Grand Hotel

Duncan Gray

The grand tradition of criss-crossing ensembles didn't start with Altman, or even Renoir. How old is it? So old that the diva role goes to Greta Garbo while Joan Crawford is standing there. It takes off like a rocket before running low on energy, and its tonal pivots between comedy and tragedy are not nearly as seamless as they need to be. But its scope is joyfully audacious. "There's one everywhere in the world."

Daniel S.

Pre-code it is. I liked the first scene between Crawford and John Barrymore with the camera swirling around them. I also noticed some problems with the editing in two or three Garbo scenes. It's not a masterpiece but worth a look if you're into the American cinema of the early 30's.

msmichel

Some 86 years young this film has lost none of its power to entertain and transfix. This grand star vehicle features one of the all time great scripts and some indelible performances. Seeing this with a packed house projected was a definite pleasure. 'Grand Hotel...always the same. People come, people go. Nothing ever happens.' Essential cinema.

pepoire

What a bummer to watch this movie, then log on to mubi and see a bunch of reviews pitching Garbo and Crawford against each other and sneering at their choice of loser between the two. If that's what you take away from a drama like this with an ensemble cast like this pls never talk to me! Having said that, a lot of people broke my heart and stepped on it in this movie, and I loved every agonising second.

MarcH

John Barrymore and Joan Crawford...all their usual scenery-chewing and mugging toned down considerably. Neither were ever so beautiful as they are in this film. Conversely, the usually statuesque Garbo seems to have had a few scotch & sodas. This movie never grows stale....every viewing feels like the first.

Howard Fritzson

Crawford gives the best performance of her career. No mannerisms, no hyper-emotionalism, no bullying presence. She inhabits Flaemmchen, the stenographer. The film, itself, is dated but enjoyable.

FISCHER

Sympathique et plaisant, malgré un agaçant jeu d'actrice de la diva Greta Garbo, en star capricieuse, voire affectée et donc passablement insupportable... www.cinefiches.com

A.B. II: The Return

It may be old Hollywood soap opera, but it's some of the best old Hollywood soap opera you can find. You have a who's who of the era's top acting talents, and they are all on their game (with Crawford edging out as the best of the bunch). I also feel that the intertwining of the stories was done remarkably well, both in the writing and in the direction. Why it didn't receive more Oscar nominations is beyond me.