{"id":42854,"date":"2019-02-22T13:25:46","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T20:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42854"},"modified":"2020-11-28T09:46:42","modified_gmt":"2020-11-28T16:46:42","slug":"grand-hotel-1932","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42854","title":{"rendered":"Grand Hotel (1932)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to take you in my arms, and not let anything happen to you &#8212; ever.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Poster-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-42859\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Poster-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Poster.jpg 654w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nIn a ritzy Berlin hotel, a down-on-his-luck thief (John Barrymore) falls in love with a lonely ballerina (Greta Garbo) whose pearls he originally intended to steal. Meanwhile, a plucky secretary (Joan Crawford) accepts work with a womanizing businessman (Wallace Beery), and a dying man (Lionel Barrymore) spends his final dollars and days living it up in the hotel.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Character Arc<\/li>\n<li>Do-Gooders<\/li>\n<li>Edmund Goulding Films<\/li>\n<li>Ensemble Cast<\/li>\n<li>Greta Garbo Films<\/li>\n<li>Joan Crawford Films<\/li>\n<li>John Barrymore Films<\/li>\n<li>Lewis Stone Films<\/li>\n<li>Lionel Barrymore Films<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptation<\/li>\n<li>Romance<\/li>\n<li>Thieves and Criminals<\/li>\n<li>Wallace Beery Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this &#8220;M-G-M classic, a Best Picture winner&#8221; &#8212; which he argues should more accurately be referred to as &#8220;Heartbreak Hotel&#8221; &#8212; is &#8220;erratically acted by the male stars, but Garbo and especially Crawford, who was never more appealing, <em>glow<\/em> &#8212; as Hollywood stars once did.&#8221; Other than noting that &#8220;Crawford&#8217;s scene with Lionel Barrymore is bizarre&#8221; (?), he doesn&#8217;t have much to say about this flick in <em>GFTFF<\/em> &#8212; though he does discuss it in more detail in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em>, where he votes for <em>Scarface<\/em> (1932) as the best movie of the year instead. He notes that <em>Grand Hotel<\/em> is &#8220;pretty hokey stuff to be sure&#8221;, but adds that while &#8220;Lionel&#8217;s character grates on [his] nerves and Beery struggles with a German accent&#8221;, &#8220;just watching Garbo, Crawford, and John Barrymore interact on screen is quite exciting.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p>Indeed, the storyline of a &#8220;thief who <em>gives<\/em> something to people [and thus] cannot survive&#8221; (&#8220;it&#8217;s John Barrymore who helps Garbo, Lionel Barrymore, and Crawford overcome their self-pitying depression&#8221;) is an intriguing one. It&#8217;s engaging watching the ripple effect of Barrymore&#8217;s sudden burst of love and compassion for Garbo carrying out across so many individuals: the moral of this story is a powerful one, and the ending is satisfying. I&#8217;m less a fan of top-billed Garbo&#8217;s melodramatic performance (&#8220;I want to be alone!&#8221;) than Crawford&#8217;s; indeed, this was one of Crawford&#8217;s best early roles, and the pre-Code script allows us no-holds-barred access to understanding the sexual compromises women sometimes make for their careers. It&#8217;s interesting to know that, according to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tcm.com\/this-month\/article\/17860%7C0\/Grand-Hotel.html\">TCM&#8217;s article<\/a>, Crawford was &#8220;afraid she would be lost among the film&#8217;s high-powered stars and also worried that her character&#8217;s best scenes would be cut by the censors&#8221;; she needn&#8217;t have worried, as her charisma shines through.  <\/p>\n<p>Peary agrees, naming her Best Actress of the Year in <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> for her role as Flaemmchen, &#8220;a poor, ambitious, free-lance stenographer who picks up needed money by sleeping with her employers&#8221;. He notes that while &#8220;Crawford was already a major star when she made <em>Grand Hotel<\/em>,&#8221; this &#8220;was the picture that proved she could hold her own with the movie elite and be taken seriously as a dramatic actress.&#8221; He adds that &#8220;as with her earlier characters, there is a softness under Flaemmchen&#8217;s tough, wise-to-the-ways-of-men-and-life exterior&#8221;, noting that while he likes &#8220;most of Crawford&#8217;s early film roles&#8221;, this &#8220;is her first performance that isn&#8217;t erratic. In her movements, her sexy hip-out stance, her line readings, and her expressions, Crawford had never been more natural [or] more honest&#8221; and &#8220;real feelings come through.&#8221; He concludes his essay by noting that &#8220;Crawford is extremely sexy, with youthful energy, huge eyes, and sensual backward glances, a posed slim and angular body&#8221; &#8212; but &#8220;there is something much more than sexual magnetism at work&#8221;: &#8220;what makes Crawford so memorable&#8230; is her star quality.&#8221;  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Joan Crawford as Flaemmchen<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Crawford.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Crawford.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42863\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Crawford.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Crawford-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Crawford-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Crawford-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>John Barrymore as the Baron<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Barrymore.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Barrymore.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42860\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Barrymore.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Barrymore-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Barrymore-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Barrymore-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fine cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42861\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42857\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography3.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography3-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography3-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography3-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Cedric Gibbons&#8217; set design<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"992\" height=\"720\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42862\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography2.png 992w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography2-128x93.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography2-300x218.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Grand-Hotel-Cinematography2-768x557.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 992px) 100vw, 992px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a still-enjoyable Pre-Code ensemble drama, and for Crawford&#8217;s noteworthy performance. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#classic\">Genuine Classic<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#noteworthy\">Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#oscar\">Oscar Winner or Nominee<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0022958\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=3307&#038;aff=13\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s4091hote.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/gran.html\">FilmSite Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/183\/grand-hotel#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;d like to take you in my arms, and not let anything happen to you &#8212; ever.&#8221; Synopsis: In a ritzy Berlin hotel, a down-on-his-luck thief (John Barrymore) falls in love with a lonely ballerina (Greta Garbo) whose pearls he originally intended to steal. Meanwhile, a plucky secretary (Joan Crawford) accepts work with a womanizing businessman (Wallace Beery), and a dying man (Lionel Barrymore) spends his final dollars and days living it up in the hotel. Genres, Themes, Actors, and&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42854\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42854"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55472,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42854\/revisions\/55472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}