ChrisCSH H
"Camille" is a very heartfelt and ultimately sad romantic love story that is played beautifully by Greta Garbo as Marguerite Gautier and Robert Taylor as Armand Duval. The way that the two playoff each other throughout the film is the true heart of the entire picture, and Greta Garbo's performance as a sick Marguerite is Hart felt, but she plays it so elegantly that you would never really know that the character is not well throughout the entire film, and with what ultimately happens in the picture where she shows her true love to Armand to deny her love for him, so he would not be troubled by her death is truly beautiful.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/09/24
Full Review
Leaburn O
I love silver screen cinema but this is diabolically bad. Difficult to get through as the pace is so turgid. The acting is woeful as I've come to expect from Greta Garbo anyway. Sits on many lists of cinema classics but I've no idea why. It is junk and deserves to be forgotten. Watched on DVD.
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
02/15/24
Full Review
Matthew D
Greta Garbo is magnificent as Camille!
American director George Cukor's black and white romance drama Camille (1936) is a wonderfully romantic picture. Cukor's direction captures the splendor of French salons in Paris with a resplendent frivolity as well as the natural paradise of the scenic French countryside. His tender direction always sympathizes with Camille's plight for health, wealth, or love. I was quite shocked at the tragic ending, but came away thinking Greta Garbo is really a phenomenal actress capable of nuanced emotions.
Writers James Hilton, Frances Marion, and Zoe Akins adapt author Alexandre Dumas fils, son of The Three Musketeers author Alexandre Dumas, with real heart. Camille is a devastating tragedy of a love that cannot be, despite these lovers being perfect for one another. Camille actually reminded me of Cold War and The Age of Innocence. Tender, affectionate words comfort these star-crossed lovers.
Swedish actress Greta Garbo is mesmerizing as the gorgeous French lady Marguerite Gautier. Her money mad socialite feels depressed with a demure femme fatale quality. She can be vivacious and flirty, then suddenly melancholic in an alluring way like only Greta Garbo can fascinate you. I adore Garbo in Camille. She's pretty with a captivating beauty, funny as she exploits men for money to keep up Camille's lavish lifestyle, and romantic with a realistic tenderness. Garbo is brilliant at portraying sorrow, regret, concern, and earnestness. Her wry smile, fun loving partying, sorrowful eyes, and melancholic manner portray Marguerite in a truly sad romantic heroine.
American actor Robert Taylor plays the jealous suitor and adoring lover both quite well as the handsome and charming Armand Duval. Robert Taylor is very young and so plays Armand's naive nature well because he cannot tell when Marguerite is sincere or teasing him. He's got an authentic romantic chemistry with Greta Garbo that feels passionate and loving like they were meant to be together.
American actor Lionel Barrymore is smart, nice, and cautious as Armand's father Monsieur Duval. English actress Elizabeth Allan is very sweet and pleasant as the bride Nichette. American actress Jessie Ralph is entertaining as Marguerite's meddling maid Nanine, who is always giving advice and trying to match make for her.
English actor Henry Daniell is shrewd and cruel as the not very romantic interest Baron de Varville. You can tell he thinks he loves Marguerite, but only seeks to own her, so she just uses him for money. I liked how Daniell plays the Baron with the knowledge she's using him for money, until he explodes in anger in a sudden slap and mean words. He feels twisted and cruel like rich men that think they can buy love.
American actress Lenore Ulric is hilarious as the outrageous lady Olympe, who seeks the baron's love. American actress Laura Hope Crews is crazy as the cigar smoking, partying old lady Prudence Duvernoy. She's always incredulous. British actor Rex O'Malley is amiable and nice as Armand's fun friend Gaston. He treats Garbo so nicely in her time of need.
Editor Margaret Booth's slick cutting keeps Camille down a tight 109 minutes and condenses a life into a brief picture. We get these neat transitions of bitter goodbyes into lush parties. Cinematographers Karl Freund and William H. Daniels uses striking blocking for Camille's beautiful framing. The smooth panning shots ever in focus are lovely to watch. Art directors Cedric Gibbons, Edwin B. Willis, and Fredric Hope use bright white lighting on faces to juxtapose the darker shadows around these gallant halls and balls.
Composer Herbert Stothart delivers a wondrously romantic score full of forlorn yearning. Sound designer Douglas Shearer plays around with the loudness of yelling at parties and lets Garbo's sick whispers ring clearly to our ears. Costume designer Adrian delivers several of his greatest gowns for Greta Garbo ever as every scene she dons a luxurious dress in full regalia. Adrian makes Garbo even more gorgeous.
In short, Camille is a fantastic black and white classic featuring dazzling dresses and devastating acting from Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
05/29/23
Full Review
CodyZamboni
Dull movie, with wooden, stilted peformances, and, at times , some laughable acting.
That said, some of Garbo's scenes do ring true.
But mostly, her sad plight is a detached viewing experience for me, eliciting no sympathy.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
07/26/23
Full Review
William C
I think it's very simple. Garbo was very worldly smart and experienced but the man was naturally-protected and out of reach from the real world. Garbo was able to understand the man but the man was not able to understand Garbo. The love for two will ended-up one-sidedly. But I think Garbo deserves some who was experienced but wiling to lay down the profile and longing for pure love. Garbo is such a person and she won't be realistic just because of all the experience she had. I think she should be cast with a character who think alike so the audience will get the satisfaction from the story.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/16/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A gorgeously produced romance, in the best sense of the term, "Camille" is a prime example of the type of film that causes viewers to lament "that they just do not make them like this anymore." Of course, how could a film like this be made again? The incomparable Garbo is gone, as are director George Cukor, producer Irving Thalberg, studio-mogul Louis B. Mayer, the Metro Goldwyn Mayer sound stages and back lot, and even the Hollywood studio system.
Fortunately, the fruits of the old studio system live on, and those who love the movies can still relish such gems as "Camille." With George Cukor guiding her performance and William Daniels lighting her face, Greta Garbo never looked better or had a finer role than Marguerite Gautier. The word "luminous" is often over used, but it is appropriate here to describe how Garbo literally illuminates the screen with her presence throughout the film. From her flirtatious scenes early in the film to her final days, where her skin seems to have taken on the translucence of death, she dominates the movie.
With few exceptions, Garbo has little competition on screen. Henry Daniell is outstanding as the Baron de Varville, whose villainy is obscured by a gentlemanly veneer and great wealth. Laura Hope Crews shamelessly tries to steal her scenes as the selfish Prudence, and Jessie Ralph holds her own as the maid. However, while he certainly looks the part, Robert Taylor does not have the emotional depth to be a convincing love object for a woman of Garbo's dimensions. The cruel strength of Henry Daniell made him a more equal partner for Garbo than the love-smitten Robert Taylor. The imbalance was repeated from Garbo's film of the previous year, "Anna Karenina," in which again a strong, if overbearing, Basil Rathbone matched Garbo in a way that the indecisive Frederic March did not.
Despite any small reservations, "Camille" remains a fine example of the best of the Hollywood studio system in its Golden Era. The sumptuous art direction and lavish costumes indicate the high production values of the period for an A-list film for one of MGM's most valuable stars. Well adapted from a literary work by a team of writers that included James Hilton, the movie is matchless entertainment. While "Camille" was likely produced as a "woman's film," Garbo and Cukor broadened the film's appeal and elevated their work to classic status.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/08/23
Full Review
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