Grand Hotel (1932) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Director: Edmund Goulding Producer: Irving Thalberg Cast: Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore. Awards ceremony: -5th Academy Awards: November 18, 1932. Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, California. Other films nominated for Outstanding Production this year: -Arrowsmith. -Bad Girl. -The Champ. -Five Star Final. -One Hour With You. -Shanghai Express. -The Smiling Lieutenant. Plot summary: The Grand Hotel in Berlin, Germany is host to a variety of guests. These include a ballerina who is never actually seen doing any ballerinering (GRETA GARBO); a sophisticated 'Baron' (JOHN BARRYMORE) who appears on the outside to be the loveliest guy but in reality is a thief trying to rob the ballerina of her pearls; a horrible businessman (WALLACE BEERY) trying to negotiate a merger deal with a company in England over the phone; his stenographer (JOAN CRAWFORD); and the charming guest (LIONEL BARRYMORE) with a terminal illness whom everybody likes. Standout scene: The scene with Preysing (BEERY) and Kringelein (LIONEL BARRYMORE) at the bar. Kringelein stands up to the bigger man and won't allow himself to be denigrated and bullied. The audience are so behind Kringelein's character in what is a very well-written scene. Another scene of importance was the Baron breaking into Grusinskaya's room to rob her of her pearls but he is unable to escape when she arrives back. Trapped in the room with her he breaks his cover when he overhears her desperation in contemplating suicide. Instead of getting scared and calling for help, especially when the stranger refuses to leave the room, she instead embraces him and accepts that the man who broke into her bedroom to rob her then tells her he loves her. Facts: -The 5th Academy Awards. -The only film to be nominated for Best Picture and nothing else. -In one scene, John Barrymore is seen patting Joan Crawford on the bum. See here for screenshot. Personal opinion: This was the first film I ever saw with Greta Garbo and I have to say I wasn't impressed with her at all. The film finally settles down after a noisy and somewhat chaotic start. There are some characters that are instantly loveable (particularly the terminally ill bookmaker Kringelein, played by LIONEL BARRYMORE); a character that is likeable at first but who turns out to be a real asshole (the Baron, played by JOHN BARRYMORE); and a character that is just not likeable at all (Grusinskaya, played by GRETA GARBO). The upper floors of the hotel have such low balconies for such a big height which really poses the question of health and safety! The Baron's pet dachshund makes it into a couple of scenes and looks adorable. For me, I have mixed feelings for this film. At times it was really entertaining with good characters and at other times it was unrealistic and dull. The ending is unpredictable but sweet in an otherwise mediocre film filled with too much talent for its own good. But when Lionel Barrymore refers to Joan Crawford as "beautiful" that is going too far! Did it deserve the Oscar? POSSIBLY. 5/10

Review date: 06 February 2025