LENA OnLINe :: Centennial Greta Garbo Tribute

07 April 2005

My Night at the Academy with Lena Olin, honoring the "Great Garbo" - exclusively for LENA OnLINe by WildChild
An exclusive recording of Lena's presentation can be downloaded here.

I was fortunate enough to be sitting front-row, center, just a few feet away from the small stage in the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre. At precisely 8 p.m. the tribute began with a clip of Garbo in the film, 'Flesh and The Devil', a silent from 1926 that had everyone laughing from the start as Garbo tempted a potential lover with her breathtaking beauty, seductive eyes and coy behavior; something Greta was well-known for. Remind you of another famous Swedish actress we all know and love?

When the clip concluded, the Director of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences introduced the Consul General of Sweden, Tomas Rosander, in place of the Academy President Frank Pierson who had an emergency at the last second and was unable to attend.

Tomas Rosander took the stage, and with a thick Swedish accent, talked briefly about the legendary Greta Garbo, the world's first great Swedish actress. He was 'proud to introduce another great Swedish actress, Lena Olin,' who'd be presenting the life of Greta Garbo. Something he only thought 'fitting.' He went on to describe Lena's achievements as an actress before introducing her with a thunderous round of applause.

Lena made her entrance walking down the aisle from the back of the theatre like the graceful dancer she is. She looked absolutely stunning in her beautiful silver sweater and satin skirt. But then when doesn't she? I've met many a celebrities in my day, and Lena is one of the few who actually look like they do on television or film in person. In Lena's case, she is MORE beautiful in person.

Her hair is the longest I've seen it thus far in her life, and as soon as she takes her first steps behind the podium, does her trademark move that I now know 'Irina Derevko' has inherited from Lena Olin... she tucks her long tresses behind her ear. It is the first, but not the last, time during the evening she does this.

The first thing she does is welcome all of us in her native Swedish as we are 'celebrating the life' of an outstanding Swedish actress. Lena begins by telling us all how honored she feels to be hosting such a special tribute for the legend that is 'Garbo.' She talks about Greta's life growing up in Stockholm and how she made her first entrance into theatre and acting...'As a way to overcome her incredible shyness.' Yet another striking similarity between the two actresses as Lena joined the theatre for same reason, to overcome her crippling shyness.

The first film Lena presents of Garbo's work is a silent, Swedish film titled, 'Gösta Berling's Saga,' from 1923-1924. Lena announces that because the screen caps of dialogue are in Swedish, she will be narrating for all of us. Now I don't know how many of you have ever seen the early silent films or how they work, but you see a small bit of action from the film and then it cuts to a black screen that shows the dialogue of what the actors are saying. It's usually very brief, to the point, and in Garbo's case... very funny.

The film begins with Garbo riding on a sled with a man as they are racing across the snow-covered tundra behind a horse. The man is driving wildly and then it cuts to the black screen of dialogue. Lena is trying to make the rapid translation from Swedish to English before the screen disappears, but she's cut off.

This keeps happening repeatedly, and everyone is laughing as she's trying to translate on the fly, and the dialogue is very funny. Lena is having a hard time keeping up as the Swedish version is so long and there isn't enough time! Garbo's character informs the man's he must go home... her family doesn't know she's gone... she's married... she's going to jump off the sled if he's refusing to turn around...'

Lena gets into how funny this situation is with her comical translations and with what's being shown on the screen. The man informs Garbo's character that she can't jump off and they can't slow down... they're being followed.' The film jumps back to the action, and then rapidly back to Garbo's line, which Lena shouts with much enthusiasm as its only ONE word! "WOLVES!!" And everyone in the audience, including Lena, burst out with laughter at the whole situation and Lena's reaction. People were rolling in their seats, it was that funny. Maybe its one of those things you 'just have to be there.'

When the film clip is finally over, Lena brings on another round of outrageous laughter by stating in her very funny way, 'I think that screen translation was the toughest acting gig I've had in my career!'

She goes on to talk about how Garbo came to Hollywood and made her debut in America with 'The Torrent' in 1926. The success of the film, combined with the Swedish beauty's formidable screen presence earned her a contract with MGM. They showed clips from the film as well as 'The Mysterious Lady' from 1928, before Lena goes onto talk about further accomplishments of Garbo and her personal life. Lena's Swedish accent can be heard distinctly in her pronunciation of certain words that only add to her charm.

She talks about other Garbo films such as 'A Woman of Affairs,' from 1928, as well as 'The Single Standard' from 1929. Lena talks about the characters Garbo often played were the 'fallen woman,' not necessarily bad but often misunderstood. She was always the seductive beauty who charmed every man and even women with just a look; and yes, another similarity with the beautiful host. Because of Garbo's screen presence, it was difficult to find male counter-parts who could hold up to her on film. The same actors were often used repeatedly in films because of this reason and Greta's co-stars were head-over-heels in love with her. John Gilbert was one co-star who'd repeatedly proposed marriage to Garbo and was turned down every time... she wanted to keep her personal and professional life separate.

Many more clips, from many more films, followed with Lena's commentary in between, and there was much laughter at both Garbo's comedy-laced performances and Lena's comments. Lena described the major transition in Garbo's life on making her first 'sound' picture, 'Anna Christie' in 1930, and the world finally heard the deep, accented voice of Greta Garbo. The clip they chose from the film was Garbo's very first line of dialogue, heavily accented and very funny, 'Gimme a viskey!' Everyone in the theatre laughed, including Lena with that brilliant smile of hers. The similarity between the two women, in both their professional and personal lives became more astounding as the night went on, viewing the clips of Garbo's performances and hearing more details of her private life.

After showing more wonderful clips from Garbo's sound films, Lena moved center stage to welcome and interview two lovely, older women who had worked with and were friends of Greta's. They took their seats in big leather chairs just a few feet in front of us, Lena was on the left and the other two to her right. The lights on her gorgeous silver dress and enormous diamond earrings were blinding as she turned her head back and forth.

Lena asked Joan Leslie about her experience working with Garbo on the film 'Camille' in 1937. Joan was a child actor at the time and recounted her euphoric moment when Garbo entered the set for the first time. She had been a huge fan of Garbo's before she got the part, and working with her was a dream come true... one of the 'best' moments of her life, she said. She made us all laugh by lowering her voice to talk like Garbo and then again when she said she really 'had no right to be here,' as she'd only worked with her on that one film so many years ago.

Lena then moved on to Cora Sue Collins who first met Garbo when she was only 5 years old, playing the 'younger version of Garbo' in the film, 'Queen Christina' in 1933. She was specially chosen by Garbo to portray her and Garbo would invite the young girl into her 'very private' dressing room to have tea during the filming of the movie. The two became fast, life-long friends. She starred again with Garbo in the famous 'Anna Karenina' in 1935.

Cora Sue made us all burst into laughter (we did a lot of laughing during the tribute, can you tell?) when she told us of how big a fan her mother was of Garbo's and though she, as a child, was a good friend of Garbo's... her mother was never allowed to attend 'their tea parties,' often blocked at the door by a large surly maid. Cora Sue told many stories about her friendship with Greta and how they lived on the same street in Paris years later.

She made us laugh again recounting a telephone conversation she had with Greta about 'hiding' in disguise from the paparazzi. She couldn't understand why they'd 'notice' her even in disguise, and Cora Sue pointed out that maybe it was the 'dark hat, glasses and trench coat' that made her look mysterious. They remained close friends until Greta's death and Cora Sue was one of the very 'few' people that were allowed inside Garbo's very personal life.

We then went onto a clip from 'Ninotchka' made in 1939, one of Garbo's last films and the first in which she laughs! Like our dear host Lena Olin on "ALIAS,' Garbo plays a no nonsense Soviet Spy, Comrade Nina Ivanovna who ends up falling for the man she was taught to despise in Paris. Many hilarious lines from this film had everyone cracking up, especially when she described love as a 'chemical reaction.' When Lena was talking about the film and Garbo's portrayal of the Soviet Spy, the look in Lena's eyes and in her smile, let you know she was laughing at the irony, as she thought about her own portrayal as a Soviet Spy or as a Russian... a role Garbo was often cast in as well, because of the Swedish accent.

The last two guests Lena interviewed center stage were the famous Gavin Lambert and Gore Vidal, both friends of Garbo's.

Gavin Lambert, in his British accent, was the first to recall his first meeting with Garbo at a mutual friend's house in Switzerland. He talked about her request that he join her on her ever-famous 'walk'…where the two struck up a friendship. He recalled how nervous he was about going, and said that the friend of theirs had given him some advice before they left. If Gavin wanted Greta to talk about her work on films, he was not to bring up the subject or she wouldn't talk…but, if he didn't ask about her work, then she would talk about it. So he didn't ask, and she told him about working on her films.

Everyone was laughing, as he too recalled her comments, mimicking her deep voice and cadence. He shared a funny story from one winter in Switzerland when Greta made a dramatic semi-scene about eating at a restaurant with her friends. He said it was then that he realized how much she missed acting in her life and was creating these dramatic moments in an attempt to recreate those magical movie moments. There was a collective 'gasp' of sadness for the first time that evening at realizing how lonely she was after she left Hollywood. Lena was nodding along in understanding for Garbo at how much 'not being able to act' would affect her life, like she 'lost a part of herself' as Gavin said when she could no longer act.

That sad moment led to the big reveal of the night... the myth of 'why' Garbo suddenly left Hollywood and acting behind at the height of her career. It was often said that she quoted her line from the film, 'The Grand Hotel,' shot in 1932 as her reasoning behind her departure, 'I want to be alone now.' After decades of wondering, Gore Vidal, a life long friend of Greta's, revealed the startling truth to everyone, including Lena whom it was obvious by the astounded look on her face and evident sadness, had no idea either.

Vidal startled everyone at first by saying it was 'Howard Hughes's fault; and then recalled how Greta had decided to 'take a break' from acting and the movies at the beginning of WWII, because half of her audience were European and trapped by war and the others, American soldiers, were off fighting. She, like everyone else, thought the war would only last a year or two and then she'd come back to acting. But the war went on longer than she thought and when it finally did end, as promised, Garbo returned to Hollywood to do a screen test for a film. Her film test went brilliantly, as she lit up the screen, her absence having no affect on her presence. She was cast in the part, but was then fired by none other than Howard Hughes, 'Mr. Aviator' himself. He was the owner of the studio at the time and was quoted as saying when he heard about Garbo being cast, 'I don't want to make another Garbo film.'

Vidal said Greta was so humiliated, and her self-esteem shattered after losing the part in the film, after she'd been the number one actress in the world for years, she went into seclusion, leaving Hollywood forever. Everyone in that theatre including Lena, had tears in their eyes at that truth behind Garbo's departure and what an enormous loss it was for the world.

The mood lightened slightly and made us all laugh again when Vidal recalled a phone conversation he'd had with Garbo. Greta, he said, was so bored in her secluded life, she spent hours walking and shopping... mostly window-shopping. In the conversation Vidal had asked Greta where'd she'd been. Her reply was 'shopping.' 'Of course you were' Vidal said, 'And what did you buy?' 'A pull-over.' Garbo answered. 'Of course you did.' Vidal said. Garbo was famous for buying and wearing pull-overs he said, making everyone laugh. She probably 'owned hundreds' he said, as 'that's all she ever bought.'

Unfortunately with time constraints, the interviews had to end, and we all sighed in disappointment, including Lena who voiced what we were all thinking, 'I don't want this to stop... I could sit here all night with you, listening to these stories.' It was truly fascinating if any of you are familiar with Garbo, hearing these intimate things about her life.

We then got to watch Greta Garbo's last appearance on any film, her last screen test from that fateful film in which she was 'cast aside'. She looked absolutely radiant and playful. Her glorious smile and her striking poses caused everyone in the audience to 'ooh and ahh' over her incredible beauty on screen.

When it was over Lena said the last clip being shown of the night was from Garbo's last film, 'Two-Faced Woman' made in 1941, another hysterical performance and role for Greta. Lena was beaming as she said we were wrapping up the tribute with a 'fitting farewell' to the graceful beauty, Greta Garbo. The clip showed her laughing, smiling and dancing to her 'own beat' as her character improvised and made up a dance all her own when under public scrutiny... very fitting for her real-life farewell.

The last display of Lena's humor and humility came with a mix-up with the teleprompter that repeated her earlier lines of 'leaving us tonight with a final clip of Garbo.' And she turned, like she had all night from the podium, waiting for the red curtain to rise and the film to start. But the curtain didn't rise... and there she stood, finally turning to smile and laugh at us as the silence passed before making big, expressive hand movements again and again toward the red curtain, willing it to rise, like presenting something or someone missing their 'cue.' Finally, a woman from the Academy crept up near the podium and informed Lena, 'that was it, there are no more clips.' And Lena burst out laughing with enormous smile, saying, 'I guess I just said that, and we already watched the clip.'

She then thanked everyone for a wonderful evening and made her exit just as gracefully as she entered with a thunderous round of applause.

The entire night was just amazing. Between Lena's hysterical commentary, Garbo's formidable screen presence and the friends who knew her best sharing their stories... it was a night that everyone there will certainly remember fondly and feel privileged to have been a part of.

And what a great ab workout with all that laughter!

Written by: WildChild
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