The Divine Woman (1928)

[For 9 minute surviving fragment] Lucian, a soldier in Paris, is to ship out for Algiers at 9 that evening. He stops by for a last meal with his love, Marianne. He may be worried that when ... See full summary »

Director:

Victor Sjöström (as Victor Seastrom)

Writers:

John Colton (titles), Dorothy Farnum

Stars:

Greta Garbo, Lars Hanson, Lowell Sherman

Cast

Credited cast:
Greta Garbo	...	Marianne
Lars Hanson	...	Lucien
Lowell Sherman	...	Henry Legrand
Polly Moran	...	Mme. Pigonier
Dorothy Cumming	...	Mmme. Zizi Rouck, Marianne's Mother
Johnny Mack Brown	...	Jean Lery
Cesare Gravina	...	Gigi
Paulette Duval	...	Paulette
Jean De Briac	...	Stage Director
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sonny Loy

Storyline

[For 9 minute surviving fragment] Lucian, a soldier in Paris, is to ship out for Algiers at 9 that evening. He stops by for a last meal with his love, Marianne. He may be worried that when he leaves she will find another soldier to love. They argue then embrace and, when the clock strikes midnight, he is still in her arms. Is desertion in the cards? Can the relationship survive the military demands and a soldier's obligations?

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | midnight | clock | partially lost film | male female relationship | 

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Taglines:

The magnetic Greta wins her greatest triumph in this drama of the show folks. (Print Ad- Cortland Standard, ((Cortland, NY)) 28 July 1928)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

14 January 1928 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Mulher Divina

Box Office

Budget:

$267,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$541,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$390,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

9 min (surviving fragment)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original Broadway production of "Starlight" on which the screenplay was based was written by Gladys Unger, opened at the Broadhurst Theater on March 3, 1925 and ran for 71 performances.

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Connections

Referenced in Victor Seastrom (1981)

User Reviews

The Divine Woman is praised for being so complete in such a short amount of time, and Greta Garbo's acting is pointed out as being lighter than her acting in many of her other films.

The Divine Woman, although short, is one of the most beautiful films in which I have seen Greta Garbo. The film is not as heavy as some of her other work, although there are some sad undertones. The fact that The Divine Woman is a silent film really makes the movie stand out from Miss Garbo's other movies, and because it is silent, the passion, sadness, happiness, and all other emotions of the characters shine through more than they normally would in a talking film. Since only a small portion (a few minutes) of this film are known to exist, there is added intrigue about the film, and even in its brevity, the film seems complete. This movie is one of the best of all time, especially since it is a very different type of film for Greta Garbo.