Movie Reviews for Camille

Camille

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Movie Reviews of Camille

Movie Review: Garbo's most unguarded and vivid performance
Summary: 4 Stars

Greta Garbo's superb performance as CAMILLE finally comes to DVD. Based on the romantic novel by Alexandre Dumas. The story takes place in the giddy Paris of the 1800's. Marguerite Gautier (Greta Garbo) is the most dazzling and popular courtesan, who delights in breaking hearts and squandering her money, yet does her best to hide a frail constitution. Into her life comes the handsome yet humble Armand (Robert Taylor). The jaded Marguerite experiences her first taste of real love, but Armand's father (Lionel Barrymore) insists that she call off the romance. She returns to the empty artifice of Paris, but Marguerite will be forever changed thanks to her "unstained love". Fantastic support performances from Laura Hope Crews (as the grasping Prudence), Elizabeth Allan, Lenore Ulric, Jessie Ralph and Henry Daniell. The beautiful gowns are provided by Adrian and the charming score by Herbert Stothart.

Director George Cukor managed to extract from Garbo her most unguarded and vivid screen performance. She simply becomes Dumas' "Lady of the Camellias", and never does the audience see her merely acting. Those under the false belief that Garbo wasn't a superb actress should take another look at CAMILLE.

Though the DVD transfer is far from the best. The print is littered with scratches, dirt, debris and watermarks. Warners could at least have restored the film for it's DVD debut.

The big extra is the inclusion of the 1921 silent film version starring Alla Nazimova as Marguerite and Rudolph Valentino as Armand. The print has been beautifully-restored and features a brand-new musical score provided by Peter Vantine. For those who are only familiar with the Garbo CAMILLE, the silent version will be a lovely new look at the story, now set in the modern times with Nazimova emoting wonderfully as the doomed Marguerite.

Warners cannot be forgiven for the slipshod way they have released Garbo's CAMILLE on DVD, but the silent version somewhat lessens the blow.

Movie Review: Garbo shines
Summary: 4 Stars

"Camille" was a mammoth MGM production released in 1936/37 starring the sensational Greta Garbo. She stars as the courtesan Marguerite Gautier in a film version of "La Traviata". The film has been described in detail in many reviews which can be summarised as follows: the production is MGM at its most sumptuous, the director, George Cukor, is one of only a few really worthy of Garbo's talent and Robert Taylor is adequate as Armand and in fact was bigger box office than Garbo at the time. Who could be failed to be moved by Garbo's exquisite performance? It is unfathomable that she did not win the Oscar. Lionel Barrymore is his usual grotty old man as Armand's father and he and Garbo exchange some poor dialogue which undermines their crucial scene. And why does Barrymore call her Margaret?

The print of the film is yet another which shows little signs of restoration. It is less than perfect. At least we get a few extras in contrast to most of the Garbo talkies which are notably crudely produced on DVD. The original trailer is included and an earlier silent version of the film. This stars a famous actress called Nazimova and, of all people, Rudolph Valentino. The latter in particular, impresses, particularly if you have seen him in his most famous film, the corny "The Sheik". He gives an unmannered, direct performance. The film is a modern version of the play and has unusual stylised sets which may be the best feature. It is also a surprisingly good print but Nazimova's art consists of the sort of breast beating and sidelong glances which date such films and make it almost impossible to truly evaluate her talent. For historians, the film is probably a rare treat but for the rest of us, keep moving.

Movie Review: Why do so many people love this movie?
Summary: 4 Stars

That's what I kept asking myself while watching most of this movie. Even though the costumes were darling and the sets were divine, the scriptwriting was uneven. The movie was slow. It seemed to drag on forever. The performances of all of the actors were mediocre at best. I could not relate to any of the characters, so I had felt indifferent to them. Basically, I could have cared less what happened to them.

I had never watched a Greta Garbo film before. I did not know what all of the fuss was about, until the end. That is where my opinion of her acting ability changed.

Spoiler alert- She convinced not only Armand's father that she really did love his son, but she convinced me as well. I felt her pain as she decided that the best thing for him was to break his heart. The last 10 minutes or so, I was sobbing. I wanted to see them get back together more than anything on earth. I desperately held onto the hope that they would live happily ever after.

Well, I do not want to completely ruin the ending for you, if you do not already know how it ends. You will have to see for yourself.

Movie Review: Loved Camille with Garbo
Summary: 4 Stars

I ordered the film, "Camille" as a follow-up to viewing Zefferelli's "La Traviata" and then reading "La Dame aux camélias" a novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils that is the background story for the opera and the movie.
(available on Google Books)

I love the opera ... but adding music and singing means less time to build the story ... the movie takes more time to develop the characters ...especially Prudence Duvernoy, who explains the whole nature of Marguerite Gautier's (Garbo) business to Armand Duval (Taylor).

The film is a exquisit period costume piece and Garbo is serenly beautiful.