Romance is a 1930 American Pre-Code film directed by Clarence Brown, and starring Greta Garbo, Lewis Stone, and Gavin Gordon. Based on the 1913 play by Edward Sheldon, the film was written by Edwin Justus Mayer and Bess Meredyth, and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
| Romance | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Clarence Brown |
| Written by | |
| Based on | Romance 1913 play by Edward Sheldon |
| Produced by | Clarence Brown |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | William H. Daniels |
| Edited by | Hugh Wynn |
| Music by | William Axt |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 76 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The play was previously adapted as a 1920 silent film starring Doris Keane, the actress in Sheldon's 1913 play.
Plot
editOn New Year's Eve, Harry tells his grandfather, a bishop, that he intends to marry an actress, even though that is frowned upon by his social class. However, his grandfather recounts via flashback a cautionary tale of a great love affair with a "fallen woman" during his own youth.
When he is 28 years old, Tom Armstrong, the son of an aristocratic family and the rector of St. Giles, meets the famous Italian opera star Rita Cavallini at an evening party given by Cornelius Van Tuyl. Tom falls in love with Rita even though there are rumors that she is Van Tuyl's mistress. Tom's family disapproves of Rita, but he continues to pursue her until he discovers that she has been lying to him about the true nature of her relationship with Van Tuyl. Though he forgives and loves her, their different lives and different social classes make an engagement untenable. Ultimately, Tom marries Harry's grandmother.
In a surprise ending, he counsels Harry to marry the woman he loves, regardless of the consequences.
Cast
edit_still_1.JPG)
- Greta Garbo as Rita Cavallini
- Lewis Stone as Cornelius Van Tuyl
- Gavin Gordon as Tom Armstrong
- Elliott Nugent as Harry
- Florence Lake as Susan Van Tuyl
- Clara Blandick as Abigail Armstrong
- Henry Armetta as Beppo
- Mathilde Comont as Vannucci
- Rina De Liguoro as Nina (credited as Countess De Liguoro)
Reception
editRomance cost $496,000 and grossed $733,000 in the United States and $523,000 in other markets, the worldwide gross was $1,256,000, and it made a profit of $287,000.[2]
Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times wrote that "Greta Garbo's performance in Romance is perhaps as good as anything she has done on the screen."[3] Norbert Lusk of the movie magazine Picture Play wrote that Garbo's performance "is a thing of pure beauty, an inspiring blend of intellect and emotion, a tender, poignant, poetic portrait of a woman who thrusts love from her because she considers herself unworthy of the man who offers it."[3]
Accolades
editRomance received two nominations at the 3rd Academy Awards:[4] Best Director for Brown, and Best Actress for Garbo.
References
edit- ^ Alexander Walker; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (October 1980). Garbo: a portrait. Macmillan. p. 184. ISBN 978-0-02-622950-0. Retrieved July 28, 2010.
- ^ "Romance".
- ^ a b "Romance". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
- ^ "Romance". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
External links
edit- Romance at IMDb
- Romance at the TCM Movie Database
- Romance at AllMovie
- Romance at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films