Strong and Moving!

A Masterpiece!

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

QEEN KRISTINA is the biographical romantic drama about a Swedish queen and offers us one of the best acting performance in the thirties of the last century. Everything is Greta Garbo gave this film is priceless. The role of the mystical, mysterious and a woman in love is perfect for her. She herself insisted. A tragic love story set in the time of "Thirty Years War" is welcome with the historical aspect. The actual Queen Christina is probably not the inspiration Greta Garbo, but momentum in which Garbo could present role is quite sufficient. The director entered give fiction and romantic elements in which the leading actress simply brilliant. Costume design is good, the story is very good, and the performance is excellent.Greta Garbo (Qeen Christina) is a strong woman who primarily follows the human values and listens to his heart. Greta's style I especially do not like. I appreciate her expression, appearance, acting, strength and lightness. At times I think Garbo runs away from the camera or play with it. Again in close-up was created for her. Garbo has a beautiful smile, but do not know laugh. Maybe there is no reason. John Gilbert (Antonio) is very good. One of the few actors who with Greta has a perfect chemistry in the film. If memory serves me right, the chemistry was present in everyday life.I really liked the "relaxed" content, excellent acting by Greta Garbo and little implicit lesbianism in her character.„Queen Kristina" is a classic melodrama in which I enjoyed the most part.

This film follows the reign of 17th century Swedish monarch Queen Christina, from her ascent to the throne at age six to her abdication twenty-two years later. The screenwriters take wild liberties with history in order to turn the film into a romantic epic but that's beside the point.Greta Garbo is the unquestioned star of the picture and she gives a standout performance, successfully portraying the queen as formidable yet feminine. The rest of the cast is consistently capable though no-one really stands out from the crowd.Rouben Mamoulian's direction is well-handled and the film in general shows good production values. To wit, the film boasts nice work from future Oscar winners William H. Daniels (cinematography) and Herbert Stothart (score).All in all, "Queen Christina" is a well-constructed romantic drama with a historical background. While it may depart quite a bit from fact it nevertheless makes for a compelling story.

How ironic that back to back I saw what I considered to be the weakest Garbo I've seen ("Anna Karenina"), and the best, "Queen Christina." This is truly one of the great Hollywood films and the finest performance Garbo ever gave. She is brilliant as queen of her native Sweden, a role she was meant for. It's got an excellent cast with her finest co-star, John Gilbert, who co-starred in many of her silent films. The studios destroyed Gilbert by spreading the rumor (as they did with Louise Brooks) that his voice recorded badly. This was totally untrue. His voice in this movie is full-bodied and strong. He and Garbo have screen chemistry to burn. There is a love scene where Garbo walks around studying the room at an inn where she and Gilbert fell in love (He: "What are you doing?" She: "I'm remembering") that has got to rank as one of the most romantic and curiously strange of any to come out of the Hollywood dream machine. And ultimately, the film has that justifiably famous final and luminous shot of Garbo on the deck of a ship looking out to sea as she sails off to her destiny without the man she loves. Directed by Rouben Mamoulian, it has some of the most beautiful cinematography of the period. There's a single shot (a matte painting) of queen Garbo walking through the corridor of the castle at night that took my breath away. I went back and re-watched it a number of times. Wow! Masterful direction. This is the one Garbo film not to miss. Can't recommend it highly enough.

Brilliant Mamoulian film with Greta Garbo in perhaps her most iconic role. She is, of course, Queen Christina of Sweden, who ascends the throne at a tender age after her father dies on the battlefield. Garbo's Christina is a fascinating mix of both feminine and masculine qualities, and the actress dominates the screen as the Queen who lives for her beloved country, yet would rather abdicate than give up true love with her Spanish lover (John Gilbert).I have only seen two Mamoulian films (the other being "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde") but he surely has to be one of the greats of the 30's; he got the camera moving again in the early talkie period and both films have a sort of decadent touch to them. Garbo and Gilbert romance by a roaring fire whilst eating grapes, for god's sake! He also worships Garbo's unforgettable face by giving her as many close-ups I can think of in any film.