Grand Hotel (Snap case)
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Movie Reviews of Grand Hotel (Snap case)
Movie Review: this is joy, definitely watch it
Summary: 5 Stars
definitely worth watching. all these people emerging from the decadence of 1910s and avant-garde of 20s thus bringing a charming mix of mannerism and crude realism. Joan Crawford's shoulders move should be taught in acting schools (do they already?). and damn, can Garbo take on camera! nowdays they cannot last more than 5 seconds of closeup without their faces desolving until they all start resembling one giant boring motionless face of Keanu Reeves doing "no spoon".Movie Review: DVD Grand Hotel
Summary: 5 Stars
Our grandson appeared in a local production of Grand Hotel. He was so pleased to receive the DVD with the original cast. Arrived promptly and in perfect condtion.Movie Review: Grand Hotel/DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
This old movie, remastered in DVD, was in excellent shape and was received in a very short time of ordering. Would order from this company again.Movie Review: Power of Beautiful, Influential Film Has Been Obscured By Passing Years
Summary: 4 Stars
Published in 1921, Vicki Baum's German-language novel MENSCHEN IM HOTEL was an international bestseller. MGM purchased the rights and employed William A. Drake to adapt the novel to the stage. Titled GRAND HOTEL, it proved a great success on the Broadway stage, and with its fame as both novel and play the studio made the property the focus of its powerful array of contract talent. It was smash with both critics and audiences and won the Academy Award as Best Picture of 1932.
Although the 1930s was notable for social dramas, audiences of the Great Depression wanted an escape from the hardship of their lives, and no expense was spared to create the glittering and very high-gloss image moviegoers craved. Designed by legendary art director Cedric Gibbons, who mixed Deco and Moderne styles to tremendous effect, each set was built specifically for the film and no detail was overlooked; Adrian's costumes were also meticulous in their combination of high-fashion and romance. No detail was overlooked, and in terms of production values alone few films before or after have bested GRAND HOTEL.
But if GRAND HOTEL is distinctly of its era in terms of visual style, it is also distinctly of its era in terms of performance, and it is here that we run into a bit of trouble. Most actors of the silent era relied on a mannered performance style that compensated for the lack of sound. The arrival of sound forced them to invent a new performance style, and some proved more adaptable than others. In many respects, GRAND HOTEL is a study of the struggle to invent this new way of acting; some of the performers are excessively large, some are in transition between silent and sound modes, and some are distinctly modern in their approach.
In terms of story, GRAND HOTEL presents several overlapping and interweaving plotlines. Celebrated ballerina Grusinskaya (Garbo) is performing in Berlin--and is a deep depression that threatens her career. Baron von Geigern (John Barrymore) is in desperate need of money--and has agreed to steal Grusinskaya's famous pearls. When Grusinskaya's suicide attempt collides with the Baron's intended theft, romance is result. At the same time, industrialist Preysing (Wallace Beery) has arrived at the hotel in an effort to conclude a important business deal and has hired a stenographer named Flaemmchen (Joan Crawford) to assist him--but Preysing is unaware that company accountant Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore) has been diagnoised with a terminal illness and has taken rooms at the hotel, determined to enjoy himself before he dies. These characters, along with Grusinskaya's maid (Rafaela Ottiano), the hotel doctor (Lewis Stone), and various hotel employees (including Jean Hersholt) collide repeatedly over the course of a few days--and none will emerge entirely unscathed from their encounters.
John Barrymore was noted for his larger-than-life performances on the stage, and he brought that same quality to many silent films; less fortunately, he also carried into the sound era, and his performance reads as excessively large. Although Garbo was a great star in the silent era, she quickly adapted to the new demands of sound in such films as ANNA CHRISTIE--but when faced with Barrymore's over-the-top performance she responds in kind, and the result is visually beautifully but incredibly mannered, and their scenes are not greatly aided by their dialogue, which is itself very much in "the grand manner." Although they are indeed fascinating, their performances are distinctly out of synch with the rest of the film, where a more natural style of acting is the norm.
While Wallace Beery and Lewis Stone are quite good, and while Lionel Barrymore is unexpectedly effective (and much less mannered than his brother John), it is really Joan Crawford that points the way toward the new acting style. Crawford herself had worked in silents, and scored notable successes in such films as OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS, but she has made an easy leap to the sound era and never overplays her hand; Flaemmchen is among the best of her early performances, and Crawford herself thought it among the best of her overall career. She wasn't wrong.
With the acting styles all over the map, GRAND HOTEL requires a modern viewer to make constant mental shifts; consequently, the film sometimes feels more than a little uphill. Even so, there are plenty of compensations: Garbo at the height of her beauty; Lionel Barrymore's multi-layered performance; a Crawford classic; and always, always the lush look and feel of the movie. Although I think it will most appeal to film buffs, there is no denying the thing has power, even though that power has become somewhat obscured by the passing years.
Both print and sound are excellent, and although there are only a few bonuses--and very short ones at that--the "making of" documentary is excellent and the footage of the premiere is nothing short of fascinating. Recommended for film buffs, especially those strong on 1930s film.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Movie Review: A good sophisticated drama in the early talkie era
Summary: 4 Stars
This film doesn't seem that remarkable by today's standards, but in 1932 it was quite innovative. MGM used an all-star cast in a bracelet of intertwining stories that involved them all. The ballerina (Garbo) misses Russia, feels life is empty and pointless, and is saved from killing herself by the Baron (John Barrymore) who had been planning to steal her jewels to pay a large debt to some shady people that he owes. The stenographer (Joan Crawford) has set her sights on the Baron believing him to be rich, while she is being eyed by her employer, a wealthy industrialist (Wallace Beery) who is the former employer of a dying man (Lionel Barrymore) who intends to spend his life savings experiencing what he has been missing out on all these years, who in turn is befriended by the Baron. The only character who exists in isolation is Garbo's, who has a relationship with the Baron but noone else.
This is the only film to ever win the Best Picture Oscar and be nominated for no other awards. This is not because the picture is a poor one. Instead it is probably because there are so many subplots and so many players that it is hard to zero in on any one of them and say a particular link in the chain is outstanding compared to the others and therefore deserves an award. However, altogether, the actors and subplots form an entertaining film. Since this film was such a commercial success the entire formula was reused in "Dinner at Eight" the following year, and even used part of the cast from this film - John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, and Wallace Beery. Oddly enough that film was superior to "Grand Hotel" in many ways, but didn't receive any Oscar nominations.
Finally, much has been said about Greta Garbo's over-the-top performance in this one. I have to admit, if this was my introduction to Garbo I would be asking myself what is the big deal about her supposed great reputation. She's practically playing Ophelia at certain points in the film. However, if you think about it, Garbo's portrayal is an appropriate one considering her character's circumstances. She was a ballerina in Czarist Russia who has the world ripped out from underneath her as a result of the Russian Revolution. Now, late in her career, she is surrounded by sycophants and isn't even missed when she runs out on a performance. The little documentary that comes with the DVD does a good job of explaining more about Garbo and her performance. There's no commentary track on this DVD. Instead there is a comedy short that parodies "Grand Hotel" plus some theatrical trailers and movietone extras talking about the premiere of Grand Hotel in addition to the mini-documentary I already mentioned.