Terre de volupté

WILD ORCHIDS (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1929), directed by Sidney Franklin, stars Greta Garbo in her second of four releases for that year (a busy one for the Swedish sphinx). It returns her to familiar territory about a love triangle set in far away Java ("A land of magic beauty - cursed with heat - relentless heat"). With Garbo pitted between two male co-stars, Lewis Stone (white hair, dark mustache) and Nils Asther (dark exotic features and mustache) who happen to be the only performers credited in the cast, while others, whether acting as chauffeur, steward or Javanese servants, their roles go without billing. Released minus spoken dialog from its principal players, WILD ORCHIDS, filmed in late silent film tradition, contains some spoken words ("Goodbye") from crowded extras during its opening scene at the dock, ("Don't forget to write") from another, off-screen vocalizing to the theme song, "You Are Like Wild Orchids," sound effects and grunting sounds of dancing natives, and of course the roaring of the MGM lion on the logo during its fade-in. As for the film itself, this has the possibilities of a fine early talkie, but as it stands, Garbo was to remain silent for another year on screen.

The photoplay centers upon a young woman named Lillie (Greta Garbo) who accompanies John Sterling (Lewis Stone), her middle-aged business-minded husband on a ship bound for the Orients where he's assigned to inspect plantations in Java. As Lillie heads over towards the dock so she could have one last look at San Francisco, down the hallway she witnesses the whipping by fellow passenger, the exotic Prince De Gac (Nils Asther) on his unfortunate servant outside his cabin. Seeing his brutal measures witnessed by an attractive woman, De Gace ceases as she passes him in disgust. Unable to get the woman out of his mind, the prince gets through to her by becoming acquainted with her husband by discussing business that eventually has him inviting the Sterlings as his personal guests in his luxurious palace East of Java. In spite of her pleas not to go, John agrees on the invitation so he and the Prince can go hunting tigers together. When John discovers the Prince is interested in making advances on wife, he then has more than tiger hunting on his mind.

While not up to Garbo's earlier successes, namely FLESH AND THE DEVIL (1927), WILD ORCHIDS is at times satisfactory but suffers from over length of mediocre sequences such as the "King and I" type gathering at the palace dining room where the Sterlings are entertained by group of sword dancing natives, though repetitious love scenes between Garbo and Asther with possibilities of getting caught in the act by the husband do add to some suspense. With the first half hour taking place on a luxury liner, the duration of the story giving viewers an eyeful of its luxurious Java estate, lavish sets, large stairways, and revealing fashions from Garbo's 1920s attire (even letting her hair down looking as she did in her films of the 1930s) to something more exotic to impress her husband, who, in turn tells her to "take off that junk!" Though the plot is slow going at times, it picks up again following a promising opening to its near climax that parallels FLESH AND THE DEVIL as wife rushes out to prevent the possible fatal showdown between the men in her life.

Considering WILD ORCHIDS is an unfamiliar Garbo film in itself, or MGM's for that matter, it did become Garbo's first film from the silent era to be distributed on tape enclosed in plastic clam shell and yellow cover in 1985 through MGM/UA Home Video. The video print, at 119 minutes, is 20 minutes longer than the 100 minute presentation on Turner Classic Movies, which might indicate correct silent film projection speed transferred on video, or trimmed scenes or shorter reissue prints acquired on cable television. Overall, a worthy rediscovery of a motion picture produced during the dawn of sound with actors doing their all by holding audience attention, whether through illicit affairs or hunting tigers, though none actually acquire any wild orchids in the moonlight. (**)

On a trip to Java, Garbo falls for a charming native prince (Asther), after being neglected by businessman husband (Stone). Routine romantic triangle has its weak spots, but Garbo's elegance can smooth them out. A silent with music score and sound effects.

This film seems a lot like a warm-up for The Painted Veil, another Garbo ego picture which would be released in 1934. The story is similar, the locale is in Asia, she has a much older, boring husband, a new, exciting lover...

I could go on and on about how similar they are.

It's not technically a silent movie, rather a sound movie without dialogue, and perhaps that's its only redeeming quality. The sets are nice, but the intertitles do get a little corny (and aren't overly inventive).

Garbo would go onto better things, but for now she was still making silent pictures in an era where even Gloria Swanson had transferred to sound.

Greta Garbo is quite pretty in this film, and she gets to wear a lot of nice costumes, but she isn't given much to do other than that.

I was rooting for the husband more than I was rooting for the lover, so the Hollywood happy ending was welcome. The tiger hunt was probably the best part of the film.

I preferred The Painted Veil, not because I'm a silent movie-phobe (because I am not), but because her leads are more colorful and she's given more to do than be a window decoration.

During nights scented with the perfume of WILD ORCHIDS, a Javanese prince woos the beautiful wife of a visiting American tycoon.

Although really little more than a story about a romantic triangle, the excellent acting & superb presentation make this a very enjoyable film.

Greta Garbo, exquisite & serene, shows once again that she was more than just a perfectly sculpted face. She was also a very disciplined actress who used her tightly controlled body to convey emotional depths and subtle nuances. Even in what for her was a rather minor film, she is a marvel to watch, beyond superlatives, exhausting all adjectives. She is simply Garbo and that is enough.

For sheer exoticism, few Hollywood male stars of the period could compete with Garbo. Nils Asther was one of these. Although Scandinavian, something about the bone structure of his face made him ideal for Asian roles. He had already enjoyed much success as a matinee idol by the time WILD ORCHIDS was filmed. A fine actor, he seems loath to accede all of the viewers' attention to Garbo. (Swedes both, they must have had some interesting private conversations on the set.) Asther makes his characterization of the Prince a compelling blend of charm & cowardice - a creature quite capable of seducing his sultry costar into marital infidelity. The onset of talkies would prove difficult for Asther, his heavy accent making it hard for MGM to cast him effectively and he would eventually return to Sweden. However, when given the right role, as in Frank Capra's THE BITTER TEA OF GENERAL YEN (1933), Asther was able to exhibit the natural talent he was seldom called upon to use.

Lewis Stone is the solid fulcrum over which his two extravagant costars teeter. While they exude passion & sensuality, he revels in the simpler virtues - duty, dignity, and, when he finally catches on to the Prince's depredations, righteous wrath. He manages to infuse all this with a quiet sense of befuddled humor, which only makes his character all the more human.

The film's first rate production values make the heat & hedonism of Java come alive for the viewer. The Javanese dancing is of particular interest. The use of sound effects in this late silent film is of some significance - they perfectly illustrate where some film purists thought the cinema should remain: with music and effects, but definitely no dialogue.

While "Wild Orchids" is not a major classic, the film does illustrate the magic of the Silents at their peak. Within a few minutes, director Sidney Franklin establishes the vulnerable relationship between Lewis Stone, a businessman with an interest in commerce and hunting, and Greta Garbo, his younger and neglected wife. The couple embarks on a sea voyage to Java in search of tea plantations, and competition for Garbo's affection soon appears in the guise of an exotic prince. Stone's apparent and puzzling preoccupation with business over his beautiful wife is hard to fathom. Garbo could be described as Stone's trophy wife, and trophy she is. As garbed by Adrian and photographed by William H. Daniels, Garbo would be a prized trophy for any man or woman anywhere any time.

Once aboard ship, with the same economy of style used to illustrate the marriage of Lillie and John Sterling, Franklin quickly sketches the character of Nils Asther, the Javanese prince. Garbo watches in horror as Asther whips a servant outside his cabin, and his dark eyes and pencil-thin mustache speak volumes. Although too pretty and occasionally fey to be totally convincing as a Lothario, Asther works hard at befriending Stone and seducing his wife. Unfortunately, Stone's indifference towards his wife only helps propel this film down a familiar road.

The Danish Asther as the Javanese Prince De Gace is as Asian as the realm he rules, which was conjured in the frenzied minds of MGM's art directors. The welcome banquet is reminiscent of the feast in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," but without the snakes and eyeballs. At one point, Garbo dons a local costume and, although she fails to charm her husband, she does presage her subsequent appearance, opposite Stone once again, as Mata Hari. Despite Asther's occasional lapses, the performances of the three leads are naturalistic. Stone is always solid and dependable, and Garbo, well, she is always captivating whenever on screen. While not among her greatest, "Wild Orchids" is vintage Garbo, representative of silent films at their best, and worthy entertainment.