Based on the popular Broadway play of the same name two years ago, the story is based on a German novel based on true events. A sought after but lonely star, a gentlemanly but down-to-earth baron, a domineering and lustful wealthy businessman, a kind-hearted and worldly female stenographer, a seriously ill little person who wants to have fun, 5 Strangers meet unexpectedly at a luxury hotel in Berlin. In the next two days, scenes of secular tragicomedy were staged here: flirting, stealing and gambling, seeing each other late, pity for each other, financial transactions, murder and deception. In the end, someone died, someone was born, someone went to jail, and someone was deceived. Everyone went their separate ways, and newcomers came one after another, but the long-term doctor could see clearly: people came and went, but that's all.
At the beginning, he explained the background and made several big stars appear on the phone, which was amazing; then the doctor looked on from the sidelines and pointed out philosophical themes; then the front of the ring service desk appeared again, and the camera turned around. Go, it would be even better if it was a long shot; then the two actresses, Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo, who were both on the top 10 of the 1999 AFI's Greatest Female Stars, came out Director Zhong deliberately did not let them appear in any scene at the same time, just to avoid each other's edge). But in general, if you look at it by the current standards, the plot of this film is loose and jumping, the characters' emotions change too quickly, and the traces of the stage play are obvious, which sometimes makes people feel confused.
MGM changed the mode of only using one or two stars in a movie in the past, and brought together five of its big names to co-star, making this one of the earliest movies with an all-star cast. Of course, it's not easy to coordinate so many superstars together, just the ranking on the cast is a problem. It is said that Joan Crawford, who was born in a bitter child, was dissatisfied with Greta Garbo from Sweden, who wanted to fight for the first place, and used revenge for being late; while Wallace Beery, who just won the Oscar for best actor the year before, publicly admitted to stealing the scene. But these are small episodes after all. The star effect of this film made it the box office champion of the year, affirming the innovation of MGM. It is worth mentioning that the ticket price of the film's premiere in Hollywood's Chinese theaters is as high as $1.50, which is much higher than the average at the time (less than $0.3). Don't forget that this was in 1932, before the Great Depression. John Barrymore, who plays the baron, is actually the younger brother of Lionel Barrymore, who plays the little man. The former was 50 years old when he appeared in the film, which is 23 years older than Greta Garbo, who played the opposite role of the couple. Their Barrymore family is still active in Hollywood, most notably John's granddaughter Drew Barrymore.
Greta Garbo, who plays the Russian ballet dancer in the film, said a famous line: I want to be alone. Although she later argued that what she said at the time was I want to be let alone, this line has since been linked to her life. One of the most famous actresses in Hollywood silent films and the early Golden Age, four Oscar nominees (none) and named the most beautiful woman in human history by the Guinness Book of World Su suddenly retired, and did not come back until his death (84 years old), not even winning the Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award. She never got married and had children, she said she was tired of Hollywood, she confessed to her friends that she had depression, and she was a perpetual mystery.
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