Queen Christina (film)
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''Queen Christina'' is a pre-Code Hollywood biographical film, produced for
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
in 1933 by Walter Wanger and directed by Rouben Mamoulian. It stars Swedish-born actress Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in their fourth and last film together. The film was a major commercial and critical success in the United States and worldwide.


Plot

Queen Christina of Sweden ( Greta Garbo) is devoted to her country and the welfare of her people. As queen, she favors peace for Sweden and argues convincingly for an end to the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
, saying:
Spoils, glory, flags and trumpets! What is behind these high-sounding words? Death and destruction, triumphals of crippled men, Sweden victorious in a ravaged Europe, an island in a dead sea. I tell you, I want no more of it. I want for my people security and happiness. I want to cultivate the arts of peace, the arts of life. I want peace and peace I will have!
Christina, who first took the throne at age six upon the death of her
father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...
in
battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...
, is depicted as being so devoted to both governing well and educating herself that she has spurned any kind of serious romance or marriage, despite pressure from her councilors and court to marry her heroic cousin Karl Gustav ( Reginald Owen) and produce an heir. One day, in an effort to escape the restrictions of her royal life, she sneaks out of town and ends up at the same inn as Antonio ( John Gilbert), a Spanish envoy on his way to the capital. The two talk and become friends, though Antonio thinks Christina is a man because of the way she is dressed. When the innkeeper, who is also unaware of Christina's identity, asks if she will let Antonio share her bed because there is no room available for him, Christina is unable to come up with a suitable reason to deny the request. In her room, she reveals to Antonio that she is a woman, but not that she is a queen, and they spend the night together. Their tryst is extended by a few days when they become snowbound at the inn. When the time comes for Christina and Antonio to part, Christina assures Antonio that they will reunite in Stockholm. To his surprise, this occurs when the Spaniard is presented to the Queen, whom he recognizes as his lover. Antonio is initially somewhat hurt and annoyed because he thinks Christina has played a trick on him and compromised his loyalty to the King of Spain, who sent Antonio on this mission to Sweden to present Christina with an offer of marriage on his behalf. She makes it clear that her feelings for Antonio are genuine and that she regularly receives such offers from foreign royalty and has no intention of accepting the King's proposal, and she and Antonio patch things up. When the scheming Count Magnus ( Ian Keith), who had previously had some romantic liaisons with the Queen, rouses the people against the Spaniard, Christina is able to ease tensions for a time, but ultimately, she decides to name Karl Gustav as her successor and, in a move that shocks the entire court, abdicates the throne to be with Antonio. When she gets to the boat that is to take Antonio and her to Spain, she finds him gravely wounded from a sword duel with Magnus, which he lost. Antonio dies in her arms, but Christina resolves to proceed with the voyage. She envisions residing in the home Antonio described to her as sitting on white cliffs overlooking the sea.


Cast

* Greta Garbo as
Christina, Queen of Sweden Christina (; 18 December O.S. 8 December">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 8 December1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Monarchy of Sweden, Queen of Sweden from ...
* John Gilbert as Antonio Pimentel de Prado * Ian Keith as Count
Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie (15 October 1622 – 26 April 1686) was a Swedish Empire, Swedish statesman and military man. He became a member of the Privy Council of Sweden, Swedish Privy Council in 1647 and came to be the holder of three ...
* Lewis Stone as Axel Oxenstierna * Elizabeth Young as Countess Ebba Sparre * C. Aubrey Smith as Aage * Reginald Owen as Charles X Gustav of Sweden * Georges Renavent as Chanut, the French Ambassador * David Torrence as Archbishop * Gustav von Seyffertitz as General * Ferdinand Munier as Innkeeper Uncredited Cast * Cora Sue Collins as Christina as a Child * C. Montague Shaw as King
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden Gustavus Adolphus (9 December ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 19 December15946 November ld Style and New Style dates, N.S 16 November1632), also known in English as Gustav II Adolf or Gustav II Adolph, was King of Sweden from 1611 t ...
* Akim Tamiroff as Pedro * Barbara Barondess as Elsa * Tiny Sandford as Cook at the Inn * Bodil Rosing as Innkeeper's Wife * Muriel Evans as Barmaid at the Inn * Edward Gargan as Drinker Betting on 9 * Paul Hurst as Swedish Soldier Betting on 6 *
Hooper Atchley Lemuel Hooper Atchley (April 30, 1887 – November 17, 1943) was an American film actor. Atchley was the son of Mr. and Mrs. P. S. Atchley. He was a 1908 graduate of the Knoxville, Tennessee, school system. Atchley's first professional ac ...
as Antonio's Companion in Coach * James Burke as Blacksmith Rabble Rouser * Wade Boteler as Magnus' Rabble Rouser *
Gladden James Gladden James (February 26, 1888 – August 28, 1948) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 180 films between 1911 and 1946. He was born in Zanesville, Ohio and died in Hollywood, California, from leukemia. Family In 1914 h ...
as Rabble Rouser * Richard Alexander as Peasant * Edward Norris as Count Jacob * Carrie Daumery as Woman at Court * Fred Kohler as Member of Court


Production

The film was released in December 1933. It was directed by Rouben Mamoulian and written by H. M. Harwood and Salka Viertel, with dialogue by
S. N. Behrman Samuel Nathaniel Behrman (; June 9, 1893 – September 9, 1973) was an American playwright, screenwriter, biographer, and longtime writer for ''The New Yorker''. His son is the composer David Behrman. Biography Early years Behrman's parents, Z ...
, based on a story by Viertel and Margaret P. Levino. The leading roles are played by Greta Garbo as Christina and John Gilbert as Don Antonio, an emissary from Spain. As early as 1928, MGM was examining sources to develop a scenario suitable for studio property Greta Garbo in the role of 17th century Swedish queen, Christina. Mamoulian’s enlistment as director for the film came late in its pre-production development. Though Garbo influenced the choice, Mamoulian’s selection may have had less to do with her and more to do with MGM producer Walter Wanger, formally with New York the Theatre Guild, who had gotten Mamoulian his first job in both New York and Hollywood. As to the supporting cast, British actor
Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...
was to have made his America movie debut as the Spaniard Antonio, but his screen test was unimpressive, and he failed to form a genuine rapport with Garbo. The role went to John Gilbert, who had a long and mutually supportive professional and personal relationship with Garbo. Garbo herself insisted on having Gilbert as her co-star.


Critically acclaimed sequences

Two scenes from ''Queen Christina'' have been widely and favorably commented upon by both contemporary and subsequent film critics.Milne, 1969 p. 73-74


The bedroom sequence

After her brief but personally transformative sexual encounter with the Spanish ambassador Antonio Pimentel de Prado (John Gilbert), Queen Christina lingers in the room in which they have had intercourse, committing the room’s interior to memory as though its components “had shared some secret with her.”Milne, 1969 p. 74 Director Rouben Mamoulian described the sequence as “a
sonnet A sonnet is a fixed poetic form with a structure traditionally consisting of fourteen lines adhering to a set Rhyme scheme, rhyming scheme. The term derives from the Italian word ''sonetto'' (, from the Latin word ''sonus'', ). Originating in ...
”, informing Garbo before shooting “this has to be sheer poetry and feeling. The moment must be like a dance. Treat it as you would do it to music.”


Final scene on the bow of the ship

As Queen Christina prepares to sail to Spain as the betrothed to the King of Spain, she stands, like a living Figure-head as she faces her future and fate. The scene is notable as a characterization establishing Greta Garbo’s mystique as a screen star and as a cultural icon. Director Mamoulian recalled his exchange with Garbo on preparing the shot: Film historian Tom Milne remarked that “inevitably, Queen Christina has come to be remembered as a two-sequence film”, in what is otherwise an overall competently executed picture.


Critical reception and box office

The film premiered in New York City on December 26, 1933, and opened in the rest of the world throughout 1934. It was nominated for the Mussolini Cup award at the
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...
in 1934, but lost to ''
Man of Aran ''Man of Aran'' is a 1934 Irish fictional documentary ( ethnofiction) film shot, written and directed by Robert J. Flaherty about life on the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland. It portrays characters living in premodern condition ...
''. ''Queen Christina'' turned out to be a success with the critics, gathering many positive reviews. Critic
Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.Modern Screens Walter Ramsey, who proclaimed it a "triumph for Garbo", and a reviewer for ''
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'', who acclaimed Garbo's "glorious reappearance". ''
Motion Picture Daily ''Motion Picture Daily'' was an American daily magazine focusing on the film industry. It was published by Quigley Publishing Company, which also published the '' Motion Picture Herald''. The magazine was formed by the merging of three existing Q ...
'' called the film "creaky in spots", but reported that Garbo "does beautifully" and that the film was "well above the average in content and value." The ''
New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in Tabloid (newspaper format ...
'' wrote: "The picture moves a little slowly, but with grace, from one lovely setting to another. It is a picture that must not be missed, because Garbo is at her best in some of its scenes." Some reviews were mixed. "Garbo overwhelms the picture", wrote John Mosher in ''The New Yorker''. "The story, the setting, her support cannot live up to her." ''Variety'' found the film "slow and ofttimes stilted", though it wrote that Garbo's "regal impression is convincing, which counts for plenty." ''The Sun'' of New York wrote that "Garbo seems to be suffering from an acute case of glamour. And that is probably not her fault. Gilbert tried very hard, but his performance is a little stilted. ''Queen Christina'' misses fire, somehow, and that is disappointing." According to the AFI Catalog, despite the critical acclaim, the film did not do well at the American box office. TCM's Frank Miller stated: "It would be years before foreign revenues and reissues brought the film into the profit column." In 1994, Barry Paris wrote that final tally was: "Cost: $1,144,000. Earnings: domestic $767,000; foreign $1,843,000; total $2,610,000. Profit: $632,000". As of June 2020, ''Queen Christina'' had a 90% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 21 reviews. Leonard Maltin gave the film 4 out of 4 stars, calling it "Probably Garbo's best film, with a haunting performance by the radiant star as 17th-century Swedish queen who relinquishes her throne for her lover, Gilbert. Garbo and Gilbert's love scenes together are truly memorable, as is the famous final shot...” The part of Queen Christina is regarded as one of the better in Garbo's filmography, and the film is especially notable for resoundingly disproving rumors that John Gilbert's lack of success in the sound era was due to his having an unsuitable voice.


Historical accuracy

The film is a historical costume drama based loosely on the life of 17th-century Queen Christina of Sweden, and still more loosely on
August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 pla ...
's history play '' Kristina''. A number of historical characters appear in the film (such as Axel Oxenstierna, Charles X Gustav of Sweden, and
Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie Count Magnus Gabriel De la Gardie (15 October 1622 – 26 April 1686) was a Swedish Empire, Swedish statesman and military man. He became a member of the Privy Council of Sweden, Swedish Privy Council in 1647 and came to be the holder of three ...
), and some historical events are depicted (such as the
Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...
and Christina's abdication), but ''Queen Christina'' is not a film that adheres closely to the facts. In this highly fictionalized account, it is falling in love that brings Christina into conflict with the political realities of her society, whereas, in real life, Christina's main reasons for abdication were her determination not to marry, to live as she pleased, and to openly convert to Catholicism. The romance with Antonio is fiction and can be seen as a typical "Hollywood" distortion of history—unless it is understood as an allegory, with her love for Don Antonio representing her love of the intellectual life and her embrace of the Catholic faith. In reality, Christina was devoted to her maid of honor, friend, and "bedfellow" Ebba Sparre. In the film, Christina kisses Ebba twice, but the kisses are quite chaste, and any suggestion of a romantic relationship between the two women is firmly blocked by a scene in which Christina comes upon Ebba and Count Jakob meeting on a staircase and immediately leaves for what will be her encounter with Antonio. When Christina returns, she apologizes to Ebba and promises she may marry her beloved Count. The real Ebba did marry Count Jakob, but the marriage was an unhappy one. The film is correct in stating that Christina's father had her raised as if she were a boy, with the education and responsibilities expected of a male heir, and in depicting her habit of dressing as a man, which continued throughout her life. The historical Christina was, also, indeed adamant about making peace, and was a patron of science, art, and culture, dreaming of making Stockholm the "Athens of the North". Greta Garbo was troubled by the films’ historical inaccuracies and absurdities: “Just imagine Christina abdicating for the sake of a little Spaniard” she wrote a friend. She dreaded reaction to the picture from fellow Swedes.Jensen, 2024 p. 105-106: Letter written January, 1934, just after the US release in December 1933. See here for concern re: reaction to historical inaccuracies by Swedes.


Notes


References

*Callahan, Dan. 2007. "The Strange Case of Rouben Mamoulian". ''
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'', September 4, 2007. https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-strange-case-of-rouben-mamoulian/ Retrieved 19 June 2024. *Danks, Adrian. 2007. ''Rouben Mamoulian''. Senses of Cinema, February, 2007. Great Directors Issue 42 https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2007/great-directors/mamoulian/Mamoulian, Rouben Retrieved 19 June 2024. * Hall, Mordaunt. 1933. “Greta Garbo Appears as Queen Christina of Sweden in Her First Film in More Than Eighteen Months.”
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
, December 27, 1933. https://www.nytimes.com/1933/12/27/archives/greta-garbo-appears-as-queen-christina-of-sweden-in-her-first-film.html Retrieved 10 July 2024. *Jensen, Kurt. 2024. ''Peerless: Rouben Mamoulian, Hollywood, and Broadway.''
University of Wisconsin Press The University of Wisconsin Press (sometimes abbreviated as UW Press) is a Non-profit organization, non-profit university press publishing Peer review, peer-reviewed books and journals. It publishes work by scholars from the global academic comm ...
, Wisconsin Film Studies, Patrick McGilligan, series editor. * Milne, Tom. 1969. ''Rouben Mamoulian.'' The Cinema One Series, Thames and Hudson Limited, London. Catalog no. 500-47012 X *Spergel, Mark. 1993. ''Reinventing Reality: The Art and Life of Rouben Mamoulian.'' The Scarecrow Press, Filmmakers series No. 57, Anthony Slide, editor.


External links

* * * * {{Walter Wanger 1933 films 1930s historical drama films 1933 romantic drama films 1930s biographical drama films American historical drama films American biographical drama films American romantic drama films American LGBTQ-related films Biographical films about Swedish royalty Cultural depictions of Christina, Queen of Sweden Cultural depictions of Gustavus Adolphus American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films set in Sweden Films set in the 1640s Films set in the 1650s Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films directed by Rouben Mamoulian Films produced by Walter Wanger Films scored by Herbert Stothart American historical romance films 1930s LGBTQ-related films LGBTQ-related romantic drama films 1930s historical romance films 1930s American films English-language biographical drama films English-language romantic drama films English-language historical drama films English-language historical romance films