Grand Hotel [Blu-ray]

Overview

Based on Vicki Baum's novel and produced by Irving Thalberg, this film is about the lavish Grand Hotel in Berlin, a place where "nothing ever happens." That statement proves to be false, however, as the story follows an intertwining cast of characters over the course of one tumultuous day. Greta Garbo is Grusinskaya, a ballerina whose jewels are coveted by Baron von Geigern (John Barrymore), a thief who fancies Flaemmchen (Joan Crawford), a stenographer and the mistress of Preysing (Wallace Beery), businessman boss of Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore), a terminally ill bookkeeper who is under the care of alcoholic physician Dr. Otternschlag (Lewis Stone). Grand Hotel won Best Picture at the 1932 Academy Awards.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/08/2013
UPC:	0883929265091
Original Release:	1932
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Home Video
Presentation:	[B&W, Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:53:00
Sales rank:	19,238

Special Features

Commentary by Jeffrey Vance and Mark A. Vieira; Making-of documentary Checking Out: Grand Hotel; Premiere newsreel; Just a Word of Warning theater announcement; Vitaphone musical short Nothing Ever Happens; Trailers of this and the 1945 remake Week-End at the Waldorf

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Greta Garbo	Grusinskaya
John Barrymore	Baron von Gaigern,Otto Kringelein
Joan Crawford	Flaemmchen
Wallace Beery	Preysing
Lewis Stone	Dr. Otternschlag
Jean Hersholt	Senf
Robert McWade	Meierheim
Purnell B. Pratt	Zinnowitz
Ferdinand Gottschalk	Pimenov
Rafaela Ottiano	Suzette
Morgan Wallace	Chauffeur
Tully Marshall	Gerstenkorn
Murray Kinnell	Schweimann
Edwin Maxwell	Dr. Waitz
Mary Carlisle	Honeymooner
John Davidson	Hotel Manager
Sam McDaniel	Bartender
Rolfe Sedan	Clerk
Herbert Evans	Clerk
Lee Phelps	Extra in Lobby
Frank Conroy	Rohna
Bodil Rosing	Nurse

Technical Credits

William A. Drake

Edmund Goulding	Director
William A. Drake	Screenwriter
Irving Thalberg	Producer

Editorial Reviews

During the Great Depression, MGM had many of Hollywood's top talents under contract, and the studio's slogan was "More stars than there are in the heavens." Producer Irving Thalberg certainly gave moviegoers something heavenly in Grand Hotel, a Continentally flavored drama boasting a magnificent cast and glamorous settings. Vicki Baum's bestselling novel -- remade, reworked, and plagiarized many times in later years -- provided the basis for this 1932 story set in a posh Berlin hotel where, as one character observes, "nothing ever happens." Greta Garbo, at that time the screen's most alluring and enigmatic female star, portrays a lonely, mercurial ballerina who is drawn to debonair jewel thief John Barrymore. Joan Crawford delivers what is arguably her first great performance, portraying an ambitious stenographer working for hard-hearted businessman Wallace Beery. Rounding out the quintet of stars is Barrymore's older brother Lionel, sublimely moving as the mild-mannered hotel clerk who goes on a spree when he finds out that he's dying. Others passing through the hotel include Lewis Stone and Jean Hersholt, who were stars in their own right but nowhere near as prominent as the five principals. The seamless integration of several subplots can be attributed to Edmund Goulding's smooth direction, just as credit for the production's general opulence goes to Thalberg, whose judgment was as sound as his taste was extraordinary. He championed lavish expenditures on films as a means of making them larger than life, and thus more appealing to Depression-weary audiences looking for a couple hours' escape. Thalberg succeeded admirably with Grand Hotel, which not only proved critically and commercially successful but also won that year's Best Picture Oscar. In format and style it's often been imitated but rarely equaled, and even today Grand Hotel remains a powerful viewing experience.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Grand Hotel is the prototype for the all-star ensemble film and an excellent example of the rich and glamorous escapist entertainment, often from MGM, that took on enhanced prominence during the Depression. Produced by Irving Thalberg using top-end ingredients and state-of-the-art technology, it is yet another example of MGM's dominance during the 1930s for this type of film. The plot exists merely as a device to get star faces on the screen, particularly that of Greta Garbo. Though only moderately respected by the critics, Grand Hotel has proven itself of enduring influence, both for Garbo's performance and for creating star-heavy blockbusters that peaked in the 1950s with Around the World in 80 Days.

All Movie Guide - Richard Gilliam