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Greta Garbo had declined a role in the 1927 film Women Love Diamonds (seven reels) directed by Edmund Goulding, which was to star Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Lionel Barrymore and Owen Moore, it not having met with her approval.
Garbo had asked that Sjostrom direct, as had Gish earlier. Of Greta Garbo Victor Sjostrom had said, "She thinks above her eyes. Certain great actors posses what seems to be an uncanny ability to register thought- Lon Chaney was one- Garbo is another. They seem to literally absorb impressions...Garbo is more sensitive to emotions than film is to light, (and) you see it through her eyes." Lon Chaney, who in 1928 had appeared on the sets of Laugh, Clown, Laugh (Herbert Brenon) with Loretta Young, While the City Sleeps (Jack Conway, eight reels) with Anita Page and two films ditected by Tod Browning, The Big City (seven reels)with Betty Compson and West of Zanzibar (seven reels) with Mary Nolan, is quoted as having said, "I told Garbo that mystery served me well and it would do as much for her." The Divine Woman (En Gudomlig Kvinna, Victor Seastrom, eight reels), one of the three films directed by Victor Sjostrom in 1928, was photographed by Oliver Marsh, who had photographed the silent film Camille. Based on the play Starlight by Gladys Unger, who had also written an early revision of the screenplay, the script had been transferred between several writers before the final rewrite was given to Dorothy Farnum. The titles to the film were to be written by John Colton and the film was edited by Conrad Nevrig.
The fragment of Greta Garbo in The Divine Woman showcases the interior editing of Victor Sjostrom.
John Bainbridge wrote that the film had been "well recieved", that Sjostrom spoke "glowingly" of Garbo's work in the film and also of Stiller's having had an interest in directing the film.
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Recently, Scott Reisfield editied more than 100 photographs of Greta Garbo for the volume Garbo, Her Private Collection of Own Portraits. Reisfield is the grandson of Swedish film actor Sven Gustafsson. Greta Garbo had visited her brother while in Stockholm. Swedish actor Edvin Adolphson was behind the camera to direct Sven Garbo in the 1930 film When Roses Bloom (Na Rosorna sla ut). Gray Reisfield has recently been interviewed on Swedish radio fondly remembering her aunt and her interests. In Frankfurt, Germany, Scott Reisfield noted the development of Greta Garbo's technique as an actress as being attributable to her "poise in front of the camera" and her feminity. In a quote almost as fascinating as The Mysterious Lady we have become acquainted with through her film, Reisfield addresses questions regarding the Greta Garbo known to those whom had seen her offscreen, his adding to the extratextural discourse that had created The Swedish Sphinx of photoplay magazine and the Greta Garbo who had been seen as a recluse during retirement, "I knew her for years for before I comprehended the importance of her career.". |
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In his book, Greta Garbo, A Cinematic Legacy, Mark A. Vieira relates his conversation with Clarence Sinclair Bull about the original negatives of the portraits of Greta Garbo taken by the photographer. Sinclair had used a code on the edge of each photo with the date of each session and from these the date of the shooting of each sequence in each particular film can be found. The author Mark Vieira was kind enough to e-mail two pages of photos scanned from these original negatives to the present author. The second letter was just as unexpected as the first and had read, "More for you to have fun with." |
Still photograph of Greta Garbo from the shooting of film The Painted Veil scanned from the original negative and sent via e-mail by author Mark A Vieira. |
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