The Silent Lovers

This TV movie must have made an impression on me when I first watched it back in 1979, because I still remember clearly the "plenty moolah" phrase Garbo utters at one point, as well as some of its other scenes. Adapted from Garson Kanin's "Movieola" book, "The Silent Lovers" features the relationship between two of the silent screen's biggest stars, John Gilbert and Greta Garbo.

Gilbert was already an established name at MGM when the young Swedish starlet Garbo arrived at the studio as the protegé of the experienced Finnish director Mauritz Stiller, both of them lured to Hollywood with hopes of greater artistic fulfilment but also, as per the quote attributed to Garbo above, for the money too. However, it was the experienced, mature Stiller who struggled to cope with the demands of the burgeoning studio system while the younger, less worldly Greta thrived almost right away. Soon enough the painstaking Stiller was being taken off his first feature while Garbo by contrast, was kept on, successfully negotiating a 1000% salary increase in the process.

By this time, Garbo had already come across Gilbert, a prototype, hellraising leading man who seemingly went through his women as quickly as his booze. This brought him into direct conflict with the disciplinarian studio boss Louis B Mayer, with only his box-office appeal coupled with the protective interventions of the studio's other head, wonder-kid Irving Thalberg, saving his bacon.

Gilbert and Garbo made four films together, although the last of them, from the new "talkie" era, "Queen Christina", was made long after Gilbert had faded from the limelight, his casting a favour conferred on him by his one-time fiancée, but in those silent features, the pair generated a sexual chemistry which saw them become romantically involved, culminating in Garbo's dramatically jilting him at a planned double-wedding with the esteemed director King Vidor and his partner.

Gilbert was devastated by this rejection, but worse was to follow as the advent of sound in movies saw all the silent stars of the day rushing to learn if their voices were suitable for the new medium. After Garbo successfully transitioned in "Anna Christie", Gilbert suffered a disastrous sneak preview in his first talkie, with his screen voice sounding so unnaturally high as to be cartoon-like and comical, effectively ending his career as a leading man and likely contributing to his early death only a few years later. Was the foul-mouthed and vindictive Mayer behind Gilbert's fall, it certainly appears so from that knowing smirk on his face at the preview.

This feature undoubtedly takes more than its fair share of dramatic licence with the known facts but nevertheless was well cast and made with suitably high production values as befits the era. While it would be unrealistic to expect any contemporary actress to convincingly portray the ice-cool Garbo, I was satisfied enough by newcomer Kristina Wayburn who also manages to keep her accent intact throughout. Even better was Barry Bostwick as the dissolute Gilbert and there was strong support from the familiar Brian Keith as Stiller, John Rubinstein as Thalberg and especially Harold Gould as the loathsome Mayer.

All in all, this was a classy, if glossy made-for-TV movie, which even if not strictly accurate in its story-telling, still managed to successfully recapture the era of Golden Age Hollywood in relating this sadly doomed love affair between two of its biggest names.

You can tell people who love classic Hollywood worked very hard on this Moviola series. I think this one, focusing on John Gilbert and Greta Garbo's romance, was the best of the three. Casting was truly outstanding. I especially loved Barry's John Gilbert; I have seen most of Jack's silent films and his few talkies, Downstairs being my top favorite. I wish they had included scenes being filmed from Downstairs to show that John Gilbert did very well in talkies overall, that his film career *did not* die with the silents. That's pretty much the only thing I would have changed about the film. Guess they also didn't want to mention that Jack choked on his own tongue when he died. Poor man.

As with the other reviewer here, I first saw this made for TV movie when it came out in the early eighties, and had never seen it since, till finally I found it online last night. I loved it the first time as part of the Moviola series of three made for TV movies based on the novel Moviola by Garson Kanin. But I loved it even more finally getting to see it again.

Garbo has always held a certain fascination for me, and believe me Kristina Wayborn's Garbo is a treasure to behold. Though understated, Miss Wayborn is totally luminous as Garbo, and completely owns the part. I have no idea if Garbo herself ever saw this, but I feel sure she would have been proud of the way Kristina Wayborn portrayed her.

What really surprises me is that Miss Wayborn did not herself go on to have a great career after playing such a wonderful part. I don't know, maybe she was born in the wrong era, but I can't help thinking she would have been a major star today.

The rest of the cast of The Silent Lovers are in the main, good, especially Barry Bostwick as John Gilbert, Harold Gould as L. B. Mayer, and John Rubinstein as the ill-fated boy wonder, Irving Thalberg.

If you do get to see The Silent Lovers, I doubt you will be disappointed. It's worth seeing alone for Kristina Wayborn's magnificent re-creation of Greta Garbo.

Bits and pieces of fact appear in this story of John Gilbert and Greta Garbo, but there are far too many inaccuracies in time and fact for this to be taken seriously. While Kristina Wayborn make a credible effort at playing Garbo, Barry Bostwick is far too hysterical (and tall) as Gilbert.

Story traces Garbo's arrival in Hollywood on the heels of director Mauritz Stiller (Brian Keith) to work at MGM where Gilbert is already a star. Stiller clashes with MGM runners Louis B. Mayer (Harold Gould) and Irving Thalberg (John Rubinstein) but grudgingly, MGM puts Garbo to work. She's a surprise hit in her first two films, but in her third, FLESH AND THE DEVIL, she's teamed with Gilbert and they go through the roof to superstardom.

All the while they are carrying on a torrid affair but Garbo refuses to marry Gilbert. In 1927 two things change them forever. Al Jolson scores a smash hit in the part-talkie film THE JAZZ SINGER (which ushers in the talkie revolution), and Garbo jilts Gilbert at the altar in a double wedding ceremony.

In a drunken rage, Gilbert attacks Mayer who declares he will ruin Gilbert. He did. This story telescopes the time from Jolson's hit to Garbo and Gilbert's talkie debuts in 1930 and makes it seem like their made their talkies right away. They didn't.

Garbo is a hit in ANNA Christie but Gilbert is a flop in HIS GLORIOUS NIGHT which may have been engineered as depicted here to alter his voice. Gilbert's real first talkie was REDEMPTION, which was judged a clunker but was released after HIS GLORIOUS NIGHT specifically to kill Gilbert's career.

Gilbert's career declines (though he made another 8 talkies before he died in 1936) while Garbo's career soars. This film even leaves out QUEEN Christina (1933) which re-teamed the "lovers" and was a hit.

There's much name dropping with many stars and directors shown or mentioned. They include Marion Davies, Norma Shearer, Ricardo Cortez, Antonio Moreno, Lillian Gish, Robert Taylor, Eleanor Boardman, King Vidor, Victor Seastrom, Monta Bell, Laura Hope Crews, and Eddie Mannix.

Other familiar faces in the cast include Barney Martin, Audra Lindley, and James Olson.

The promotion and summary for this film tells what it's about. John Gilbert was one of the biggest stars of the silent era. He was MGM's leading man when Greta Garbo arrived in Hollywood, fresh from her second film in her home country, Sweden.

But for the general theme - the romance between Gilbert and Garbo, and some specific incidents, one should be wary of considering the story very accurate. After all, it's based on a fictional novel by Gordon Kanin, and that only partly includes Garbo and Gilbert. "Moviola" was a broad fictional novel about Hollywood movie production.

This film focuses on the affair of several years between Garbo and Gilbert, after she once settles in Hollywood. Brian Keith's role is that of Garbo's Swedish mentor and film director, who was the reason that Garbo even went to Hollywood when she did.

The portrayals of some of the major characters of the time seemed to fit the personas for which they were known. John Rubinstein plays a bright, cool and very capable MGM partner and producer, Irving Thalberg. And Harold Gould does very well as the flamboyant, boisterous, egotistical and socially awkward American producer, Louis B. Mayer

Barry Bostwick gives a very good performance as John Gilbert, as well as one might know him these many decades later from articles, legends and samples of his work. The casting for Greta Garbo's character would naturally be the most challenging for this film. Kristina Wayborn got the part and did okay. It might be unfair to compare her to Garbo because of the latter's unique face and beauty. One doesn't have the sense that Wayborn is into the role of Garbo, or really portraying her persona.

The film is true to its billing about the period of the Garbo-Gilbert romance. But, by barely including anything of shooting her films, except for a couple of scenes with Gilbert, I think the film falls way short. Just toward the end Garbo meets the actor who is playing Robert Taylor. He would be starring with her in her next picture, "Camille." It seems that showing much more of Garbo's acting and film work would have enhanced the story considerably. And that would include showing her later filming with closed sets, which she demanded.

This is a somewhat interesting film, mostly on how Garbo got to Hollywood, and her early long romance with John Gilbert. But anyone wanting a more open story about her Hollywood years in general - including the several actors with whom she performed, will be disappointed.

This is just a fair film and fictional look at a period in Greta Garbo's arrival in Hollywood and early romance, with just a peek at her dealings with MGM and her film career. Garbo was a striking actress - considered to be one of the most beautiful of all time. She was very capable and starred in some exceptional films. She never won an Oscar but was nominated three times. While drama was her special field, she starred in one of the best comedy and political satires ever made by Hollywood. So long as there is a public memory or knowledge of the Soviet Union of the past, "Ninotchka" of 1939 will remain a tremendous comedy that will entertain people.

Garbo will be remembered and watched for decades to comes in some of the great films she made. Among those are "Anna Christie" of 1930, "Grand Hotel" of 1932, "Queen Christina" of 1933, "Anna Karenina" of 1935, and "Camille" of 1936, which she said was her favorite film. Robert Taylor, who co-starred with Garbo in that film, said it was one of his favorite films also and that Garbo was his favorite co-star.