Grand Hotel (1932)

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Directed by Edmund Goulding.

Starring John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery, Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo.

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Based on Vicki Baum's novel and produced by Irving Thalberg, this film is about the lavish Grand Hotel in Berlin, a place where "nothing ever happens." That statement proves to be false, however, as the story follows an intertwining cast of characters over the course of one tumultuous day. Greta Garbo is Grusinskaya, a ballerina whose jewels are coveted by Baron von Geigern (John Barrymore), a thief who fancies Flaemmchen (Joan Crawford), a stenographer and the mistress of Preysing (Wallace Beery), businessman boss of Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore), a terminally ill bookkeeper who is under the care of alcoholic physician Dr. Otternschlag (Lewis Stone). Grand Hotel won Best Picture at the 1932 Academy Awards. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Talk to Red Shoes Roman Syndrom ...
by dibot in dibot Blog

liked it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"The China Syndrome focuses on two journalists, Jane Fonda ("Georgia Rule") and Michael Douglas ("King of California"), who try to expose the dangers of a nuclear power plant in California. Jack Lemmon ("The Odd Couple II") works in the plant and helps them when he becomes convinced that safety standards are not being met. The film is a bit slow starting off, but when it gets going, the paranoia and cover-ups are easy to buy into. The ending is also very good. Definitely worth checking out. I haven't seen a film as moving as Talk to Her in quite awhile. Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar ("Volver"), the story follows two men who become friends while caring for the women they love, both of whom happen to be in comas. But it's so much more than that. There's love, of all kinds, morally questionable actions, beautiful cinematography, haunting music, crying, laughing, general amazement on my part. This is what movies are all about. Grand Hotel was the Best Picture Oscar winner in ... " [More]

Re:5 Pre-Hays Code Films
by mercurial in Top 5

liked it.

"1.) Baby Face - Wow, is she a slut! For its time it's incredible that she sleeps with practically every man in the building she works in (it's a skyscraper).2.) Freaks - The cool as shit "freaks" in the movie know how to get revenge.3.) Grand Hotel - Amazing cast, insanely quotable, intense subject matter for its time.4.) The Maltese Falcon - Homosexuality, fornication, murder and mayhem. And most of it is just alluded to.5.) Christopher Strong - Hepburn is hot in those manly pantsuits and insane (the happy kind of insane) with love that leads her to do something pretty insane (the scary kind of insane). " [More]

The effect of one man
by BigJeffLebowski in BigJeffLebowski Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"I admit a bias when it comes to the 1960s. It's a time I wish I had been able to experience. The music, the films, the literature, the art, and the very real belief that an individual could make a difference; I don't try to hide that I tend to get sweeped up and carried away by my romanticized notions of my father's era. Bobby plays to this nostalgic sensibility, though more in content than in form. Unlike Factory Girl, which was released the same year and concerns roughly the same time period, Estevez's film doesn't try to disguise itself as a product of the times it illustrates. Save for one scene which attempts to visualize an acid trip (which is, coincidentally, the film's worst segment, featuring Ashton Kutcher giving the film's worst performance) there are no true-to-the-period behind-the-camera histrionics. Instead, Estevez rips a few pages from the books of Robert Altman and Grand Hotel in an effort to define an era through a series of portraits all relating tangentia ... " [More]

a grand movie
by bigal1955 in bigal1955 Blog

loved it.

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"the movie itself is a simple story of a week at berlins grand hotel in the but what makes it grand is it is a vehicle for the biggest box office idols of there day and they act perfectly together if the box office idols of today were given the same chance they would proberly step on each for the spotlight not in this film " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

loved it.

Grand Hotel is the prototype for the all-star ensemble film and an excellent example of the rich and glamorous escapist entertainment, often from MGM, that took on enhanced prominence during the Depression. Produced by Irving Thalberg using top-end ingredients and state-of-the-art technology, it is yet another example of MGM's dominance during the 1930s for this type of film. The plot exists merely as a device to get star faces on the screen, particularly that of Greta Garbo. Though only moderately respected by the critics, Grand Hotel has proven itself of enduring influence, both for Garbo's performance and for creating star-heavy blockbusters that peaked in the 1950s with Around the World in 80 Days. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide

Tags: drama , garbo , Classic , Ballet , Best-Picture
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