SUSAN LENNOX, HER RISE AND FALL
US, 1931, 76 minutes, Black and white.
Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Jean Hersholt.
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard.
A very early Garbo, talking vehicle. Garbo had made her mark in Hollywood in the late twenties with glamorous dignified siren roles, for example, Flesh And The Devil, Woman Of Affairs. She made the transition to sound with Anna Christie.
This vehicle, directed by Robert Z. Leonard (later to distinguish himself with the Great Ziegfeld, Pride And Prejudice) is a very creaky vehicle indeed very close to a silent techniques, for example, the transition from Helga's birth to growing up. Garbo acts with the silent style - though she was to make a smooth transition to sound techniques in later films.
A very young Clark Gable is the dapper, rather self-righteous hero. He embodies the American hero - tough, aiming for success, taking in the stranded woman, competitive, offended by her waywardness, collapsing, eventually building to a happy ending.
In 75 minutes, the screen playgives a great number of episodes (enough for a contemporary mini-series). Garbo as Helga is shown as bearing the taint of her mother's unmarried state. Looked down on in the Swedish- American community in the outback of America, promised in marriage to a man who attempts to rape her, taking refuge with architect Rodney, being pursued and eventually taking up in a circus, becoming the mistress of the owner to save herself, rejected by Rodney, defying him and making her way in the world an a rich society woman, being under the protection of shady politicians, helping Rodney in his career, confronting him in a long verbal exchange, going to Latin America an he down in a state of collapse, their meeting Helga with the help of a captain in love with her coming to some kind of redemption and helping Rodney. Susan Lennox is Helga's circus and society name. There are all the ingredients of the American soap opera and they are given the treatment 1930s style. Interesting as a historical piece of film making in Garbo's and Gable's careers.
