32 Days til Oscar. Have you seen "Grand Hotel"?
Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 3:00PM How will you spend those days? Since 32 is the magic number today, please spare a thought for the wildly undervalued Best Picture winner of 1932, Grand Hotel.
It only won a single Oscar, but that's all it was nominated for. There were no supporting acting categories just yet, as honors were given only to stars (same as now, basically, only with category fraud as the cause instead of no category at all) but, had there been, Joan Crawford would have certainly been deserving. She gives an unusually warm performance (for her) in this picture.
This is also the film that gave us the image of Greta Garbo that stuck, as a solemn "I want to be alone" diva. More gorgeousity and a few gifs after the jump if you're so inclined...
a promo shot of Joan. She's not this 'bow down!' diva-like in the movie
Joan and Greta aren't talking to each other in those two gifs but it's catty fun to imagine that they were, isn't it?
Reader Comments (16)
I love this movie and it made me fall in love with both Joan and Greta.
Joan is dynamite here, and has great on-screen chemistry with all of her co-stars. If you ever decide to watch the best pictures in order, I assure you that it is a huge breath of fresh air between Cimarron and Calvacade.
Sometimes you catch yourself blending actor with character. After years of repeated viewings of It's a Wonderful Life growing up, finally watching this made me realize that Lionel Barrymore was probably quite a nice man after all. What a 180 from Mr. Potter.
Yeah, I'm not Crawford's biggest fan, but she was fan-tastic in this film - this and The Women are easily her best work. Though I remember her as being one of the leads.
Well, if anyone who says they're "Oscar buffs" haven't seen this, they should get to it. The gift of TCM channel to humanity: "31 days of Oscar each year in February. No excuse.
Joan >>>>>>> Greta
Joan is great in this, but I prefer her earlier breakout work and her drama heyday (1940-54)
A very entertaining all star film and you can see how MGM spent the money on that amazing set. Crawford and Garbo both look great but I agree that sexy Joan using her eyes to hypnotized the camera and us is wonderful
I've only seen it once, just a few years ago, and was enchanted by "Grand Hotel."
"Grand Hotel" has the feel of a European film of the era, rather than a Hollywood picture...
Grand Hotel is just wonderful. Joan Crawford was so hot in this movie! She definitely would have won supporting actress if the category existed.
To quote a reviewer I dun rem who: Lil' hungry Joannie Crawford wakes up & STEALS the whole picture not only from Garbo, but also the Barrymores!!!
Not really a fan of her, but she shld really have been nom for this.
I LUV Garbo, but she really looks the part of a sour relunctant celebrity who is sick & tired of her fame...Maybe she is NOT acting at all....lol
Joan "Dun F**k w Me, Fellows!!!" Crawford wld never hav accept a supporting nom!!! lol
She is & alws will be the STAR!!! Rumors had it tt they wanna submit her deliciously wicked & witty performance in The Woman as supp actress for the Oscars, but she REJECTED that offer!
Methink she wld've won had she been nom...
I really liked Joan Crawford in this film. She was indeed warm and humorous. She really was looser in her earlier films.
Watching Greta Garbo in this, I couldn't help but wonder why she was so big in her day. I didn't quite get any charisma. I don't know, maybe I should watch it again sometime, I remember liking the movie overall.
I adore Garbo, and tried to watch this on TCM a few years ago. But the print was pretty bad, and I just couldn't get through it. I was surprised that a classic like this has landed in such bad shape.
I've seen this but I think I turned it off halfway because I felt I really needed to see it on the big screen someday, someway.
I do remember snickering at the time thinking of Garbo as a great ballerina. She always had terrible posture and is most vividly often just lounging around in her movies, as though she doesn't have enough energy to stand, let alone to dance.
Rob, what you are saying about Garbo today, future audiences will say about stars of our times like Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock. Try other Garbo movies like Queen Christina, Camille and Anna Karenina.