Grand Hotel - 1932

HIS -

The hotel did seem grand indeed. However, I was waiting for the Twilight Zone theme to start playing when a group of guests entered the large elevator - ala Tower of Terror at California Adventure in Anaheim at the Disney Resort.

This is the third Academy Award Winning Best Picture we’ve seen so far and the craft has definitely improved compared to the first two. The cinematography was definitely better and the audio was vastly improved. I could actually make out almost everything the characters said this time.

It was good to finally actually see some of the great names I’ve heard for many years. John Barrymore, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford and Lionel Barrymore. I hadn’t seen any movies with these actors so it was an experience for me in that regard. The one exception was with Lionel Barrymore. I recognized some vocal and facial traits of his as the movie went on and it popped into my head that he reminded me of Mr. Potter in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. This might seem obvious to those who knew who he was, but it was a revelation to me which Lisa and I confirmed after stopping the movie and looking him up on IMDB.com.

I had a difficult time following people at first as a plethora of characters were introduced in quick succession. In addition, there were some good scenes here and there, but I found myself antsy at about the hour and fifteen minute mark as it seemed as if the movie started to drag on. The over-acting of Greta Garbo’s character (the ballerina) was schmaltzy most of the time, but I did find I liked John Barrymore’s character until he became desperate later in the movie. But I was pleased with him as he redeemed himself with Lionel Barrymore’s character.

The theme seemed to be mostly depressing, but with some rays of sunshine breaking through here and there. The doctor’s famous line spoken at the beginning and was then repeated at the end that went something like “The Grand Hotel. People come and people go, but nothing ever happens” is a satirical summation of the story where much did happen there - it’s just that the people change.

The movie making is improving and I trust the acting will as well. Cimarron is next!

HERS -

I have seen huge strides in movie making over the first few years. The sound quality and the clarity of this picture was so much better than the first two movies we have watched. The story was an interesting slice of life at a hotel. There was everything from the love triangle to corporate meetings to gambling and drinking. It had a bit of an unexpected and sad ending though. I could see this movie being made over into a modern version.

As far as the actors go, John Barrymore did an excellent job as the Baron. He was the suave debonair type of man who women swooned over. When he first meets Joan Crawford’s character, he flirts with her and even pats her on the rear. She smiled and played along. Interesting that we have come so far in the man/woman relationships on film. Joan Crawford’s character was witty and fun. Greta Garbo’s character was very over acted. I believe this is one of her more famous movies but I tired of her drama. Lionel Barrymore also did a great job as the man who came to the hotel to live it up in his final days. I grew fond of his character as the movie progressed. He was very real and down to earth.

The setting of the movie, the Grand Hotel was beautiful and huge. It was the 1930’s and it was very art deco. I would have liked to see it in color.

Overall, I enjoyed this movie more than the other two although it did drag toward the end. I do believe though that the more movies we see, the more I will enjoy.