"CAMILLE" (1936) Review

"CAMILLE" (1936) Review

I am about to confess to something many might regard as sacrilegious. I have never regarded Greta Garbo as one of my favorite actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood. I had nothing against her . . . personally. But I realized that I could barely recall any of her movies that were personal favorites of mine. Because of this, I was very reluctant to do a re-watch of one of Garbo's most famous films, "CAMILLE". 

Produced by Irving Thalberg and directed by George Cukor, "CAMILLE" is based upon the 1848 novel and 1852 play "La Dame aux Camélias" ("The Lady with the Camellias") by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The movie told the story of Marguerite Gautier, a woman of low-class birth who rose to become one of Paris' top courtesans. Debt-ridden from helping friends and suffering from tuberculosis, Marguerite hopes to attract the attention of an aristocrat named Baron de Varville as her next "client" at the opera. However, just as she manages to attract the Baron's attention, Marguerite meets a young member of the bourgeois gentry named Armand Duval and instant attraction flares up between them. The attraction eventually develops into love. But external influences - including Marguerite's debts - threatens their potential for happiness.

I have not seen "CAMILLE" in a long time. A long time. There is a good chance I have not seen it since I was in my early twenties. But something . . . I have no idea what . . . led me to watch this film after so many years. In the end, the only regret that I managed to feel was that I had ignored this movie for so long.

Did I have any problems with "CAMILLE"? Perhaps a few. I noticed that the movie's narrative began in 1847 and ended roughly a year later. I think. But considering the story's setting, I found it surprising that the narrative never touched upon the political upheavals that swept throughout Europe between early 1848 and early 1849. In France, the upheaval was known as the French Revolution of 1848. During this event, the French king Louis Philippe I was overthrown in February 1848. Four months later, many Parisian workers had unsuccessfully risen in insurrection against the conservative Second Republic government. I realize that "CAMILLE" is not a political movie. But considering the film's setting and the fact that one character had plans for a diplomatic career (Armand Duval) and another was a wealthy aristocrat (Baron de Varville), I found odd that the political upheaval was never touched upon.

I also had mixed feelings about the costumes created by legendary Hollywood designer, Adrian. I realize that the man had a reputation for creating some of Hollywood's most memorable and famous costumes. But . . . I do not know. Oh, yes I do. I think Adrian should have stuck to modern day costumes. His period costumes were not bad. Some of them have actually impressed me. A good example would be this particular costume from "CAMILLE" - namely Marguerite's dark velvet riding habit:



I also admired how Adrian managed to re-capture the fashion for men during the 1840s:



On the other hands, I had problems with gowns the ones worn by Greta Garbo in the images below:

 

I was inclined to complain about the sequins featured in the costumes, but I discovered that they had been worn as part of fashion for thousands of years - including the 19th century. But I have other problems with the above costumes. One, they looked as if they came from some cheap costume warehouse. And two, Garbo looked as if she was about to be consumed by the voluminous amount of material used to create those gowns. Or could it be that Garbo lacked the figure for the fashions of the mid 19th-century? No . . . I do not believe that is a good excuse. I am certain that Western women of the 1840s came in different shapes and sizes as they do today. It is possible that Adrian had simply failed to design Garbo's costumes in a way that would fit her perfectly. As a high-priced courtesan, Marguerite Gautier had the funds to purchase a wardrobe filled with clothes tailored to fit her. I do not think that Adrian took the time to fit Garbo's costumes. Or perhaps she did not give him the time.

Otherwise, I cannot think of any other complaints about "CAMILLE". If I must be brutally honest, I think it is one of the best motion picture love stories I have ever seen, hands down. Ever. I was surprised that Alexandre Dumas fils, the son of the man who had written classics such as "The Three Musketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo", had written "La Dame aux Camélias" when he was roughly 23 years old. And screenwriters James Hilton, Zoë Akins and Frances Marion did a superb job in adapting Dumas' story.

"CAMILLE" could have easily developed into one of those sappy love stories that in which only external forces stood in the lovers' way. And yes, Dumas' tale featured those "forces" that stood in the way of Marguerite and Armand's relationship - Baron Varville, Marguerite's bank account, her friends and Armand's father. But there were other forces in play. Namely, Marguerite and Armand. Between her passive aggressive personality, her penchant for evading the truth and her inability to handle her finances; Marguerite had put herself into a situation that made it nearly impossible to have a genuine romance with Armand, let alone anyone. And poor Armand. I could say that he was completely faultless in this romance. Yes, he was naive. Armand was also hot-tempered, rash and a bit too stubborn and proud for his own good. Considering the state of her health, I do not believe Marguerite's romance with Armand was destined to last very long. However, I feel that it were not for their personal flaws, the pair could have enjoyed more time together than they actually had.

Many still regard Greta Garbo's performance as Marguerite Gautier as her finest performance. As I had hinted earlier in this review, I have only seen less than a handful of Garbo's movies. But I cannot deny that she gave a brilliant performance as the cynical, yet warm-hearted courtesan. Although Garbo was a healthy looking woman most of her life, I do admire how she utilized body language and facial expressions to convey Marguerite's questionable health and languid lifestyle. I have always suspected that Robert Taylor was one of the underrated actors in Hollywood history. He had been in Hollywood for two years by the time he shot "CAMILLE". Many critics tend to focus on Garbo's performance when discussing the movie. As I had pointed out, she gave a superb performance. But so did Taylor, as Armand. He did an excellent job in conveying Armand's character from a very naive young man to someone who is a bit more cynical and mature. And yet, Taylor made sure to retain Armand's temper and stubbornness.

Another excellent performance came from Henry Daniell, who portrayed Marguerite's "client", Baron Varville. Daniell not only skillfully conveyed Varville's cool and arrogant nature, but also the character's slight infatuation with Marguerite, but also the latter's pain in facing the reality of Marguerite's true feelings for him. Laura Hope Crewes, famous for her role in the 1939 Best Picture winner, "GONE WITH THE WIND", gave a very entertaining performance as one of Marguerite's closest friends, a veteran courtesan named Prudence Duvernoy. It is a shame that Crewes never earned an Oscar nomination for her performance. Her Prudence is a skillful mixture of friendly warmth and a mercenary nature. "CAMILLE" also featured first-rate performances from the likes of Lionel Barrymore, Rex O'Malley, Leonore Ulric, Jessie Ralph and Elizabeth Allan.

I was astounded to learn that "CAMILLE" had earned only one Academy Award nomination - Greta Garbo for Best Actress. And she lost to Luise Rainer's performance in "THE GREAT ZIEGFELD" . . . much to the surprise of the Hollywood community. Hell, I am not only shocked that "THE GREAT ZIEGFELD" had also won Best Picture, I am flabbergasted that "CAMILLE" did not even earn a Best Picture nomination, along with nominations for leading actor Robert Taylor, a screenplay nomination or a Best Direction nod for George Cukor. How did this travesty happen? A superb movie like "CAMILLE"?

This discovery of the limited amount of acclaim that "CAMILLE" had earned back in late 1936/1937 only convinces me how irrelevant that the Academy Awards truly are. Thankfully, movie fans still have the movie to enjoy for years to come, thanks to George Cukor's superb direction; a great screenplay by the likes of James Hilton, Zoë Akins and the legendary Frances Marion; and a superb cast led by the iconic Greta Garbo and the excellent Robert Taylor.

"CAMILLE" (1936) Photo Gallery

Below is a gallery of images from "CAMILLE", the 1936 adaptation of Alexandre Dumas fils' 1848 novel, "La Dame aux Camélias". Directed by George Cukor, the movie starred Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor: 



"CAMILLE" (1936) Photo Gallery

"ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" (1940) Review

"ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" (1940) Review

Whenever one conjured the image of Warner Brothers Studio during the 1930s and 40s, hard-hitting crime dramas or social commentaries come to mind. I would certainly not view melodramas - costumed or otherwise - as part of the studio's usual repertoire. Then in 1933, Hal Wallis became the studio's new production chief and eventually allowed the studio to release more films with a wider variety. And when Bette Davis became "Queen of the Lot" in the mid-to-late 1930s, the release of melodramas by Warner Brothers became more common. 

One of the melodramas associated with Davis was "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO", the 1940 movie adaptation of Rachel Fields' 1938 novel. Set in France and northeastern United States during the mid-to-late 1840s, the movie told the story of a newly hired French schoolteacher at an American school, who finds herself reliving her past experiences with a French aristocratic family to her new students gossiping over the scandal that had followed her across the Atlantic. The movie begins in 1848 United States. Mademoiselle Henriette Deluzy-Desportes has been hired as the new French instructor at a girls' school. To her dismay, she discovers that her new students are aware of the scandal that drove her out of France. Instead of resigning from the school, she decides to tell her students about her experiences with the family of the Duc de Praslin and Duchesse de Praslin. 

The movie jumps back to 1846, during the last years of the Orleans monarchy, when Henriette arrives in France, following a five-year stint as a governess for an English family. After an interview with the Duc and Duchesse, Henriette is hired to act as governess for their three daughters and son. Although Henriette endears herself to the Duc and his four children, the Duchesse seemed to resent her presence. Due to an erratic temperament and an all compassing love for her husband, the Duchesse begins to suspect that Henriette is not only stealing the love of her children, but more importantly her husband. Despite her happy relationship with the de Praslin children, Henriette is forced to deal with the Duchesse' increasingly hostile behavior, a growing awareness of the Duc's feelings for her . . . and her own feelings for him. The tensions within the family culminates in the Duchesse's brutal death, which leads to a great deal of legal problems for Henriette.

"ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" proved to be a successful film, but not quite a major box office hit. I read somewhere that some at the Warner Brothers Studios blamed the movie's elaborate production designs for overwhelming the other aspects of the movie. I do not know if I could agree with this assessment. Granted, I found some of Carl Jules Weyl's art designs of 1840s France a bit grandiose - especially in scenes featuring the de Praslin household. But considering the high level of melodrama and characterization, I find this opinion a bit hard to accept. I also find it difficult to agree with this slightly negative opinion of the movie's visual style. Personally, I rather enjoyed it. I thought Weyl and his staff did an excellent job in re-creating the movie's period - 1846 to 1848 via production designs, set designs, Warren Low's editing and especially Ernest Haller's Oscar nominated cinematography. I also have to compliment Orry-Kelly's costume designs. The Australian-born designer had also created the costumes for some of Bette Davis' movie, including 1938's "JEZEBEL" and 1939's "JUAREZ". The designer could have easily been sloppy and re-used the costumes from those particular movies. Instead, Orry-Kelly created costumes that more or less accurately reflected the fashions of the mid-to-late 1840s.

While reading another review of "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO", the writer complained that he/she found it difficult to believe that a forbidden romance between a French aristocrat and his governess led to the outbreak of the Revolution of 1848 and the fall of the July Monarchy in France. Apparently, the reviewer had failed to do any research or read Rachel Field's novel. AFter all, the novel was based upon history, including Field's family background. Henriette Deluzy-Desportes (or what was her real name) was one of Field's ancestors. And from what I have read, the real scandal that surrounded the governess and the duke had a major impact on the 1848 revolution that broke out in France. But was the movie's historical background completely accurate? I honestly do not know. I would have to read more on the 1848 Revolution in France and the life of the Duc de Praslin. If I have one complaint about the movie's handling of this historical background, I do wish that Casey Robinson's screenplay could have provided more hints about the upcoming political upheaval.

Overall, I really enjoyed "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO". It is rare to come across a first-rate costume melodrama that can keep me enthralled during its entire running time. And this movie managed to achieve this, thanks to not only Robinson's screenplay, but also Anatole Litvak's steady direction. This was especially apparent in the first two-thirds of the movie that chronicled Henriette's troubles with her American students, her arrival in France and her working and personal relationships with the de Praslin family. The movie's best segment centered around the months she spent in the de Praslin family's employment. Once, Henriette is dismissed by the Duchesse de Praslin for imagined slights, the movie struggled to maintain its momentum. This last third of the film centered on Henriette's attempts to retrieve a reference from the Duchesse, the latter's violent death, the legal wranglings that surrounded the murder and the finale in the United States. And yet . . . this last third of the film dragged so much - especially the period in which Henriette was in prison - that it threatened to overshadow my enjoyment of the film. 

Aside from one particular performance, I have no problems with the movie's cast. Bette Davis gave an engrossing and subtle performance as the movie's lead character, Henriette Deluzy-Desportes. I will admit there were times I found the character a bit ideal for my liking - especially in the scenes featuring the governess and her charges. But the scenes featuring the growing love between Henriette and the Duc de Praslin and her conflicts with the Duchesse allowed Davis to superbly portray the governess more as a human being and less as a figure of feminine ideal. Charles Boyer was superb as the Duc de Praslin, a practical and loving man who found himself trapped in a marriage with a woman he no longer love. I feel it is to his credit that he could make the audience feel sympathetic toward a man who not only harbored adulterous feelings for another woman, but also murdered his wife. 

The movie also featured fine performances from a supporting cast that included Jeffrey Lynn as Henriette's future husband, the Reverend Henry Field; Harry Davenport as the de Praslin groundskeeper Pierre; Montagu Love as the Duc de Praslin's father-in-law, Marshal Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de la Porta; and Henry Daniell as Monsieur Broussais, the man charged with investigating the Duchesse's murder. "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" also benefited from excellent performances from the child actors who portrayed Henriette's charges. I was especially impressed by June Lockhart and Virginia Weidler, who portrayed the Duc and Duchesse's two older offsprings. The only performance I had trouble with Barbara O'Neil's portrayal of Frances, the Duchesse du Praslin. I realize the latter was supposed to be an emotional and possessive woman, whose selfishness left her family out in the cold. O'Neil was fine in those scenes in which she conveyed the Duchesse's coldness and attempts at indifference toward Henriette. Otherwise, her shrill rants and emotional outbursts struck me as hammy. I am surprised that O'Neil was the only cast member to earn an Academy Award nomination for acting.

I cannot say that I agree with the old criticism of the production designs for "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO". I believe the movie does suffer from some flaws that include occasional hammy acting from Barbara O'Neil and the slow pacing that nearly bogged down the third act. But Anatole Litvak's direction, along with a first-rate screenplay by Casey Robinson, excellent production designs, and superb performances from a cast led by Bette Davis and Charles Boyer have led me to regard "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" as an excellent example of a Hollywood costume melodrama at its best.

"ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" (1940) Photo Gallery

Below are images from "ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO", the 1940 adaptation of Rachel Field's 1938 novel. Directed by Anatole Litvak, the movie starred Bette Davis and Charles Boyer: 


"ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO" (1940) Photo Gallery