FILM FILM - University of Macau Library
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FILM FILM - University of Macau Library

FILM FILM - University of Macau Library FILM FILM - University of Macau Library

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Fragmented Pieces: Writing the History of the Lost Hollywood Films 109 in his heart running down to the pier to catch up with his daughter. He is too late, and falls into the water. The last image shows his stick and hat floating on the dark surface... This is the only consequent ending. 34 The same debate on happy endings would later reoccur, as we have seen, in connection with The Wind. This question of happy endings indeed seems to have become a commonplace in critical discourses on American cinema in the 1920s; a metonymy for the supposed superficiality of Hollywood film culture. The Divine Woman – From Bernhardt to Garbo The story in The Divine Woman was originally supposed to portray The Divine Sarah, as the film was scripted by Dorothy Farnum, after a play by Gladys Unger: Starlight, about the life of Sarah Bernhardt. However, in the end little seems to have remained of the original Sarah, as the role had been completely adjusted to suit the American image of Garbo the actress: she who would become The Divine Garbo. Thus, this is the picture of the simple country girl who arrives in the big city and meets all of its temptations, making her the biggest of stars. But this means nothing compared to true love... Marianne (Greta Garbo), a young woman from Brittany neglected by her impoverished parents, longs to be an actress and moves to Paris. Here, she meets theatrical producer Henry Legrande (Lowell Sherman), who had once had an affair with Marianne’s mother and now takes care of her daughter. Marianne falls in love with a young deserter, Lucien (Lars Hanson). He steals a dress for her and ends up in jail. Now, Henry starts to court her, and Marianne is thus torn between her love and her loyalty towards the paternal figure. According to the original script, she was supposed to flee to South America with her beloved, but in the film, according to the cutting continuity script, she makes a suicide attempt that fails, whereupon the two lovers are happily reunited. 35 (FIG. 19) Bengt Forslund has noted that it was the fifth script version of The Divine Woman that received preliminary approval from Irving Thalberg, after which, however, the approval was withdrawn and three more script versions had to be submitted before final approval. Forslund also quotes Sjöström’s wife, who is supposed to have said that he shouldn’t make “those kinds of films”. 36 The Swedish critic in the leading film magazine Filmjournalen, though, was rather positive, attributing the film to “our own” Victor Sjöström. 37 These possessive traits appear only late in the director’s American career; it is as if the need to remind the audience of his Swedishness became more urgent as time passed, but there is also a vein of Swedish national pride in the comments: through Sjöström, as well as through Garbo, who was also mentioned in the reviews,

110 Transition and Transformation Sweden was put on Hollywood’s map. Bengt Forslund quotes an American critic who stated that: “Here is a new Garbo, who flutters, who mugs. This interesting reserved lady – the Swedish marvel at emotional massage – goes completely Hollywood, all at once.” 38 Obviously, Sjöström’s American films were recognized as being more or less in the “Hollywood style”, with all that this brought along for better or for worse, depending on the values of the critic or other commentator. (FIG. 20) Fig. 19: From a rediscovered fragment: Greta Garbo and Lars Hanson (The Divine Woman). Most noteworthy in relation to this particular film, however, is that it – perhaps more so than some of the director’s other Hollywood productions – appears as a form of popular culture where all kinds of polyphonic voices enter into the text, which, as Bruno has put it, “are interwoven and disseminated with other cultural and narrative forms”. 39 If this is less a work by Sjöström the auteur – as the complaint from Edith Erastoff seems to suggest – it takes on new significance as testimony of his integration into the new production context; the predominant fabric of popular culture.

110 Transition and Transformation<br />

Sweden was put on Hollywood’s map. Bengt Forslund quotes an American<br />

critic who stated that: “Here is a new Garbo, who flutters, who mugs. This<br />

interesting reserved lady – the Swedish marvel at emotional massage – goes<br />

completely Hollywood, all at once.” 38 Obviously, Sjöström’s American films<br />

were recognized as being more or less in the “Hollywood style”, with all that<br />

this brought along for better or for worse, depending on the values <strong>of</strong> the critic<br />

or other commentator. (FIG. 20)<br />

Fig. 19: From a rediscovered fragment: Greta Garbo and Lars Hanson (The Divine<br />

Woman).<br />

Most noteworthy in relation to this particular film, however, is that it – perhaps<br />

more so than some <strong>of</strong> the director’s other Hollywood productions – appears as a<br />

form <strong>of</strong> popular culture where all kinds <strong>of</strong> polyphonic voices enter into the text,<br />

which, as Bruno has put it, “are interwoven and disseminated with other cultural<br />

and narrative forms”. 39 If this is less a work by Sjöström the auteur – as the<br />

complaint from Edith Erast<strong>of</strong>f seems to suggest – it takes on new significance as<br />

testimony <strong>of</strong> his integration into the new production context; the predominant<br />

fabric <strong>of</strong> popular culture.

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