Queen Christina (1933)

Well, shit. I sleep on my right side which, according to this Pre-Code delight, is a bad call since my sword arm won’t be free to defend myself from scoundrels, rapscallions, and the assorted riff-raff of the Swedish population, who all inexplicably speak with an American accent. One impressively mustachioed rabble-rouser was daggum close to channeling Yosemite Sam in one scene.

Queen Christina is a frisky, jaunty romantic dramedy featuring a brilliant performance from iconic screen star Greta Garbo. She exemplifies what the term “a beloved queen” means. She’s compassionate, conscientious, hard-driving, tough talking, and most important of all, a supporter of peace among nations. This heavily fictionalized take on the Swedish queen still manages to sneak in some allusions to the real queen’s sexuality which coincide quite comfortably with the rumors of Garbo’s own sexual preferences. Garbo is magnetic and you simply can’t take your eyes off of her. When the film cuts to one of her many close-ups, it’s jaw-dropping how glamorous and powerful she looks. As Gloria Swanson put it: We didn’t need dialogue. We had faces. 

Director Rouben Mamoulian’s direction is inspired and Queen Christina moves along at a confident, strutting pace. His framing and lengthy dolly shots reveal a filmmaker in complete control of his medium. Tragic actor John Gilbert’s prior work with Garbo gives their scenes a lift and this movie deserves a lot of credit for what could easily have been a tidy, standard conclusion. The glorious final shot is both triumphant and devastatingly sad.