Screenland (May-Oct 1931)

JO SCREENL AND What do Garbo's leading men you here! Read their views and "When Carbo made 'The Mysterious Lady' she was very shy," says Gustav von Seyffertitz, who worked with her. "Unassuming, yet strangely fascinating." if anyone watches her on the set — even I, her director— she becomes confused and finds it difficult to go on with the scene. "Her judgment on matters affecting screen technique is excellent. So highly do I regard it that often, as in 'Anna Christie,' I adopt Garbo's ideas rather than my own. 'Anna Christie' was one of M-G-M's best sellers; it made Garbo one of the greatest talking picture stars, and it placed my name among the ten best directors of the year — so I believe 1 have been justified in having done the picture Garbo's way." Quite a tribute, that, from one of the industry's ace directors ! But opinions from other members of the "Anna Christie'' cast offer contrasting highlights upon its star. "Oh, not a great actress, but rather, an effective actress," replied Charles Bickford, when I asked him whether, in his opinion, Greta Garbo wasn't the screen's greatest actress. "Personally, she is the most unaffected individual 1 have ever known — and I really doubt whether she places a whole lot of importance upon pictures and her own position in the film industry. "When she works," Bickford declared, "she gives everything to the success of the production, and she is essentially frank and sincere — on and off the screen." "Phlegmatic !" said Marie Dressier, when I asked for her opinion of Miss Garbo. "I have never known her to exhibit a lively interest in anything, except once, when I suggested the life story of Christina, the madcap Queen of Sweden, as a splendid Garbo screen vehicle. She was really enthusiastic about that, but except upon that one occasion, she always seems totally uninterested in her surroundings, even a trifle bored. "No one I have ever worked with in pictures has made me work so hard," continued Miss Dressier. "Greta works almost to the point of exhaustion, and her capacity for work is contagious. The fact is, an actor must put forth every last ounce of effort every minute of his working time, or his role will fall short miserably in "Pleasant, quiet, and cordial," reports the Reve r e n d N e a 1 Dodd, who appeared in "Flesh and the Devil" with Greta. ' 'Gee, she's a marvelous girl!" sighed Johnny Mack Brown, who worked with Garbo in "The Single Standard." comparison to Greta's uniformly splendid work. There are several actors, for this very reason, who have risen to great heights when playing opposite Garbo, only to fall back to their natural levels when appearing in other casts. "Hard work," added the expert Miss Dressier, "is largely instrumental in anyone's success, and it is not the least factor responsible for Greta's fame. She has exceptional talent, it is true, but I believe if you were to put the question to her, she would tell you : 'Hard work has brought me what success I have today.' "As for the off-screen Garbo," Miss Dressier declared, "I consider her a charming young person, with the same mysterious sort of appeal that attracts you to her screen personality — together with a lot of substantial common sense that one seldom finds in the youth of today." "There is a fascination about the art of Greta Garbo that inspires the best from her fellow players." This is the opening tribute from George F. Marion, who, at seventy years of age. modestly says he is still "striving to learn enough to be an actor." He is strongly enthusiastic over Miss Garbo's ability, and says: "She has a distinctive genius for characterization that Conrad Nagel, Greta's leading man in "The M y s t e r i o u s Lady , ' ' says : "What do you mean, 'Woman of Mystery' ? The only mystery was the title of the picture!"