Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsFlesh and the Devil (1926) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 14 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Marian Ainslee (titles)
Benjamin Glazer (writer)
more
Release Date:
25 December 1926 (USA) more
Plot:
Leo and Ulrich are life long friends. Home, on leave from their military training, Leo sees the beautiful Felicitas at the railroad station... more | full synopsis
Awards:
1 win more
User Comments:
Garbo and Cinematographer William Daniels are the real co-stars more (28 total)
Cast
(Complete credited cast)| John Gilbert | ... | Leo von Harden | |
| Greta Garbo | ... | Felicitas | |
| Lars Hanson | ... | Ulrich von Eltz | |
| Barbara Kent | ... | Hertha von Eltz | |
| William Orlamond | ... | Uncle Kutowski | |
| George Fawcett | ... | Pastor Voss | |
| Eugenie Besserer | ... | Leo's Mother | |
| Marc McDermott | ... | Count von Rhaden | |
| Marcelle Corday | ... | Minna |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
UK:109 min | USA:113 min (Turner library print)
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
MGM denied Greta Garbo's request for bereavement leave to attend the funeral of her sister in Sweden. Garbo reluctantly continued production after rumors of deportation arose if she refused to work. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Leo is talking to Felicitas on the bench in the park and tells her that he must go to Africa, the position of the collar of his overcoat repeatedly changes from pulled up to flat. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in So Funny It Hurt: Buster Keaton & MGM (2004) (TV) more
Soundtrack:
ATRA more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (28 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Flesh and the Devil (1926)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| blood brothers | wlrlogos |
| Great film! (spoiler) | HoferPM-1 |
Recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Ben-Hur | The Notebook | Gone with the Wind | Titanic | Imitation of Life |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Drama section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |










This is a rather long - for the period - tale of brotherly friendship interrupted by a femme fatale. The plot is simple - a woman destroys at least her husband's life and almost those of two best friends through loose morals.
Garbo is alluring as always and she looks much more glamorous here in her third MGM film than in the prior two (THE TORRENT, THE TEMPTRESS). The plot is interesting but evaporates as soon as one is through watching. What lingers in the mind and heart are Garbo's beauty and the physical beauty of the film.
Daniels'cinematography boasts a number of tracking (inside arriving and departing trains - the latter a premonition of a classic shot in SINCE YOU WENT AWAY) and dolly shots as well as some stunning compositions. Note the first shot - the bugler in silhouette against the rising sun, the swirling overhead shot of Garbo and Gilbert waltzing.
Three are standouts - the lighting of Garbo and Gilbert's faces in the grove with a baby spot acting as light from a lit match; the dolly in on the clenched fist of the husband who throws open his wife's boudoir door to find her with Gilbert - a perfect diagonal splitting the screen; and a penultimate piece of cinematic art - the entire duel sequence done in silhouettes of figures and trees - an extraordinary sequence.
There is excellent composition and lighting in the scene when Hanson discovers Garbo and Gilbert together and a fine use of multiple dissolves in the scene of the final duel.
The original music composed by Carl Davis for the Thames restoration of this film and released on the MGM/UA VHS of 1988 - now sadly out of print as are all of Garbo's silent films - is appropriate, especially the love theme (heard also on Kevin Brownlow's Hollywood documentary series). This lovely and unforgettable theme is heard in a number of scenes, primarily over the main title, the train meeting of Garbo and Gilbert, the ball where they dance, their idyll at her home, her imploring of Gilbert to return to Hanson's friendship, the final seduction scene and the last embrace.
A film to be seen as an example of how far the camera had come in a few short years - since Murnau's invention of the moving camera in THE LAST LAUGH (1924)and for Garbo's undying beauty.