La reine Christine

Period dramas made in the past often fall foul of reflecting the time which they were made in, not when they were set. This one however is timeless and ageless evoking a feel of the seventeenth century whilst still being very much a grand MGM epic from the golden age of Hollywood. It's beautifully and imaginatively crafted by maestro director Rouben Mamoulian to perfection and acted with complete believability and passion evoking some very real emotion.

It is set during the truly horrific (and complicated) Thirty Years War and begins with the death of the Protestant leader, Swedish king, Gustav Adolf. He leaves behind his seven year old daughter to take over as 'king' to continue leading Sweden in the terrible war. Greta Garbo's particular acting style and strong Swedish accent which can sometimes feel a little too theatrical at times is for once absolutely perfectly suited to playing this person who in reality had to be the greatest actress in Sweden. The role Christina had to play was to convince her subjects that their suffering, their sacrifices were God's will and unquestionably necessary. Her act was to instil such hatred of the enemy, such detestation of Catholicism that the mass slaughter of literally millions of people could be justified but it was all just an act. Although this state of perpetual war was all she had ever known, Christina herself could not convince herself that this was indeed God's will and Garbo brilliantly with incredible subtlety conveys this inner mental turmoil. Her other role was produce an heir and that is what this film uses as its hook to get into her mind.

Greta Garbo was personally involved with the making of this film, it was her own pet project and she insisted that her co-star would be her old flame, John Gilbert. He too is excellent as Christina's Spanish love interest. Fuelled with the memories of their past passionate affair, the chemistry between the two of them seems very real and is genuinely touching. Before you start to complain that the love story between Christina and Alfonso is completely made up you should know that the writer used this very clever device to symbolise her inner struggles, the epic battles going on inside her head between her feelings as a compassionate and sensitive, intelligent woman and her feelings as a king. John Gilbert's allegorical character represents Christina's aspirations, her desire for independence and her desire for freedom which she knows can never be. The famous tragic last scene (which is honestly quite emotional) is inevitable.

The story is tragically sad and so is the story of poor John Gilbert. His ill-advised monumental fall out with Louis Mayer, the most powerful man in Hollywood completely destroyed his career resulting in his death from alcoholism just three years after making this. Such tragedies seemed to be all too common back in the days of the 'studio system' with stars such as John Gilbert, John Barrymore and Clara Bow. A guy driving a truck driver or girl from the typing pool were virtually overnight given a new life, earning literally millions of dollars and then maybe a year later, at the whim of a studio head were unemployed, that life was over. In some ways John Gilbert's character in this film which can logically only have one ending reflects the actor's own trajectory.

It's 1632. The Protestant King of Sweden falls in battle. A six year old girl climbs onto the throne. Sixteen years later, Sweden is winning the Thirty Years' War and Queen Christina (Greta Garbo) would like it to end. On the other hand, her advisors want to continue the expensive endeavor. She overrules them and signs the peace agreement. Her advisor Magnus is her slavish admirer. Her country is eager to marry her to a Swedish prince and produce an heir. She falls for the new Spanish Ambassador Antonio (John Gilbert) but a public affair with a Catholic would be dangerous.

The inn section is fun although I kept waiting for her to do a big reveal. The film does end up doing an interesting reveal. The fun situation sets up relatively good chemistry. The movie is missing some good action. They have a 30 years war and only one small war scene. The production designs are big and impressive. It's a grand costume drama. The story is rather straight forward and the rumored real story may be more interesting. All in all, it's good.

...She looks so weak and so frail That's why she tried to be so hard , But they turned her into a princess And they sat her on a throne, But she turned her back on stardom Because she wanted to be alone.

(Ray Davies,"Celluloid heroes" ,1972)

"Queen Christina" is my favorite Garbo movie and I must not be the only one to be fond of it."Queen Christina" is the story of the actress herself ;the queen abdicates as the star would do eight years later.Like the queen leaves her people weeping they cried a river over the star.

Christina is a modern character,ahead of her time,tired of war and who takes love over marriage of convenience ,who protects arts ,notably literature (funny how she loves Molière and his "Précieuses Ridicules" ).One should note that,even if it's not mentioned in the movie,she did come to France where she visited courtesan Ninon de Lenclos ,then imprisoned in a convent because of her "scandalous" life .

Like Garbo herself,she was a legend in her lifetime and

she would die an enigma to the word,like king of Bavaria ,Ludwig der Zweite ,who lived three centuries after her and who was a bit like her.

The scene at the inn has been plagiarized many times since.Garbo's androgynous beauty works wonders ."A handsome young lord such as you cannot sleep alone tonight,can he?" .Definitely not.

"I,m tired of being a symbol, Chancellor, I long to be a human being! This longing I cannot suppress!" (Greta Garbo as queen Christina)

On December, the 26th, 1933 Rouben Mamoulian's great production about the Swedish queen was released. Greta Garbo (1905-1990), a Swedish actress already famous for her roles in silent movies and some sound films, like Anna Christie (1930), was cast to play the main role by Rouben Mamoulian for the first time in her new contract. Perhaps, the producers with the director expected some success, but certainly nobody could think of the movie being watched and admired in the 21st century...

The story of Christina is changed; however, it does not make a serious distortion. The movie shows a lot of true facts from her life (her coronation in 1632 and her desire for peace) as well as some additional events (she did not abdicate for love). But, like with most other films, history had to be interpreted to the need of the audience of the 1930s.

The movie is mostly famous for dealing with Christina's desire for personal happiness and love affair between Christina and the Spanish ambassador Don Antonio De Pimentel (John Gilbert). The most memorable scene, for me personally, is their first meeting in an inn. The way Mr Mamoulian showed it is really extraordinary: nothing vulgar or open without taboo. Grapes which are a reference either to Ancient Greece and god Bachus or to Spain, Antonio's homeland. Christina is showed walking through the room and touching all objects in order to memorize them. Greta Garbo gives one of her finest performances in this memorable scene. REALLY SENSIBLE SCENE THAT VERY FEW PEOPLE WOULD BE ABLE TO SHOOT NOWADAYS! What is more, her lesbianism is hidden. There is only one moment when Christina kisses one of her servant girls in the mouth.

Another significant aspect of the movie is Christina's long for being a human, not a symbol. Her famous words that I contained at the beginning of my review reflect her personality. Everything she does is for happiness. She falls in love with Antonio and plans a happy life with him. However, Antonio dies in her arms and their love cannot be fulfilled. The final shot of Christina standing at the bow of the ship as it sets sail is another impressive, magnificent moment. Before shooting this scene, Mr Mamoulian said to Greta: "I want your face to be a blank sheet of paper. I want the writing to be done by every member of the audience..."

The cast are excellent. Greta Garbo performed in many movies, including ANNA KARENINA (1935), LOVE (1927), MATA HARI (1931), CAMILLE (1936), and in all of them, she was perfect; but this role is her ultimate masterpiece. Undoubtedly incredible! Even if you don't like anything about this movie, Greta's performance is something you will never forget. Consider how she played a man while meeting Antonio in an inn; or her speech where she calls for the end of Thirty Years War: "Spoils, glory, flags, and trumpets! What is behind these high sounding words? Death and destruction!"

John Gilbert also does a good job as Antonio but he, like everyone else, is in the shadow of Greta. I do not know if there were other such good actors or actresses in cinema's history. Perhaps, Romy Schneider... but, indeed, very few people could leave such an unfading trace in cinema.

Queen Christina is my beloved, favorite movie, a piece of high art at multiple levels. More than 70 years have passed since it was released and the movie is still a pleasure to see. It has been a must-have in my family from the time my Grandma was young in the 1930s. The movie really deserves to be released on DVD.

There are movies that you watch and quickly forget.

There are movies that you may like and see them more than once to remember for longer.

Queen Christina is a movie that, having seen once, you will never forget.

With no hesitation 10/10

I'm in the middle of "Wednesday Night is Greta Garbo Night" on TCM, and I am as happy as the proverbial pig. A whole month of Garbo -- 27 films! 1927-1941!!! Needless to say, I rushed right off to Target to stock up on blank videocassettes! I'm the King of the World! The dream of a lifetime fulfilled!

"Queen Christina" is merely one of Garbo's greatest performances, but it's second to none. She imbues the role of the conflicted Swedish monarch with majesty and vulnerability, and also embodies the clarity, determination, assurance, and style of a great ruler. This Christina is no silly Mary Queen of Scots, thoughtlessly throwing everything away for love, and sowing the seeds of her own destruction. Garbo's queen sacrifices power for a man, true, but only because she understands that she can't have both and must have love, that Sweden will still flourish without her, and that to fulfill her deepest needs as a human being she must accept the inevitable cost. She is a lover of the arts, a reader of great books, curious about the entire world and thirsty to drink at the well of experience. She is a bohemian, and there's little satisfaction for her in wielding great power while being denied the opportunity to live fully.

Whether this is an accurate portayal of the historical person is really beside the point. "Queen Christina" is an MGM costume spectacular with MGM's biggest star. And Lord, is she gorgeous!

Watching John Gilbert as Antonio makes me wonder why he didn't last for long in talking pictures. His hairstyle here makes him look a bit goofy, but he's a handsome guy and his speaking voice is perfectly adequate. He doesn't come close to Garbo in charisma -- who does? He handles the role quite well, and the mutual affection of the pair is palpable.

At least one poster has questioned whether the implied homoeroticism of several scenes in this film really exists -- the kiss between the queen and her lady-in-waiting, the "No Chancellor...I shall die a bachelor" line, the reaction of Antonio's servant about him staying in bed all day with "the other gentleman." S/he is wrong -- it's definitely there. But I think Ruben Mamoulian was just having a little fun with Christina's "masculine" eccentricity to add some spice to the story. She was hailed as a "king" at her coronation, and a king she endeavored to be.

Some viewers might find "Queen Christina" dated. It's terribly romantic in the style of the 1930s, and if you can't buy into that you might have problems. Also, there's the characteristic cliche of all the old MGM period films dealing with royalty -- the ceremonial entrance of nobles into the court, accompanied by fanfares and stately music. I counted four of those in this movie -- oh, well, it goes with the genre.

And that final scene? It really is unforgettable!