Camille (1936)

A Parisian courtesan must choose between the young man who loves her and the callous baron who wants her, even as her own health begins to fail.

Director:

George Cukor

Writers:

Zoe Akins (screen play), Frances Marion (screen play),

Stars:

Greta Garbo, Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Greta Garbo	...	Marguerite
Robert Taylor	...	Armand
Lionel Barrymore	...	Monsieur Duval
Elizabeth Allan	...	Nichette
Jessie Ralph	...	Nanine
Henry Daniell	...	Baron de Varville
Lenore Ulric	...	Olympe
Laura Hope Crews	...	Prudence
Rex O'Malley	...	Gaston

Storyline

Marguerite is a courtesan in Paris. She falls deeply in love with a young man of promise, Armand Duval. When Armand's father begs her not to ruin his hope of a career and position by marrying Armand, she acquiesces and leaves her lover. However, when poverty and terminal illness overwhelm her, Marguerite discovers that Armand has not lost his love for her.

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Plot Keywords:

love | courtesan | terminal illness | theatre | jealousy | 

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Taglines:

You who are so young--where can you have learned all you know about women like me?

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 January 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kameliadamen

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$1,486,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The play originally opened in Paris on 2 February 1852. Alexandre Dumas fils based the character Marguerite on a woman with whom he had an affair for 11 months. She died when she was 23. The movie inspired Milton Benjamin to write and publish a song in 1936 called "I'll Love Like Robert Taylor, Be My Greta Garbo".

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Goofs

In the final scene, in closeup, as Armand helps the dying Marguerite from her bed, she has a woolen bed jacket around her shoulders. When the scene cuts to the long shot as she stands up, it has vanished and she is just wearing her nightgown.

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Quotes

Armand: Yes, you, well you did smile at me a moment ago, didn't you?
Marguerite: Well, you tell me first whether you smiled at me or my friend.
Armand: What friend?
Marguerite: You didn't even see her?
Armand: No.

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Connections

Version of La dame aux camélias (1934)

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Soundtracks

"Aufforderung zum Tanz (Invitation to the Dance)"
(1841) (uncredited)
Composed by Carl Maria von Weber
Played on the piano by the Baron

User Reviews

the great Garbo

The luminous Greta Garbo in one of her best remembered roles. In this she is the tragic heroine who is dabbling with fate with Robert Taylor (who seems to be wearing more make-up than Greta!) while moving towards the inevitable weepie conclusion.

Certainly Garbo was best in these kind of other-worldly roles, in another place and time, than she was in the few contemporary features she attempted. Not a great actress, but a beautiful woman and a true star who the camera clearly loved. Taylor would move out of romances and musicals into more typically heroic roles by the end of the 1930s, but he's a good romantic lead here.

And I mustn't forget the pleasure of seeing Henry Daniell, one of Hollywood's greatest villains.

Filmed with the commonplace MGM gloss of the time, ‘Camille' delivers on all levels - if you're looking for an escapist, teary, film with lots of close-ups and a nice slow pace. It belongs square in that first decade of the talkies and this sort of thing fell out of fashion after the Second World War.