Published in 1921, Vicki Baum's German-language novel MENSCHEN IM HOTEL was an international bestseller. MGM purchased the rights and employed William A. Drake to adapt the novel to the stage. Titled GRAND HOTEL, it proved a great success on the Broadway stage, and with its fame as both novel and play the studio made the property the focus of its powerful array of contract talent. It was smash with both critics and audiences and won the Academy Award as Best Picture of 1932.<br /><br />Although the 1930s was notable for social dramas, audiences of the Great Depression wanted an escape from the hardship of their lives, and no expense was spared to create the glittering and very high-gloss image moviegoers craved. Designed by legendary art director Cedric Gibbons, who mixed Deco and Moderne styles to tremendous effect, each set was built specifically for the film and no detail was overlooked; Adrian's costumes were also meticulous in their combination of high-fashion and romance. No detail was overlooked, and in terms of production values alone few films before or after have bested GRAND HOTEL.<br /><br />But if GRAND HOTEL is distinctly of its era in terms of visual style, it is also distinctly of its era in terms of performance, and it is here that we run into a bit of trouble. Most actors of the silent era relied on a mannered performance style that compensated for the lack of sound. The arrival of sound forced them to invent a new performance style, and some proved more adaptable than others. In many respects, GRAND HOTEL is a study of the struggle to invent this new way of acting; some of the performers are excessively large, some are in transition between silent and sound modes, and some are distinctly modern in their approach.<br /><br />In terms of story, GRAND HOTEL presents several overlapping and interweaving plot lines. Celebrated ballerina Grusinskaya (Garbo) is performing in Berlin--and is a deep depression that threatens her career. Baron von Geigern (John Barrymore) is in desperate need of money--and has agreed to steal Grusinskaya's famous pearls. When Grusinskaya's suicide attempt collides with the Baron's intended theft, romance is result. At the same time, industrialist Preysing (Wallace Beery) has arrived at the hotel in an effort to conclude a important business deal and has hired a stenographer named Flaemmchen (Joan Crawford) to assist him--but Preysing is unaware that company accountant Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore) has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and has taken rooms at the hotel, determined to enjoy himself before he dies. These characters, along with Grusinskaya's maid (Rafaela Ottiano), the hotel doctor (Lewis Stone), and various hotel employees (including Jean Hersholt) collide repeatedly over the course of a few days--and none will emerge entirely unscathed from their encounters.<br /><br />John Barrymore was noted for his larger-than-life performances on the stage, and he brought that same quality to many silent films; less fortunately, he also carried into the sound era, and his performance reads as excessively large. Although Garbo was a great star in the silent era, she quickly adapted to the new demands of sound in such films as ANNA Christie--but when faced with Barrymore's over-the-top performance she responds in kind, and the result is visually beautifully but incredibly mannered, and their scenes are not greatly aided by their dialogue, which is itself very much in "the grand manner." Although they are indeed fascinating, their performances are distinctly out of synch with the rest of the film, where a more natural style of acting is the norm.<br /><br />While Wallace Beery and Lewis Stone are quite good, and while Lionel Barrymore is unexpectedly effective (and much less mannered than his brother John), it is really Joan Crawford that points the way toward the new acting style. Crawford herself had worked in silents, and scored notable successes in such films as OUR DANCING DAUGHTERS, but she has made an easy leap to the sound era and never overplays her hand; Flaemmchen is among the best of her early performances, and Crawford herself thought it among the best of her overall career. She wasn't wrong.<br /><br />With the acting styles all over the map, GRAND HOTEL requires a modern viewer to make constant mental shifts; consequently, the film sometimes feels more than a little uphill. Even so, there are plenty of compensations: Garbo at the height of her beauty; Lionel Barrymore's multi-layered performance; a Crawford classic; and always, always the lush look and feel of the movie. Although I think it will most appeal to film buffs, there is no denying the thing has power, even though that power has become somewhat obscured by the passing years.<br /><br />GFT, Amazon Reviewer