Today, when Netflix rapes history, many would be forgiven for thinking that it wasn’t always the case and that the past in the glorious eras of cinema was treated with more respect. In actuality, great film studios of yesterday weren’t that different and their films also played loose and fast with historical facts. That included even some of their most popular and the most iconic films, like Queen Christina, 1933 epic melodrama directed by Rouben Mamoulian.
The prologue of the film is set 1632, during Thirty Years’ War. The conflict has brought devastation to Germany and much of Europe, but Sweden, thanks to military genius of King Gustavus Adolphus (played by C. Montague Shaw), has gained a lot glory and power. The King, however, dies during one of his victorious battles and Swedish throne is inherited by his young daughter Christina (played by Cora Sue Collins) whom he raised as a boy. Years later, as an adult (played by Great Garbo), Christina keeps wearing men’s clothes, but, unlike her father, prefers arts, science and culture to military pursuits and is adamant about bringing peace, much to displeasure of her court, including loyal Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna (played by Lewis Stone) and her royal treasurer and part-time lover Count Magnus (played by Ian Keith). Independent-minded Christina refuses to marry, although the court and the people would like her to wed Prince Gustav (played by Reginald Owen). As the peace is set, various European monarchies try to woo her, and that includes Spain, which sends Don Antonio Pimentel de Prado (played by John Gilbert). On the trip to Stockholm, Antonio meets Christina in men’s clothes, and unaware of her true gender and identity, befriends her and, later shares room in the inn. There she is revealed to be a woman and, thanks to snow making roads impassable, two of them share days and nights of romantic bliss. In Stockholm Antonio is much surprised to find his lover to be queen but soon begins to enjoy favourable treatment. This, in turn, creates a lot of resentment among ambitious nobles and common folk afraid that Christina might endanger country’s independence and Protestant faith by marrying a Catholic. Intrigues and riots would lead Christina to most fateful decision of her reign.
Queen Christina was the most personal of all films in the career of Greta Garbo, one of the most iconic actresses of Classic Hollywood and 20th Century cinema in general. While reading the book about Queen Christina, Garbo became fascinated with one of the moer extraordinary characters from her native country’s history and recognised many similarities between her and 17th Century monarch. As a result, Garbo has used all of her clout of top Hollywood star to talk MGM to launch expensive and spectacular biopic about Swedish queen. The result was one of the most iconic, most popular but also one of the most overrated films of 1930s Hollywood.
Queen Christina is well-made film. Director Rouben Mamoulian, known as one of the first to begin his career almost exclusively with sound films, handles the material confidently. 17th Century Sweden is economically but efficiently recreated on the screen with combination of elaborate sets, matte paintings and great care for costumes and props. Garbo pours heart and soul in her performance, creating a memorable character that radiates beauty, intelligence and passion. Garbo initially wanted to be paired with Laurence Olivier, then a young star of British theatre, but test shoots were getting nowhere and Olivier was replaced with John Gilbert, Garbo’s former lover and successful on screen partner from the silent era. Gilbert is often taken as an example of a silent era star whose career got ruined due to poor voice or inability to adapt to sound cinema. Anyone watching him play Antonio in Queen Christina could easily conclude that such claims are nonsense. Gilbert talks with ease and the chemistry between two former off-screen partners is palpable. Queen Christina also benefits from the lax censorship standards in Hollywood, only months before the implementation of infamous Hays Code. Mamoulian fills the film with mild and very implicit erotica (especially in the scene where Garbo disrobes and, later, famously caresses beds and various objects in inn in order to “memorise it”), while the script of N. M. Harwood and Garbo’s friend Salka Viertel is surprisingly open about Queen’s promiscuous lifestyle. Even more interesting are the hints about Christina’s bisexuality, which includes kissing her lady-in-waiting Ebba Sparre (played by Elizabeth Young) on the lips. But all this is very subdued and it requires audience with single-issue focus (like the authors of The Celluloid Closet) to be properly recognised.
The hidden context audience in 1930s were more likely to find belonged to politics. The film conforms to dominant pacifist sentiments in the West, finding clear parallels between carnage and devastation of Thirty Years’ War with the more recent First World War, conflict which Sweden and Spain – two countries represented by major characters of Queen Christina wisely sat out (just like they would sit out Second World War later). Christina powerful and passionate appeal towards peace is, however, drowned by melodramatic cliches and simplification of history. Religious differences between Catholics and Protestants, which fuelled the carnage in 17th Century Europe, are almost never mentioned, nor does Christina’s desire to convert to Catholicism, much to displeasure of her Protestant subjects who ultimately forced her to abdicate from the throne. The script mishandles this event by adding an additional, and completely ahistorical, finale. Mamoulian somewhat improves impression with iconic shot of Garbo’s enigmatic face while she sails into unknown future, but not enough to prevent Queen Christina from becoming disappointing to those who based their expectations of film’s iconic reputation. As a well-made film and questionable recreation of history, it can be still be recommended to the fans of 1930s Hollywood.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
Blog in Croatian https://draxblog.com Blog in English https://draxreview.wordpress.com/ Leofinance blog https://leofinance.io/@drax.leo
Unstoppable Domains: https://unstoppabledomains.com/?ref=3fc23fc42c1b417 Hiveonboard: https://hiveonboard.com?ref=drax Bitcoin Lightning HIVE donations: https://v4v.app/v1/lnurlp/qrcode/drax Rising Star game: https://www.risingstargame.com?referrer=drax 1Inch: https://1inch.exchange/#/r/0x83823d8CCB74F828148258BB4457642124b1328e
BTC donations: 1EWxiMiP6iiG9rger3NuUSd6HByaxQWafG ETH donations: 0xB305F144323b99e6f8b1d66f5D7DE78B498C32A7
