Wild Orchids

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.

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. (**)

Superb production values and subtle, clever performances by the three major stars in this film (Greta, Nils, and Lewis) make this silent film absolutely fascinating - and fun - to watch. From the moment Greta's character meets Nils' character in the hallway of the cruise ship, as he viciously strikes his servant, while she appears shocked and disgusted, yet intrigued, the stage is set for a great tug of war of emotions and a battle of wills between the major characters, which keeps the audience mesmerized throughout.

If you have only seen Greta in her talkie films from the 1930's then you really have never understood why she became so popular in the first place, or why she was considered a great beauty. Her mystery and allure on film began in the silent era of the 1920's. By the time she appeared in her talkie films her face was more set, more mature, more of a woman's face. In the 1920's she still looked like a young girl, and her beauty and refreshing elegance were more striking.

Lewis Stone has the benefit here of receiving some of the best and funniest lines in the picture. As the Prince, played by Nils, shows Lewis and Greta to their bedroom in his Javanese palace, where they will stay as guests, a king size bed is revealed. Lewis's eyes open wide and he whispers to Greta in shock, "Good Lord, a double bed!" This was something new for a married couple on screen in 1929! I burst out laughing.

Great film, with a wonderful ending. Don't miss it.

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.

Wild Orchids casts Greta Garbo as the younger wife of Lewis Stone and they are bound for what was then called the Dutch East Indies. On the ship they meet a Javanese potentate Nils Asther a fellow Swede to Garbo who looks seductively at Garbo and that's all she wrote.

There's a wonderful scene in Wild Orchids where Garbo encounters Asther giving a beating to one of his servants who did not move as quickly as he would like. Garbo may have had the best face for closeups in the history of cinema. Remember this is a silent film so no dialog, but the looks Asther gives her and her closeups, a mixture of horror at the barbarity, but fascination with the man tells more than 50 pages of dialog or title cards.

Asther invites her to Javanese palace and Garbo and Stone are loving it. But eventually Stone catches on and it all comes to a climax during a tiger hunt.

Asther got to do another Asian portrayal in Frank Capra's The Bitter Tea Of General Yen. Some interesting roles for a Scandinavian, yet another of his countryman Warner Oland also played a noted Oriental with Charlie Chan.

Lewis Stone has the distinction of being the player who did the most appearances with Garbo. He comes over well as the concerned and most jealous husband.

Definitely a must for Garbo fans and those wanting to get acquainted with her work.