Camille (1936)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Alexandre Dumas fils (novel)
Zoe Akins (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

1 January 1937 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

You who are so young--where can you have learned all you know about women like me?

Plot:

A Parisian courtesan must choose between the young man who loves her and the callous baron who wants her, even as her own health begins to fail.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Paris | Courtesan | Terminal Illness | Melancholy

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Greta Garbo	...	Marguerite Gautier
Robert Taylor	...	Armand Duval
Lionel Barrymore	...	Monsieur Duval
Elizabeth Allan	...	Nichette, the Bride
Jessie Ralph	...	Nanine, Marguerite's Maid
Henry Daniell	...	Baron de Varville
Lenore Ulric	...	Olympe
Laura Hope Crews	...	Prudence Duvernoy
Rex O'Malley	...	Gaston

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #2825)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The play originally opened in Paris on 2 February 1852. Alexandre Dumas fils based the character Marguerite on a woman with whom he had an affair for 11 months. She died when she was 23. The movie inspired Milton Benjamin to write and publish a song in 1936 called "I'll Love Like Robert Taylor, Be My Greta Garbo".

Goofs:

Continuity: Prudence raises her left hand to her cigar, but removes it from her mouth with the right hand.

Quotes:

Armand: Yes, you, well you did smile at me a moment ago, didn't you?
Marguerite: Well, you tell me first whether you smiled at me or my friend.
Armand: What friend?
Marguerite: You didn't even see her?
Armand: No.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Care and Handling of Roses (1996) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I'll Love Like Robert Taylor Be My Greta Garbo

Sublime Garbo; Exquisite Production

When you think of the lavish 30s films of MGM, Camille is near the top of the list. Great story and flawless production here boasting perhaps the most shimmering of Greta Garbo's ethereal performances as Marguerita Gautier (Camille). Familiar and much filmed story, this is nevertheless the best of them all. Matching Garbor is the hopelessly romantic Robert Taylor in his best 30s role. Also good are Lionel Barrymore, Henry Daniell, and Jessie Ralph as the maid. Great comic relief is provided by Laura Hope Crews (Prudence)and Lenore Ulric (Olympe)--what a pair of vultures! But the center of this gorgeous film is Garbo. She is so frail looking, her voice so soft. Garbo plays Marguerite as a frailty incarnate. She never overacts the part as most do with the endless coughing and fainting. One of George Cukor's triumphs. Rex O'Malley and Elizabeth Allan are dull but have small parts. I also spotted Eily Malyon and Zeffie Tilbury, and Joan Leslie is listed in the credits. I think this is Garbo's best performance, but she lost the Oscar to Luise Rainer for The Good Earth. Also nominated that year: Irene Dunne (The Awful Truth), Barbara Stanwyck (Stella Dallas), and Janet Gaynor (A Star Is Born). Wow----how could you choose just one?