As You Desire Me (1932)

Budapest bar entertainer Zara is a discontented alcoholic who is pursued by many men but lives with novelist Carl Salter. A strange man (Tony) shows up on Salter's estate claiming that Zara... See full summary »

Writers:

Luigi Pirandello (play), Gene Markey (adaptation)

Stars:

Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, Erich von Stroheim

1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Greta Garbo	...	Zara aka Maria
Melvyn Douglas	...	Count Bruno Varelli
Erich von Stroheim	...	Carl Salter
Owen Moore	...	Tony Boffie
Hedda Hopper	...	Ines Montari
Rafaela Ottiano	...	Lena
Warburton Gamble	...	Baron
Albert Conti	...	Captain
William Ricciardi	...	Pietro
Roland Varno	...	Albert

Storyline

Budapest bar entertainer Zara is a discontented alcoholic who is pursued by many men but lives with novelist Carl Salter. A strange man (Tony) shows up on Salter's estate claiming that Zara is actually Maria, the wife of his close friend Bruno. Maria, Tony claims, had her memory destroyed during a World War I invasion ten years ago. Zara doesn't remember but leaves with Tony to Salter's dismay. Bruno, now an officer in the Italian army, tries to coax Maria's memory back on his large estate. No one is really sure if Zara is Maria, and when Salter shows up with a mental case that he claims is the real Maria, everyone on Bruno's estate is desperately searching for the truth.

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Plot Keywords:

italian army | alcoholic | novelist | world war one | missing person | 

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Taglines:

You don't need us to tell you not to miss this film. You couldn't be kept away!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 May 1932 (USA)

Also Known As:

Wie du mich wünschst

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$460,733 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character of Karl Salter was loosely based on Hungarian playwright Ferenc Molnár.

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Quotes

Baron: Get rid of these other swine.
Zara: Other?

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Connections

Edited into Visions of Light (1992)

User Reviews

Pirandello and Garbo mix well!

In an otherwise uninspiring film, the Pirandello drama seems to be tailormade for the Garbo mystique. I wonder if any Hollywood director would attempt a Pirandello play today. I salute the director for picking up the play to make a film--but unfortuntely the combination of Pirandello and Garbo could have been wonderful had it had been creatively handled. Eric von Stroheim's role is again colorless for actor-director who made memorable films.