The Garden of Eden (1928)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Lewis Milestone

Writers:

Rudolph Bernauer (play) and
Rudolf Österreicher (play) ...

Release Date:

4 February 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

CORINNE GRIFFITH in "THE GARDEN OF EDEN" In Modern Dress (original print ad - mostly caps)

Plot:

Toni Le Brun, a beautiful Viennese singer, becomes the ward of the wardrobe mistress of a Monte Carlo nightclub...

Plot Keywords:

Wardrobe Mistress | Monte Carlo | Singer | Baroness | Oyster

Cast

Corinne Griffith	...	Toni LeBrun
Louise Dresser	...	Rosa
Lowell Sherman	...	Henri D'Avril
Maude George	...	Madame Bauer
Charles Ray	...	Richard Dupont / Spanyi
Edward Martindel	...	Colonel Dupont

Runtime:

78 min (DVD version) | USA:79 min (2002 alternate version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Company:

Lewis Milestone Productions

Trivia:

Avery Hopwood's English adaptation of the play opened on Broadway in New York City, New York, USA on 27 September 1927 but had only 23 performances. The opening night cast included Barbara Barondess, Harlan Briggs, Miriam Hopkins, Douglass Montgomery and Alison Skipworth.

Corinne Griffith Has Legs

Impoverished beauty Corinne Griffith (as Toni LeBrun) dreams of becoming a famous opera singer. After getting her diploma, Ms. Griffith is accepted for an audition in Budapest. She finds figures more interested in her beauty than her singing ability. Mannish Maude George (as Madame Bauer) demands Griffith, "Show me your legs", then hires her to sing at the "Palais de Paris". There, leering patrons, like Lowell Sherman (as Henri D'Avril), admire the female form. Griffith bonds with matronly worker Louise Dresser (as Rosa de Garcer), a down-on-her-luck Baroness. When Ms. Dresser's pension check comes in, she takes Griffith on a Cinderella-like adventure; and, she meets princely Charles Ray (as Richard Dupont).

Lewis Milestone (director), John Arnold (photographer), and William Cameron Menzies (designer) are responsible for some stunning, stylish work. Especially, savor Griffith's arrival at the squalid "Palais de Paris", early in the film. Later, watch for the scene with Griffith and Mr. Ray sitting at the grand piano, as the raised lid puts them in a beautiful, reflective "triangle".

Star Griffith receives a lavish, loving production. The cast is very entertaining, especially Dresser and Ms. George, who more often supported Erich von Stroheim. Ray seems a little uncomfortable at times; a decade earlier, he routinely offered superior performances. Although, the story is rather routine, it's nice to have "The Garden of Eden" around; thanks to "Flicker Alley".

****** The Garden of Eden (1928) Lewis Milestone ~ Corinne Griffith, Charles Ray, Louise Dresser