Greta Garbo: 4 Film Collection (US Import BLU-RAY)
US Import
Camille:
Beautiful Marguerite Gauthier (Greta Garbo) lifts herself out of her poverty-stricken upbringing by becoming the enchanting "Lady of the Camellias," well-kept courtesan of the rich and influential Baron de Varville (Henry Daniell). When young Armand (Robert Taylor) falls in love with Marguerite, his sincere adoration causes her to question her comfortable life, and, despite the protests of Armand's scandal-wary father (Lionel Barrymore), she considers leaving the Baron for him.
Ninotchka:
A stern Russian woman (Greta Garbo) sent to Paris on official business finds herself attracted to a man (Melvyn Douglas) who represents everything she is supposed to detest. "Garbo Talks!" proclaimed ads when silent star Greta Garbo debuted in talkies. Nine years and 12 classic screen dramas later, the gifted movie legend was ready for another change. Garbo Laughs! cheered the publicity for her first comedy, a frothy tale of a dour Russian envoy sublimating her womanhood for Soviet brotherhood until she falls for a suave Parisian man-about-town (Melvyn Douglas).
Working from a cleverly barbed script written in part by Billy Wilder, director Ernst Lubitsch knew better than anyone how to marry refinement with sublime wit. "At least twice a day the most dignified human being is ridiculous," he explained about his acclaimed Lubitsch Touch, That's how we see Garbo's love struck Ninotchka: serenely dignified yet endearingly ridiculous. Garbo laughs. So will you.
Ninotchka received four 1939 Academy Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Garbo), Best Writing: Original Story (Melchior Lengyel), and Best Writing: Screenplay (Charles Brackett Walter Reisch, Billy Wilder).
Queen Christina:
Greta Garbo stars in one of her greatest roles, as the 17th century Swedish queen fiercely devoted to her country who fights at the head of her army like a man but who loves like a woman--Queen Christina. Crowned queen when she was five years old, the beautiful Christina (Garbo) leads a sexually ambiguous life as she fights to defend her Protestant country against the Counterreformation, dressing as a man and vowing to live as a bachelor. Christina has built her country into a formidable military power, defeating the armies of the Vatican and threatening Russia, and she has agreed to wed the King of Spain--not for love, but to guarantee her country's peace and security. But Christina loses her heart to the King's ambassador (John Gilbert)--and she must choose between her duty to her country and the man she loves. Directed with his own unique style by Rouben Mamoulian, this M-G-M classic endures as a masterpiece of classic cinema.
Anna Christie:
When it was learned that Greta Garbo, was cast as a disillusioned prostitute in Anna Christie, even her most devoted admirers were skeptical. Not only was it an unglamourous role for the 24-year-old actress, but it was also to be her first talking picture. Garbo's answer was to play it with superbly. With her first, and now famous spoken line ("Gimme a whiskey, ginger ale on the side. And don't be stingy baby") Garbo conquered the world of sound films.. Based on Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Garbo give a fascinating performance as an embittered prostitute who returns home to her father, a barge captain. She finds sympathy in the gruff, but kindly Marthy (Marie Dressler), but when a sailor (Charles Bickford) falls in love with Anna, she is forced to reveal her tarnished past to both him and her father, leading to a riveting climax. Among the Special Features on this new Warner Archive Blu-ray disc is the German-language version of the scenario, starring Garbo with a different cast and director. Filmed on the same sets after the original English version was completed, this alternate version is a uniquely different take of the source material, one which Garbo allegedly preferred to the more-widely-known English language version.