Plot: What’s it about?
Berlin’s Grand Hotel is always loaded with important guests, which means something is always going on within its walls. Of course, the guests come and go often, which means the hotel is hardly even involved. Just a stage for the events to unfold upon, a place for people to connect to, then disconnect from in just a short while. The hotel is now filled with interesting guests, as usual, but most of the current ones have some real problems. Grunsinskaya (Greta Garbo) is a famous dancer, but she is worried her fame is soon to come to an end. A wealthy businessman named Preysing (Wallace Beery) is also at the hotel, but he too has some concerns. He needs to make sure a merger is completed, but unless he lies, the deal could bottom out. So he paces the hotel and thinks, until he bumps into Fleammchen (Joan Crawford), a beautiful woman. But Fleammchen has been wooed by another guest as well, so she has two men to choose from, if she so wishes. The other man in her picture is Baron Felix von Geigern (John Barrymore), who is broke as can be, though no one knows that. He plans to get close to Grunsinskaya and make off with her jewels, though he winds up with more than he expected. A dying man, Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore) is also at the hotel and is berated by his boss, Preysing. But what will happen to all of these guests and in the end, will the Grand Hotel be any different for the journey?
This movie has more stars than you can count and even won Best Picture, but does Grand Hotel check in as a classic? Grand Hotel is an obvious attraction, thanks to tons of big name stars and a formula that is still recycled, some seven decades later. But this is not a classic, not in the usual sense, as Grand Hotel hasn’t aged with grace. The cast is still impressive, with Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, and John Barrymore in the leads, but the performances seem a little campish now. This could be because of my intolerance of soap opera melodramatics, but I am not alone in my opinion that Grand Hotel has lost some shine. The over the top performances, the star vying to be top banana, the endless melodrama, it all clogs up the pipes at times. But in terms of entertainment, I think Grand Hotel is a lot of fun to watch. Garbo is great fun, but Crawford pulls out the stops to outshine her, which makes things more interesting, of course. So if you just let down your critical guard, this movie will make the time sail by, as if it were only a few moments. Grand Hotel might not be a classic, but it won over audiences and continues to entertain. Warner’s DVD is a solid one, complete with a terrific new transfer and some nice supplements. I can recommend Grand Hotel to anyone who loves a good movie, as it still holds up as a wonderful picture.
Video: How does it look?
Grand Hotel is presented in full frame, as intended. This is a terrific treatment, as the movie looks much better than I’ve ever seen. The elements are over seventy years old, but the print used here looks much, much fresher. I saw some light grain, which was expected, while debris and other defects are never an issue. So for a movie of this vintage, the print looks excellent and fans will be more than satisfied. The black & white visuals are never hindered by poor contrast either, as black levels retain a smooth, balanced presence. In the end, we have a clean, refined visual treatment, so kudos to Warner on this one.
Audio: How does it sound?
This is a mono track from 1932, so you can’t expect much, but this manages to provide a clean & proper soundtrack. The sound effects come through well, even minor background detail is evident and that adds a lot to the impact of the audio. The music is in fine form and sounds as good as mono can, but that means not much range is used and that’s a shame. I found the dialogue to be a little harsh at times, but not too much and the overall clarity is fantastic. This isn’t the best mono track I’ve heard, but this is more than adequate. This disc also includes a French language track, as well as subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
A brief retrospective featurette starts us off, then you can check out a musical short titled Nothing Ever Happens. This disc also includes a newsreel from the film’s premiere, a special theater announcement, and the film’s theatrical trailer.
