BOOK REVIEW: GARBO by Robert Gottlieb (2021)

 

The first time I ever saw Greta Garbo in any of her films was in 1984 when I went to see the comedy/drama GARBO TALKS, directed by Sidney Lumet. Anne Bancroft plays a New Yorker who is dying of cancer. As a lifelong fan of Greta Garbo, her last wish is to meet the enigmatic movie star, also a New Yorker. Her son, played by Ron Silver, sets out to grant that wish. During the course of this enjoyable film, two brief clips are shown from the Garbo classics CAMILLE (1936) and NINOTCHKA (1939). Until I saw those two clips I had never thought much about Greta Garbo. I never came across any of her old movies on television when I was growing up and growing into an incurable addiction to the glories of Old Hollywood. All I knew about her was that she was supposed to be a recluse who was often seen walking around the streets of New York trying hard not to be photographed. Those two film clips captured my imagination. Eventually I was able to see a few of her films on Turner Classic Movies. When I began seriously collecting DVDs, I bought the excellent box set GARBO: THE SIGNATURE COLLECTION, which contains many of her greatest films and a documentary about her life and career.

My interest in her was renewed after I picked up this book by Robert Gottlieb. The author tells about the star's early life in Sweden as part of a humble, working-class family. Apparently, young Greta Lovisa Gustafsson was determined to become an actress and a movie star. As a teenager, she won a scholarship to the Royal Theater Academy in Stockholm. In 1922, she appeared in a minor Swedish comedy called PETER THE TRAMP. In 1924, after coming under the mentorship of director Mauritz Stiller, she made her dramatic debut in the Swedish film THE SAGA OF GOSTA BERLING. This was followed by JOYLESS STREET (1925), for German director G.W. Pabst. She then caught the attention of Louis B. Mayer, the head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She signed with the studio and went to Hollywood along with Stiller. Her American film debut was in TORRENT (1926). Very soon, she was the biggest female movie star in the world. She made her sound debut with ANNA CHRISTIE in 1930. Her last film appearance was in 1941. At the age of 36, Garbo retired. She lived a closely guarded private life until her death in 1990 at the age of eighty-five.

The book tells a great deal about her close, complicated relationship with Stiller. He is credited with creating the Garbo image, as well as changing her name. When he fell out of favor with MGM and went back to Sweden, Garbo felt a keen sense of loss. A her career progressed, she had a long love affair with actor John Gilbert, with whom she worked in four films. There were other relationships, but the star never married. She resented the intrusion of the press and never truly felt at home in the Hollywood culture.

Gottleib displays an enjoyable sense of humor in his accounts of Garbo's private and professional life. It's obvious that he's a devoted fan of the legendary star, but he manages to maintain a sense of objectivity and balance. Chapter 6, which covers the actress' sound debut, is called, naturally, Garbo Talks. Chapter 9 is called Garbo Goes On Talking. Then we get to Chapter 10: Garbo Gone. This is were things get even more interesting, as we learn about her so-called "reclusive" lifestyle. Gottlieb makes it clear that Garbo led a full and interesting life for many years following her last film work. He also suggests that she may not have meant to retire forever, but just during the World War 2 years when the European market for her films had been closed off. Film offers continued to come her way during this time. She almost made a comeback in 1949, and a screen test was made. Unfortunately, the project was abandoned and Garbo would never again consider going back to work.

The last part of Gottlieb's book is called A Garbo Reader, and is probably the most enjoyable for diehard fans. It contains several chapters filled with essays and quotes about the star from many of her contemporaries, including co-stars and directors. The first essay is Kenneth Tynan's profile of her published in 1954. That is followed by an amusing anecdote by actress Lilli Palmer, who recounts an episode featuring Garbo and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. One of the best anecdotes is from Edward G. Robinson's autobiography All My Yesterdays. Robinson, an astute art collector, tells of one morning when Garbo showed up at his house unexpectedly with a painting, wanting to know what it was worth. Robinson was more than surprised, as he and the actress had never met. The rest of this section of the book contains chapters like Comments on Garbo, Colleagues On Garbo, Glimpses Of Garbo, Garbo In Books, and even Garbo In Songs. In short, everything you didn't realize you had to know about Greta Garbo.

I have no idea how many books have been written about this amazing actress. But this biography is one I would definitely recommend, not only for dedicated fans, but also for those who are just beginning to fall under her spell. The collection of photographs alone is worth the selling price.

 THE FILMS OF GRETA GARBO. The titles followed by * are the ones I have in my collection.

THE SILENTS:

PETER THE TRAMP (1922)

THE SAGA OF GOSTA BERLING (1924)

JOYLESS STREET (1925) *

TORRENT (1926)*

THE TEMPTRESS (1926)*

FLESH AND THE DEVIL (1927)*

LOVE (1927)*

THE DIVINE WOMAN (1928) (Her only lost film.)

THE MYSTERIOUS LADY (1928)*

A WOMAN OF AFFAIRS (1928)*

WILD ORCHIDS (1929)*

THE SINGLE STANDARD (1929)*

THE KISS (1929)*

THE SOUND FILMS:

ANNA CHRISTIE (1930)*

ANNA CHRISTIE (German version 1930)*

ROMANCE (1930)*

INSPIRATION (1931)

SUSAN LENOX: HER FALL AND RISE (1931)*

MATA HARI (1931)*

GRAND HOTEL (1932)*

AS YOU DESIRE ME (1932)

QUEEN CHRISTINA (1933)*

THE PAINTED VEIL (1934)*

ANNA KARENINA (1935)*

CAMILLE (1936)*

CONQUEST (1937)*

NINOTCHKA (1939)*

TWO-FACED WOMAN (1941)*

The back cover of GARBO by Robert Gottlieb