Queen Christina

Plot synopsis:
Queen Christina of Sweden (Greta Garbo) is very devoted to her country and the welfare of her people. As queen, Christina favors peace for Sweden. At one point in the film, she argues for an end to the Thirty Years' War, saying:
Spoils, glory, flags and trumpets! What is behind these high-sounding words? Death and destruction, triumphals of crippled men, Sweden victorious in a ravaged Europe, an island in a dead sea. I tell you, I want no more of it. I want for my people security and happiness. I want to cultivate the arts of peace, the arts of life. I want peace and peace I will have!
Christina, who first took the throne at age six upon the death of her father in battle, is depicted as so devoted to both governing well and educating herself that she has spurned any kind of serious romance or marriage despite pressures from her councilors and court to marry her hero-cousin Karl Gustav (Reginald Owen) and produce an heir. One day, in an effort to escape the restrictions of her royal life, she sneaks out of town, disguised as a man, and ends up snowbound at an inn, where she has to share a bed with also stranded Spanish envoy Antonio (John Gilbert) on his way to the capital. After befriending, and upon revealing that she is a woman, then sharing the same bed, the two fall in love; however, she still has not revealed that she is the queen. After a few idyllic nights together, Christina and Antonio are compelled to part, but Christina promises to find him in Stockholm – which she does, when the Spaniard presents his embassy to the Queen, whom he recognizes as his lover. Antonio is angry as he has come to present an offer of marriage from the King of Spain to Queen Christina and feels that his loyalty to the king has been compromised. She makes clear that she will not accept the king's proposal, and Christina and Antonio patch up their differences.
When Count Magnus (Ian Keith), who wants the Queen's affections for his own, riles up the people against the Spaniard, Christina abdicates the throne, nominating her cousin Karl Gustav as her successor while declining to marry him. She leaves Sweden to catch up with Don Antonio who has just left for a neighboring country, but she finds him gravely wounded from a sword duel he had with Magnus, which he lost. Antonio dies in her arms. She resolves to proceed with her voyage to Spain where she envisions residing in Antonio's home on the white cliffs overlooking the sea.

Tags: romantic

Review:
Greta Garbo is the controversial "Queen Christina" in this beautiful 1933 film directed by the great Rouben Mamoulian, responsible for the resplendent 1941 "Blood and Sand" and many other films.
Queen Christina was educated as a man at her father's directive so she could take over the throne, and she supposedly, as in the film, had some sort of relationship with her lady-in-waiting, Ebba.
Later on, she tried to become Queen of a couple of countries and became involved with a Cardinal, to whom she left her estate when she died at the age of 63.Here, Christina travels as a man and ends up sharing a room with an envoy of the King of Spain, Don Antonio (Gilbert), who becomes her lover.
The scenes at the inn apparently wiped out any concern for Christina's kissing of Ebba (Elizabeth Young) on the lips earlier!The acting is superb, particularly from Garbo, Gilbert, and Ian Keith (Magnus).
Keith was a little known character actor, yet he was an accomplished stage performer who was very impressive in film - he can be seen as Joan Blondell's drunken husband in "Nightmare Alley." As for Gilbert, what a shame - a wonderful, attractive actor who plays Antonio with great wit and intelligence.
One of silent cinema's greatest pairings, Greta Garbo and John Gilbert starred together one last time in Queen Christina.
This is a movie with several good points, but "Queen Christina" is most of all notable for the outstanding performance by the great Greta Garbo, in a role that is perfect for her.
There are good settings and a good story, with the rest of the cast also mostly performing well, but Garbo's terrific performance grabs the viewer's attention and holds it for the entire film.The story is very loosely based on the historical Queen Christina, who ruled Sweden in the mid-1600's.
The historical character was interesting in her own right, but the movie adds a clandestine love affair with a Spanish ambassador that serves as a catalyst for questions about Christina's identity, duty, and perspective.
This longing I cannot suppress!" (Greta Garbo as queen Christina) On December, the 26th, 1933 Rouben Mamoulian's great production about the Swedish queen was released.
Greta Garbo (1905-1990), a Swedish actress already famous for her roles in silent movies and some sound films, like Anna Christie (1930), was cast to play the main role by Rouben Mamoulian for the first time in her new contract.
But, like with most other films, history had to be interpreted to the need of the audience of the 1930s.The movie is mostly famous for dealing with Christina's desire for personal happiness and love affair between Christina and the Spanish ambassador Don Antonio De Pimentel (John Gilbert).
Greta Garbo performed in many movies, including ANNA KARENINA (1935), LOVE (1927), MATA HARI (1931), CAMILLE (1936), and in all of them, she was perfect; but this role is her ultimate masterpiece.
I recently purchased the Greta Garbo DVD collection and the first film I watched was "Queen Christina".
The script, though simplistic in its portrayal of Queen Christina's life (the reason I gave this film one star short of a perfect 10), is full of interesting dialogue, which is endlessly quotable.
Like Lawrence of Arabia or Vertigo, "Queen Christina" needs to be restored to its former glory and re-released on the big screen, so a new generation can discover and appreciate this underrated movie..
Garbo's queen sacrifices power for a man, true, but only because she understands that she can't have both and must have love, that Sweden will still flourish without her, and that to fulfill her deepest needs as a human being she must accept the inevitable cost.
He handles the role quite well, and the mutual affection of the pair is palpable.At least one poster has questioned whether the implied homoeroticism of several scenes in this film really exists -- the kiss between the queen and her lady-in-waiting, the "No Chancellor...I shall die a bachelor" line, the reaction of Antonio's servant about him staying in bed all day with "the other gentleman."  S/he is wrong -- it's definitely there.
Few times the face of an actress has been more fascinating that in this movie.With a great and ,sometimes,pictorical direction ,Mamoulian directed Greta Garbo like the great star she was.The movie have a great plot and unforgettable shots.For example,the queen in a dark room,walking like a ghost ,or the final shot with inexpressive Garbo's face.I saw this movie when i was a child and it's one of my favorites.Visual style is like Eisenstein or Griffith movies and the whole movie is the perfect combination of art and great spectacle(this is unusual).I love this movie ,I think is one of the few movies that is really perfect.A truly masterpiece for all times..
Queen Christina displays the perfect example of what film glamour used to be and how good Greta Garbo can be.
Even though Queen Christina's romance can be seen as far-fetched, its dialogue gives the film great emotion that just pulls you in.
...She looks so weak and so frail That's why she tried to be so hard , But they turned her into a princess And they sat her on a throne, But she turned her back on stardom Because she wanted to be alone.(Ray Davies,"Celluloid heroes" ,1972)"Queen Christina" is my favorite Garbo movie and I must not be the only one to be fond of it."Queen Christina" is the story of the actress herself ;the queen abdicates as the star would do eight years later.Like the queen leaves her people weeping they cried a river over the star.Christina is a modern character,ahead of her time,tired of war and who takes love over marriage of convenience ,who protects arts ,notably literature (funny how she loves Molière and his "Précieuses Ridicules" ).One should note that,even if it's not mentioned in the movie,she did come to France where she visited courtesan Ninon de Lenclos ,then imprisoned in a convent because of her "scandalous" life .Like Garbo herself,she was a legend in her lifetime and she would die an enigma to the word,like king of Bavaria ,Ludwig der Zweite ,who lived three centuries after her and who was a bit like her.The scene at the inn has been plagiarized many times since.Garbo's androgynous beauty works wonders ."A handsome young lord such as you cannot sleep alone tonight,can he?" .Definitely not..
John Gilbert, Garbo's true love in real life, plays her beloved in this movie.
"Queen Christina" (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1933), directed by Rouben Mamoulian, a historical account of a Swedish queen as portrayed by the reigning queen of MGM, Greta Garbo, in one of the most prestigious films of her career.
Best known for its outstanding photography and visuals, including the legendary closing shot of Garbo's face, "Queen Christina" is most notable for the reunion of Garbo and her most popular leading man of the silent screen, John Gilbert, at her request, in their only sound film together.
In spite of Garbo's presence and rising popularity, and Gilbert's appearance during his declining years as an actor, the two continue to perform magic together as they did in their initial pairing, "Flesh and the Devil" (1926), but with this, their fourth together, following "Love" (1927) and "A Woman of Affairs" (1929), "Queen Christina" turned out to be their last.The story, mixing fact and fiction, starts with a prologue set of 1632 where King Gustavus (C.
The next scene moves forward to the next decade with Christina (Greta Garbo), an attractive young woman who detests wars, wanting peace for her people.
Going on a two day holiday by coach, and dressed as a young man so not be recognized, Christina encounters Don Antonio De La Prada (John Gilbert), an Ambassador of Spain whose carriage has broken down along side the road.
Jealous over Christina's attention towards Antonio, Magnus makes every effort in destroying their relationship while Christina intends on abdicating her throne.A 1933 release, "Queen Christina" gives the impression of having been produced a few years later due to advance film technology and impressive underscoring, but while it further improved Garbo's stature in Hollywood, it failed to bring new enlightenment in Gilbert's career.
As for Garbo, with few more highly popular film roles to her name, she would retire by 1941, with "Queen Christina" remaining one of the fondest memories to her list of movie credits and crowning achievement, thanks for the directorial style of Rouben Mamoulien having brought forth some great highlights, namely the Garbo-Gilbert love affair at the inn; Garbo silently drifting about and memorizing the room with Gilbert saying more with his observing eyes than with spoken dialog, just to name a few.Featured in the supporting cast are Elizabeth Young, in a Maureen O'Sullivan-type performance, playing Ebba, Christina's lady-in-waiting; C.
Aubrey Smith as Agge, Christina's valet who has one big crying scene; Georges Renavant (The French Ambassador); and Akim Tamiroff appearing briefly as Pedro with one amusing bit at the inn.Regardless of production looking more 1933 than 15th century in regards to Garbo's headdress, obvious makeup and eyelashes that didn't exist at that time, "Queen Christina" has a lot to recommend, due to its fine story telling that picks up greatly during its second half, brief battle scenes and bloody dueling with swords between Don Antonio and his advisory.
Costume design is good, the story is very good, and the performance is excellent.Greta Garbo (Qeen Christina) is a strong woman who primarily follows the human values and listens to his heart.
If memory serves me right, the chemistry was present in everyday life.I really liked the "relaxed" content, excellent acting by Greta Garbo and little implicit lesbianism in her character.Queen Kristina" is a classic melodrama in which I enjoyed the most part..
Both a dramatic and (surprisingly) lighthearted look at a woman caught between true love and her duties, with Greta Garbo and John Gilbert superb as the star-crossed lovers.
Backed by Rouben Mamoulian's stunning direction, Queen Christina is very loosely based on the life of the 17th century queen of Sweden, who inherited the throne at the age of 6 while her country was steeped in the Thirty Years' War. When she becomes an adult, the story focuses largely on her torrid love affair with the Spanish ambassador Antonio (John Gilbert).
So naturally, she said "I want to play the queen of Sweden." John Gilbert does his part as a Spanish noble who falls for the Queen, and he is good, but this is Garbo's show all the way.
Aubrey Smith and a pre-fame Akim Tamiroff as Pedro, seen weeping with palpable emotion in the final scene.All in all, while not a great talkie, Queen Christina is at least a good reminder of the silent screen's glories.
This film follows the reign of 17th century Swedish monarch Queen Christina, from her ascent to the throne at age six to her abdication twenty-two years later.
The screenwriters take wild liberties with history in order to turn the film into a romantic epic but that's beside the point.Greta Garbo is the unquestioned star of the picture and she gives a standout performance, successfully portraying the queen as formidable yet feminine.
Queen Christina was one of the most impressive and one of the most personal films of Greta Garbo.Her inc edible beauty mixed with a Swedish historical theme, lesbian subtext (one of the first films at the time) and her previous lover John Gilbert, makes this film not any special, but inc edible!
You can remember Garbo as a silent-star.You can remember her as Anna Christie.But you can never forget her as Queen Christina.It's one of Rouben Mamoulian's masterpieces, maybe the first and the last.
I believe it's more wishful thinking on the part of some people than anything else.What the film DOES have plenty of is Greta Garbo at her best, and some splendid sets and cinematography.
(Apparently Christina abdicated for religious reasons, like converting to Catholicism, rather than for love, as it seems she never had any.) While the drama is melodrama, as was the style of the day, it doesn't get too thick, the way these old movies often do.
You have to wonder about the possible lesbian overtones of that, and the promise that the two of them would "go away to the country for two or three days" In any case, this film should be seen by all who enjoy old movies, and all who like Greta Garbo..
It's also too much focused on one issue for that; Queen Christina's love life.It's a very well made and good looking movie.
Had no idea if I was going to like this film, however, I have seen Greta Garbo films over the years, I feel this is one of her best performances of her career.
Greta plays the role as Queen Christina of Sweden and the film shows her as a little girl being lifted up to sit on the throne.
There are some very funny scenes in the film where Garbo dresses like a man and winds up sharing a room with a King of Spain, (Antonio) who does not realize he is sleeping with the Swedish Queen.
One of the most erotic scenes I've ever seen in movies takes place in the inn, where Garbo and Gilbert are snowed in.
Antonio: The basis of all morality in a sentence.Director Rouben Mamoulian has directed some of my favorite pre-code films, and really brought out the strength and charms of his leading ladies doing it: The Song of Songs (1933, Marlene Dietrich), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931, Miriam Hopkins), and Queen Christina (1933, Greta Garbo).
This was pretty dopey, but apart from that, she was just fine and the rest of the cast were first-rate.Interestingly enough, since this was technically a "pre-Code" film, the action and dialog were amazingly racy--with Garbo kissing her lady friend full on the mouth, having a lot of allusions to cross-dressing and a whole lotta fornication--with Greta and John Gilbert sharing a bed just after they met!
When Garbo's movies are talked about, it's always Camille and Ninotchka (which are both wonderful) but no one talks about Garbo's Queen Christina, a film that has been pretty much ignored.
And so, we see Garbo, as Queen Christina of Sweden, in the most haunting last images in movie history...standing, with her beautiful face ("like paper.
I admit I have to see more of Greta Garbo's films, but from what I have seen I do consider her a beautiful and wonderful actress.
In one of her most famous, not to mention one of her best, roles, Garbo plays a 17th century Swedish queen who falls in love with the Spanish ambassador sent to deliver a message from his king.
I also liked her in Anna Karinina but I don't consider it as a favourite like I do Camille and Queen Christina.John Gilbert, from her silent days, gives a very good performance too as the ambassador Christina falls in love with and shows great chemistry with Garbo, while the supporting cast give strong performances too particularly Ian Keith in a very slimy turn as Magnus.Garbo is not the only reason why I love Queen Christina so much though.
The story focuses on her trials as a monarch and her eventual romance.Greta Garbo gives the principal performance of interest as Queen Christina herself.
Even though this film is hardly the story of the real Queen Christina of Sweden it is still a wonderful showcase for the talents of Greta Garbo.Young Christina as played here by Cora Sue Collins before she grows up to be Garbo assumes the throne of Sweden after her father Gustavus Adolphus is killed on the battlefield of Lutzen in the Thirty Years War. As this was his only legitimate child, Gustavus Adolphus instructed that she be brought up with the advantages of being a man had.
Garbo's Christina is a fascinating mix of both feminine and masculine qualities, and the actress dominates the screen as the Queen who lives for her beloved country, yet would rather abdicate than give up true love with her Spanish lover (John Gilbert).I have only seen two Mamoulian films (the other being "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde") but he surely has to be one of the greats of the 30's; he got the camera moving again in the early talkie period and both films have a sort of decadent touch to them.
How ironic that back to back I saw what I considered to be the weakest Garbo I've seen ("Anna Karenina"), and the best, "Queen Christina." This is truly one of the great Hollywood films and the finest performance Garbo ever gave.
Christina is one of the great gender-bending characters in film history, referring to herself in masculine pronouns to having what could be mistaken as the body of a man; just look at those incredibly broad shoulders Garbo possesses when they are exposed.
Greta "The Great" Garbo still in another memorable, mesmerizing performance in this 1933 film.
In the movie, Queen Christina (Greta Garbo) is an austere and unconventional monarch, dressed in man's clothing and riding and hunting with her trusty servant Aage (C.
Directed with a loving feminist slant by Rouben Mamoulian, the movie follows the rise and abdication of Christina, the first Queen of Sweden who ascends to the throne at the age of five when her father is killed on the battlefield.
He is Antonio (Garbo's real-life lover John Gilbert), a visiting Spanish Envoy who is delighted by this "young man" and they spend a delightful evening getting to know one another.
It is inevitable that she will have to make that choice but for me the strength of Queen Christina doesn't lie in the third act – though it contains the most famous final shot in movie history – rather in Garbo's confident performance as a woman for whom life is one discovery after another.