MGM at its most Irvin Thalberg-y, a big glossy all star melodrama. I didn't realise how few Greta Garbo movies I'd actually seen watching this - she's a terrible ham, beautiful and charismatic to be sure, but emoting all over the place and chewing up the scenery as the tragic ballerina, one minute about to kill herself then madly in love.
Equally playing to the back row are Wallace Beery and Lionel Barrymore, as a dodgy businessperson and dying clerk respectively. Lionel is especially hard to take, ACTING all over shop, making dumb pronouncements about money and being a little man. You wish someone would pull out a gun and end him early.
Far far better are John Barrymore, in a genuinely sensitive and restrained performance as the thieving Baron (he's terrific), and Joan Crawford, as a kind of secretary slash model slash mistress (the film is pre Code and thus allowed to be a bit racy.... there's also Garbo about to commit suicide, Barrymore and Garbo pretty clearly have sex, Beery kills J Barrymore brutally).
Lewis Stone is irritating as a Greek chorus as is Jean Hersholt as a porter. The art direction is impressive. Dated in many ways but still worth watching.
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