Is GARBO a fading star?

[jimmy]

first and foremost ,I open this thread without any offence to GARBO------i love GARBO,she is forever an icon in my heart.
BUT, do you realize there are so few people having a concept of how big she used to ?
when mentioning GARBO,some young people will even ask who is Garbo? Such things seldom happen when talking about Ingrid Bergman , Audrey hepburn or Vivien leigh . Why? Because each of them has her representative work.Bergman has Casablanca, Audrey has Roman holiday and Leigh Gone with the wind.
But Garbo has none.
Among all her films, only Camille and Ninotchka are good , but still far from great. We can see her films are shown on TV so seldom!
AFI 's "100 years,100 movies" list also don't include her movie.
sometimes i feel so sad about this.

[jimmy]

As a long-time GARBO fan, i have to admit that most of her movies are very boring with a loose and incompetent script. Just like some critics say "Garbo's films are beneath herself","the best element in Garbo's films is GARBO".
MATA HARI and QUEEN CHRISTINA are typical examples.
After finishing MATA HARI, the only thing remains in my mind is her weird costumes and belly dance scene. The movie ,the story just doesn't make any sense. the photography was great ,.AND Garbo was fabulous , but the plot ,the story was awkawd.
QUEEN CHRISTINA made Garbo an icon ,and put her on the pedestal . but still it alienated Garbo from Hollywood.

[nakis]

I would hardly call Garbo a fading star although I see what you are referring to. But just think. 2005 was the year of her centennial, there was the release in the US and abroad of the long awaited Greta Garbo DVD box which was very successful and popular. There were so many events to celebrate her all over the world, just to mention a few : The Academy Award celebration in LA followed by a big retrospective of her films at UCLA, a Garbo festival with the exhibition of her photos from her private collection at the Scandinavia House in New York, tributes from various Cinematheques in the world like : Lisbon, Milan, Stockholm, Lausanne, Goteborg, Malmo, Oslo, Brussels, Belgrad, Dublin plus festivals in Stottland and elsewhere. I myself had the honour to participate as a speaker at the Irish Film Institte international conference on Garbo which was successful and also at the Erlangen silent film festival in Germany where they showed two of her silents at packed houses and I can only say that there are a lot of young people who get to know and love Garbo as an actress. Some realities, yes people tend to neglect silents, unfortunately and one should not forget that Garbo stopped making films in 1941 whereas the actresses that you mentionned went on in making films in the sixties and even seventies, so it is not surprising if people know their names. For my part I hugely enjoy Garbos films and have no complaints. Here in Europe at least Ninotschka is considered as one of the all time great films and is almost shown every week either on cinemas in France or on TV. Camille is in my eyes a truly great film and many people feel the same for Queen Christina. Not to mention her wonderful silents like Flesh and the Devil and Woman of Affairs which had become classics or her european films which are considered great, I mean Goesta Berlings Saga and The Street of sorrow. I personally would not call Roman Holiday with the wonderful Audrey a great film, it is a pleasant little film in my mind. But in Garbos films if one looks closely there are many things to treasure. Great Decors and costumes, wonderful supporting casts and above all the way they showcase a unique extraordinary actress and presence. Just to close the subject. I remember two years ago when I had the honour to present a Greta Garbo silent film festival in Forssa Finland and what óved me the most were the young peoples reactionsm raving and raving about Garbo after the showings of Flesh and the Devil and Woman of Affairs. I honestly think that Garbo will alway be around she is immortal as an actress, as a beauty and as a star.

[jimmy]

yes,there were so many events to celebrate GARBO'S centennial.
but it is no blinking the fact that halo over her is gradually disappearing ,because she dosn't have her representative film.
maybe for some of the die-hard fans ,Camille is a great movie .But it is GARBO that makes the movie "great"----we watch her films only to watch GARBO.
but for the general public, things are different.
actually, soon after her retirement, Greta Garbo represented only a FACE---an A-SEXUAL iconic face. And now, Garbo represents only a name called GARBO---- most of the people who know Garbo can hardly recall even one of her films. What she left to the general public is vague impression. Although people konw she is an epitome of old hollywood chic , they hardly see her movies !

[jimmy]

I just wonder why MGM throw the GREATEST MOVIE STAR into so many worthless movies!!!!!
such a pity!!
I agree with what some critics say about Garbo--------------------------------------------------------


SHE IS A GREAT ACTRESS SPOILED AND WASTED BY HOLLYWOOD!

[nakis]

Well personally I know many many people who love Garbo the actress and love to watch her films so it depends how one looks at these things. Plus I do not think that things have died down after the centennial. The proof is that the restored version of Goesta Berling will be released shortly on DVD and from what people say there will be more of her films on DVD including the restaured version of the Street of Sorrow, considered as a great silent film and others. I was just reading about a future showing of Flesh and the Devil with full orchestra in Dannemark they made it a big event. I also remember the Garbo restrospective in Brussels there was among others a young girl, about seven totally ecstatic about Garbo holding a lot of photographs of the star and even assisting at some of the screenings of the Garbo silents. I think the advantage of the centennial and it was underlined everywhere was that people discovered or re-discovered that what made Garbo a star as ¨Mark Viera says in his wonderful book (by the way have you read it) were her films and I am certain that lots and lots of people have discovered Garbo thanks to the DVD, not to mention TCM which has a huge following ( I am sure something like 70 million viewers in the US alone is not something to be neglected),
I as I said before I am totally fascinated by all of her films and yes if the main reason is to watch Garbo, that is totally normal, I mean who can match her the woman, the actress, the star is incomparable.
Also personally, I do prefer watching Camille or Woman of Affairs than Casablanca or Gone with the Wind, I find it a much more exhilarating experience.

[jimmy]

nakis said:

I personally would not call Roman Holiday with the wonderful Audrey a great film, it is a pleasant little film in my mind. But in Garbos films if one looks closely there are many things to treasure. Great Decors and costumes, wonderful supporting casts and above all the way they showcase a unique extraordinary actress and presence. quote]


YES ,I like her silents , personally , i prefer her silents to talkies,especially THE KISS and A WOMAN OF AFFAIRS. Once, I wrote an essay discussing Garbo's performance in A WOMAN OF AFFAIRS arguing that this is the GREATEST FEMALE PERFOMANCE ON SCREEN OF ALL TIME .
But let's don't look at things from a personal perspective .For us die-hard GARBO fan ,everything about her is magic .
you personally don't like Roman Holiday and Audrey Hepburn ,me too! But the fact is that Roman Holiday is more famous and popular than any GARBO's film .
I am so relunctant to say this .
I am so sorry to open the thread. if it offends you ,please forgive me . cause just now i watched the AFI'S"100 years,100 movies" documentary only to find that there is no films showcasting Greta Garbo ,Ginger Rogers and Joan crawford, i just felt so sad and disappointed

[nakis]

Hello

Do not worry Jimmy, you certainly did not offend me it is an interesting thread and we could go on talking about the subjet forever.
I am glad you like her silents and I absolutely share your enthousiasm about Woman of Affairs, I do believe as well that she gives an incomparable performance in that film. Is there a way to see your essay on the subject?
By the way I did not say that I do not like Audrey Hepburn, I do she is adorable (no comparison with the Divine of course)

[david]

Nakis, I wonder how many GG Fans are now? Mostly old people remember her! Young people never heard about her now but some are curious to know about her.....I am surprised that many people bought alot of GG Collections Signature dvds and books, too and also stamps! I voted GG on 1st!

[Fanatique]

Hey David ! Im not 15 now and i saw almost all GG movies, buy her stamps, DVD collection, read the books talking about her ...

Just need time ... Poeple of my age will grow up and will fall in love with GG when they will know about culture. Now they are only interresting to trip on Hip Hop and 50 Cent and all those things with sexual explicit message ... See ?

But as like you, in my heart GG is one of the better actress in the world !

[queenchristina]

I know what you mean. I myself am 20 years old and have a sister that is 4 years younger than I am. I got her hooked on all the oldies.

[Fanatique]

Oh ! That's nice !

Welcome on the board queenchristina !

[louiseg]

I think it depends where you are: in Europe she is very highly regarded, however America does not seem to appreciate her to the same extent. In the 20's and 30's her biggest market was in Europe.

Also she gave up films as long ago as 1941 (64 years ago) before a lot of people alive now were even born. Compare this with other actresses like Joan Crawford and Bette Davis who are largely known today by people my age (i'm 29) for all those awful hammy, over the top axe-murdering roles they appeared in during the 70's and 80's.

Garbo never had to stoop to this level - she retired with her dignity intact. Unlike the others she knew when it was time to go. Those other actresses were just victims of the hollywood culture.

GARBO is remembered today for all the right reasons, her beauty, integrity and genius shine through forever. She is timeless.

[ninotchka]

Sorry, I had to post to this topic, as someone who has just started to really appreciate Garbo. I'm a 23 year old woman from Ireland, and I know that the majority of my friends, male or female, don't really know anything about Greta, her films or her status as an icon. That said, I think that it is unfair to say that she is a fading star. To say that is to imply that someday she will be forgotten like so many other stars of that age and I don't think that's something that is ever going to happen. She was an actress of great dignity and exceptional beauty, and I have to disagree with you, I don't think that so many of her films were sub par. You talk about a film like Casablanca.... but how many films has anyone ever made that could compare to a film like that? I think too that if you check out Greta on IMDB it'll give you an indicator of how popular and highly regarded she still is. I think that given her relatively small body of work and taking into account exactly how long ago that body of work was realised, then her status as an icon is an extraordinary testament to her place in peoples memory as a star, an icon in the truest sense of the word. Garbo always said that she wanted to be left alone but she had that undefinable quality that ensures her memory never will be.
Ahem, that's my thoughts ;D

[garbo20]

I think Greta gave-up film before the really big media hype, stars like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn were push to the top by the media and press. Greta made herself famous she didn't need any hype to push her to the top and make her a star. The only reason stars like Audrey and Marilyn are well known is because they are still getting media attention even though they are gone, you can go in to Clinton's and buy purses and bags featuring Audrey and Marilyn but have you ever seen one with Greta on? No It's like Britney and Christina now, Britney has always been slightly more famous because the press have push her to the top, in the first couple of years of her career you couldn't go any where without seeing Britney's name some where, even though she has a very basic/non existent singing voice and Christina can sing well. Greta put herself at the top and she will always be a star. Her acting in Camille was genius and Grand Hotel was one of her best and most famous films.

[samebirthday]

Jimmy, I see your point, and I tend to agree with you. Hepburn not only had Roman Holiday, but Breakfast at Tiffany's and My Fair Lady, both arguably bigger or more popular than even Roman Holiday was.

Besides Audrey Hepburn, many other famous actresses from the "Golden Era" had films that were just as well-regarded for their stories, as much as they were for their indelible star performances in those films, moreso than Garbo ever had. A couple of Garbo's talking films may have been close to that level, but for the most part, Garbo will be more renowned for her silent work. And by its very nature, silent film won't be as popular a subject as modern talking film. Silent film appreciation is a smaller niche audience, not as accessible to the larger mainstream filmgoing population.

Louiseg makes a relevant point here about differences in N. America vs. Europe too. I think that plays a big part in the differing perceptions about her popularity. Garbo is more identifiable or relatable to Europeans than to Americans. Her accent and personality is a little more difficult for us to relate to over here than in European countries, I think. In terms of personality, for varioius reasons, North Americans tend to be more upfront with emotions, more outwardly friendly, so when encountering someone like Garbo, we don't relate to her as well or as quickly. Audrey & Katherine Hepburn, Davis, Crawford, Garland, Monroe, and all down the line, they had more effervescence and seemed to project more happiness, or at least, they had an openess about them. Less guarded, more understandable. Garbo's darker, more inscrutible nature probably throws North Americans off a bit, as we tend not to relate as easily.

that's enough of my armchair analysis for one day!

[Visage d'art]

Ninotschka, I'm glad you come from Ireland, how is Ireland? I've got very far Irish origins too from my Britain side.

I agree with you that Garbo is still from nowadays and her movies are very interesting, like pictures of beauty as a movie.

Garbo20, I'd like to tell that the true voice of Britney Spears is much more interesting than we used to hear on radio: in fact, her true voice is very deep, she hides it in her most famous songs, only a few songs show it with romanticism on her Lps. These artists are influenced by choices coming from their producers. Now that she's a wife, she shows her true hair colour, I love that, she's a very cute chestnut woman. The producers wants to transform everybody as blonds like a kind of Nordic dictatorship. By the way, I know that some people don't like me just because I have the face of this Sweden girl called Garbo but with a normal melanine, aka chestnut. I love Garbo because she had each detail which can smash the picture.

Charlie

[nicotschka]

There are people who dislike you because you look Garboish? They are only jealous.. I am sure. Don't care about them.

[Visage d'art]

yes never mind... they want me faded, bleached....obsessed by the bleach, bleach, bleach....blond, blond... blue, blue... get on with it!!

[nicotschka]

Bonjour Charlie, just forget them! Stay the way you wanna be, and don't care about others.

Salut!
Nici