Queen Christina

Director: Rouben Mamoulian

Overview

Greta Garbo stars as the title character, a 17th-century Swedish monarch whose life is chronicled from her rise to the throne, to the moment she gave it up for the love of a Spanish ambassador.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/09/2019
UPC:	0883929690039
Original Release:	1933
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:39:00
Sales rank:	33,000

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Greta Garbo	Queen Christina
Lewis Stone	Chancellor Oxenstierna
Ian Keith	Magnus
Elizabeth Young	Ebba Sparre
C. Aubrey Smith	Aage
Reginald Owen	Prince Charles
Georges Renavent	French Ambassador
Gustav von Seyffertitz	General
David Torrence	Archbishop
Ferdinand Munier	Innkeeper
Akim Tamiroff	Pedro
Cora Sue Collins	Christina as a Child
Edward Norris	Count Jacob
Lawrence Grant	Bits
Barbara Barondess	Elsa
Paul Hurst	Swedish Soldier
Edward Gargan	Fellow Drinker
Wade Boteler	Rabble Rouser
Fred Kohler Jr.	Member of the Court
Richard Alexander	Peasant in Crowd
Major Sam Harris	Nobleman
Elisabeth Young	Countess Ebba
John Gilbert	Actor
Herbert Stothart	Composer

Technical Credits

Salka Viertel

H.M. Harwood

S.N. Behrman

S.N. Behrmann

Rouben Mamoulian	Director
Salka Viertel	Screenwriter
H.M. Harwood	Screenwriter
S.N. Behrman	Screenwriter
Walter Wanger	Producer
S.N. Behrmann	Screenwriter
Douglas Shearer	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Displaying the full range of Greta Garbo's mystique, Queen Christina (1933) is usually considered one of Garbo's best works, as well as her most erotically complex. Working from the true story of the 17th century Swedish queen who abdicated her throne for love, MGM surrounded Garbo with the kind of beautifully detailed period sets and costumes for which it was known in the 1930s, including Christina's preferred male drag. Gracefully directed by Rouben Mamoulian, Garbo silently yet powerfully communicates Christina's ill-fated love for John Gilbert's Spanish envoy as she moves around their room at a snowbound inn, "memorizing" every object. Despite Garbo's reunion with three-time silent movie romance partner Gilbert, Queen Christina is more renowned for its (relatively) clear treatment of Christina's bisexuality, as she declares that she'll "die a bachelor," kisses her favorite countess on the lips, and disguises herself as a man. The final shot of Christina's staring out to sea is a signature Garbo moment of secret emotions, hidden passions, and mysterious allure. (Mamoulian reportedly told her to think of nothing.) Even so, Queen Christina did not perform as well as MGM had expected, making it a rare disappointment for Garbo and the end of Gilbert's career.