* Joan Crawford originally wanted the Gruinskaya role. Compared to Garbo, Mrs Craword
must be considered a trained dancer.* |
* Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo didn't appear in any scenes together. Later Mrs Crawford
said she thought that was a shame, as Garbo was among her favourite actresses* |
Gruinskaya, the sad and lonely ballerina. A role written for Garbo, and she really
does it well. Her mood swings from extatic happiness to utter loneliness. Garbo
plays with her heart on the outside, and it is hard not to feel what she's feeling.
Still, I don't think this is a Garbo- dominated movie, as the rest of the
cast is on the same level as her. |
We are at the Grand Hotel, where we get to know five very different persons. The
depressed ballerina Gruinskaya, a jewlery- thief, a stenographer in search of something
better, the tempered business- man, and the dying common- worker. We get
a glimpze into each persons problems and situations, and the relationships that
grows between them. They are all losers in one way or another. It's really
a quite realistic story. |
* Grand Hotel won the "Best Movie" Oscar in 1932. It was also the smash hit of the
year, topping the box- office list. * |
Greta Garbo Grusinskaya Joan Crawford Flämmchen John Barrymore Baron von Gaigern Lionel Barrymore Otto Kringelein Wallace Beery Preysing Director Edmund Goulding Written by William A. Drake Vicki Baum (play) MGM 1932 |
* "Grand Hotel" was the first movie that had an all- star cast. It set a trend that
would grow big in the following years.* |
* Garbo got top- billing ( her name topping the cast- list ), allthough male-
stars as John Barrymore was in the movie. * |
* Garbo didn't show up when the whole cast was supposed to pose for publicity- photos.
Still she's in the pictures. MGM put in an old photo of her. The result is
so- so.... Garbo looks stiff. * |
Photos from Grand Hotel >> |