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1925: “The joyless street/ Street of sorrow” was released in Europe to good critics. Garbo was one of the stars of the movie, and a name people in Europe had stsrted to notice. Marlene Dietrich does a small cameo in “Joyless street”. She catches Garbo when she faints in a key scene. Dietrich said she’d never been in the movie…. but you can have a look for yourself. I mean: Dietrich had such a special face….
In July Garbo and Stiller moved to New York. Garbo didn’t like the big city…or the climate there. There was a heath- wave when they arrived…and Garbo spent most of the days in a bathtub with cold water.

1926:  MGM didn't know what to do with Garbo when she came to the States. They thought she looked special, to special. She was unemployed for quite a while, and was thinking about going back to Sweden when famous photographer Genthe shot some great photos of her. At first Garbo didn't hand  the pics over to MGM… but when she did, they realised she was one in a million. They cast her in “The Torrent”, along with silent hunk  Ricardo Cortez.  The movie is said to be  rather dull … and  it didn't do very well when it opened at theatres on February the 8th.
Allthough “The torrent” wasn't a box- office hit, it had introduced Garbo to the public- eye, as a rising star. Garbos next movie  was called “The temptress”. Mauritz Stiller was meant to direct it, but got sacked for being to controversial. Garbo had  been looking foreward to working with her mentor…. and got scared when MGM hired someone new to direct her movie. The new director was  Fred Niblo. During the filming, Garbo's sister Alma died back in Sweden. The papers claimed  that Garbo was totally untouched by her sisters death, but that was not the truth. She collapsed… but had to continue filming.
Garbo hated “The temptress”, and wrote to her friends in Sweden .” It's terrible: the intrigue, Garbo…it's all dreadfull…”. But the critics actually liked the movie, and had only good things to say about Garbos performance. They meant she was to be the new Hollywood vamp…a stamp Garbo didn't like.



    Allthough Garbos films did well, 1928 was a very difficult year for Garbo. Mauritz Stiller, who had failed in Hollywood, died in Sweden on November the 8th.  Garbo fainted when she got the news … then locked herself into her wardrobe, and stayed there for a short while. Then she came out, did her scenes, and left the set. Stillers death made a huge impact on Garbo, and she
said she always missed him.

1928: Garbo made two movies  in 1928: “The divine woman”, and “The mysterious woman”. They both did well at the theatres, and Garbo was now an astablished star. She didn't like publicity, nor interviews. She was a mystery.
1927: Garbos next movie: “Flesh and the devil”, teamed her and John Gilbert for the first time. They were to become one of the hottest “silent- couples” of the 20- ies. The film was very erotic for it's time, and Garbo and Gilbert made it even more sensual. The movie was Garbos first BIG boxoffice hit. People came to see the love- scenes between her and Gilbert… and it didn't take long  before rumours said Garbo and Gilbert were a real life couple as well
. It's known that Gilbert adored Garbo, and wanted to marry her. Garbo said this about Gilbert after his death: “It was never a romance…. now I wonder what I ever saw in him”….Garbo and Gilbert was teamed  up for another movie: “Love” ( a silent version of Anna Karenina”) after their tremendous debut as a twosome
. Louis B Mayer  advised  Garbo not to act her best in this movie, because he didn't wan't the picture to be a one- woman show……. But still she did indeed glow in “Love”…. and she was even more beautiful  than before. “Love” was another box office hit, much to do with the posters: “Gilbert and Garbo in LOVE”….. what a trick!!