I watched this over two nights. I found the first hour a bit hard to get through. With the exception of a great emotional scene with Garbo, I found the story a bit hard to follow because of the number of characters and the similarities of some of the names. Nevertheless, I persevered and watched the second 2 hours the next night. I'm glad I did. It turned out to be a really remarkable film, kind of a Swedish GONE WITH THE WIND, only better in my opinion.
I won't say much about the story, except Gosta Berlings, played by Lars Hanson, is the main character, an amazingly impetuous fellow. The forward momentum of the story is totally due to his and other characters almost spur of the moment good or bad (mostly bad) choices. It's a gigantic production with some of the most spectacular sequences ever shot. The remarkable scene with a sled on a frozen lake that has got to be one of the most dramatic and exciting ever filmed. Lars Hanson and Greta Garbo have great chemistry together.
As for Greta, she was only 17 when she made it, and it was really her first performance of any note. She really drew attention, and it's clear why Louie B. Mayer was taken with her when he saw the film on a trip to Europe. Amazingly, she doesn't appear until about 35 minutes into the film, then all but disappears for the next hour. When she reappears, it's clear the other romantic female characters in the story pale in comparison to her, both visually and performance-wise. The DVD has some clips of her very early work, even before GOSTA BERLINGS, and in one film she was a really a bit of a porker. Apparently, Stiller put her on a diet before she made GOSTA and she remained svelte the rest of her life. Considering what a chubby little thing she was in the earlier films, it's impressive that Stiller was able to see through all that and recognize the talented beauty that lie beneath.
After finishing the film, I went back and re watched the first hour, just to see what I couldn't quite put together the first time around, and it all made perfect sense and was all the more impressive on the second go around. I recommend this film highly, not just as a Garbo movie, per se, even though she is wonderful in it, but as a great film on it's own. Just be patient with it, and it pays off.
I won't say much about the story, except Gosta Berlings, played by Lars Hanson, is the main character, an amazingly impetuous fellow. The forward momentum of the story is totally due to his and other characters almost spur of the moment good or bad (mostly bad) choices. It's a gigantic production with some of the most spectacular sequences ever shot. The remarkable scene with a sled on a frozen lake that has got to be one of the most dramatic and exciting ever filmed. Lars Hanson and Greta Garbo have great chemistry together.
As for Greta, she was only 17 when she made it, and it was really her first performance of any note. She really drew attention, and it's clear why Louie B. Mayer was taken with her when he saw the film on a trip to Europe. Amazingly, she doesn't appear until about 35 minutes into the film, then all but disappears for the next hour. When she reappears, it's clear the other romantic female characters in the story pale in comparison to her, both visually and performance-wise. The DVD has some clips of her very early work, even before GOSTA BERLINGS, and in one film she was a really a bit of a porker. Apparently, Stiller put her on a diet before she made GOSTA and she remained svelte the rest of her life. Considering what a chubby little thing she was in the earlier films, it's impressive that Stiller was able to see through all that and recognize the talented beauty that lie beneath.
After finishing the film, I went back and re watched the first hour, just to see what I couldn't quite put together the first time around, and it all made perfect sense and was all the more impressive on the second go around. I recommend this film highly, not just as a Garbo movie, per se, even though she is wonderful in it, but as a great film on it's own. Just be patient with it, and it pays off.