Biography a fascinating look at cinema’s greatest enigma
Garbo by Robert Gottlieb; Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Coming a century after the Swedish actress’ film debut, Robert Gottlieb’s biography of Greta Garbo is a classic movie lover’s dream. Enriching his insightful reconsideration of Garbo’s life and career are wonderful photos, a selection of essays from the past and anecdotes from those who encountered the enigmatic star.
It’s just the kind of book the famously private Garbo would have hated — and read, every page. As Gottlieb explains, her desire for privacy did not make her immune to interest in what people were saying about her. But friends who talked to writers or, worse, wrote their own books about her would be erased from her life.
Why care about Garbo today? After all, her movies are rarely seen outside of TCM. She appeared in three European feature films, then just 25 films in Hollywood, all for MGM and nearly half of them silent. She more or less walked away from her career in 1941 yet retained a grip on the public’s imagination up to her death, at 84, in 1990.
Gottlieb, a longtime book editor and publishing executive as well as a writer and critic, presents an early 20th century life with all the trappings of a season of TV’s Feud. In Garbo’s case, however, the quarrel was not with a bitter rival but with Garbo herself.
Greta Gustafsson endured poverty growing up in Stockholm but found little joy or comfort in the millions she earned in Hollywood as Garbo. She longed to be an actress, putting on shows as a child, and worked tirelessly to gain a place in the theatre. Yet with film stardom in the U.S. came the heavy chains of contract work and never-ending demands on her time. In Grand Hotel (1932) Garbo famously lamented, “I want to be alone,” but in real life she was no recluse, just a woman who no longer wanted to be in the public eye. Photographers pursued her throughout her five decades of retirement.
She loved children but never had her own. She had plenty of men in her life — and more than a few women — but never married. She diminished the beauty that entranced moviegoers with slacks and sweaters that could have used a good washing. People who met her often commented on how little she offered in the way of interesting conversation — likely shyness combined with a lack of education — yet she laughed more than one might expect.
Gottlieb asks: “What are we to make of this strange creature who, without trying, compelled the attention of the world in a way no other star had done?” He offers many avenues for thought. Along the way he brings to life Garbo’s time and place — particularly Europe, Hollywood and America between world wars — and fills her story with other unique characters.
It’s fascinating from beginning to end. You’ll want to be alone, too, with Garbo.