he does find out they have to decide if their relationship can work within the constraints of their duties, and the troubles for him and Christina increase when Count Magnus, who wants the Queen for himself, gets the public on his side to uprise against her love interest in the name of patriotism. Also starring Lewis Stone as Chancellor Oxenstierna, Elizabeth Young as Ebba Sparre, C. Aubrey Smith as Aage, Georges Renavent as French Ambassador, Gustav Von Seyffertitz as General and David Torrence as Archbishop. I will be honest and say that I drifted in a few moments, especially with all the political stuff, and I agree with the critics it is a bit of a slow pace throughout, but the love story going on is interesting, Garbo is of course the biggest reason to see this film, to see her looking beautiful and being all noble and dignified, overall it still a worthwhile historical romantic drama. Very good!

TheLittleSongbird I admit I have to see more of Greta Garbo's films, but from what I have seen I do consider her a beautiful and wonderful actress. In one of her most famous, not to mention one of her best, roles, Garbo plays a 17th century Swedish queen who falls in love with the Spanish ambassador sent to deliver a message from his king. And she is absolutely brilliant, radiant, regal and quintessentially Garboesque, this is by far and away her best performance along with Margherite from Camille-I adore that film too- and like with Camille the whole film is well worth watching just for Garbo's performance. I also liked her in Anna Karinina but I don't consider it as a favourite like I do Camille and Queen Christina.John Gilbert, from her silent days, gives a very good performance too as the ambassador Christina falls in love with and shows great chemistry with Garbo, while the supporting cast give strong performances too particularly Ian Keith in a very slimy turn as Magnus.Garbo is not the only reason why I love Queen Christina so much though. The film also has some beautiful production values, the cinematography is stunning, evident in the gorgeous close-ups of Garbo, while the scenery and costumes are ravishing. The score is haunting, beautiful and melancholic, while the story is very well-told(I liked it when Christina travels the kingdom dressed as a man as well as when she is weighed down by the worries of her throne) the direction is sensitive and the screenplay is lovely. The pacing may be a little slow to some, admittedly Queen Christina isn't a pacey film, but it is never boring. Instead it is very beautiful and touching, and there were some parts that even haunted me such as the achingly moving abdication scene.In conclusion, a real treat for Greta Garbo fans, not only for her wonderful performance but for the rich production values too. 10/10 Bethany Cox

sme_no_densetsu This film follows the reign of 17th century Swedish monarch Queen Christina, from her ascent to the throne at age six to her abdication twenty-two years later. The screenwriters take wild liberties with history in order to turn the film into a romantic epic but that's beside the point.Greta Garbo is the unquestioned star of the picture and she gives a standout performance, successfully portraying the queen as formidable yet feminine. The rest of the cast is consistently capable though no-one really stands out from the crowd.Rouben Mamoulian's direction is well-handled and the film in general shows good production values. To wit, the film boasts nice work from future Oscar winners William H. Daniels (cinematography) and Herbert Stothart (score).All in all, "Queen Christina" is a well-constructed romantic drama with a historical background. While it may depart quite a bit from fact it nevertheless makes for a compelling story.