QUEEN CHRISTINA (1933)
Label: Warner Archive
Region Code: Region-Free
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 99 Minutes 25 Seconds
Audio: English DTS HD-Master Audio Dual-Mono 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Full Frame (1.37:1) with side mattes
Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Audio: English DTS HD-Master Audio Dual-Mono 2.0 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Full Frame (1.37:1) with side mattes
Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Cast: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ian Keith, Lewis Stone, Elizabeth Young
In the loosely based on real-events genre comes the 17th century historical romantic-melodrama Queen Christina (1933), a pre-code Hollywood production starring screen legend Greta Garbo (Mata Hari) as Swedish Queen Christina, who inherited the throne at the tender age of six after the death of her father the King. Thirty years later she had grown tired of her duties as Queen and of defending her kingdom from constant attack, to that end she has called for an end to war and a plea for peace, to unite the kingdoms. With peace at hand she is being pressured from within to marry and produce an heir, suitors include her older cousin Charles Gustav (Reginald Owen, Bedknobs and Broomsticks), the duplicitous Swedish nobleman Prince Charles (Ian Keith, It Came from Beneath the Sea), and Spain’s King Philip IV. However, her heart yearns for something else, and this being pre-code Hollywood the flick it is able to dabble in themes that later would most likely have been excised, like an ambiguous sense of homosexuality as Christina kisses her lady-in-waiting Countess Ebba (Elizabeth Young, There's Always Tomorrow) on the mouth, and seems disheartened when Ebba later finds love in the arms of a man. Garbo's Queen has a penchant for dressing as a man and sneaking out of the castle on horseback to get a taste for life outside the castle walls. During one of these excursions she meets a traveler stranded in a snow, helping him free himself she departs and later taking shelter from the blizzard at a nearby inn. Still masquerading as a gent she takes the last available room at the inn, then the stranger she helped earlier also turns up at the inn and believing that she is a man asks to share the last room, which she accepts. The traveler turns out to be Antonio Pimentel de Prado of Spain (John Gilbert, Flesh and the Devil) an ambassador from Spain who has come to Sweden carrying the King of Spain's proposal to Queen Christina. During the night de Pardo cannot help but notice the beauty of this "man" he is sharing a room with, and to be honest the illusion is pretty dubious - it's hard to make the stunning beauty of Garbo look masculine folks. It's a wonderful and romantic meet-cute as Christina reveals that she is a woman, though she does not reveal that she is the Queen of Sweden. Their night together sparks intimations of romance which leads to trouble down the line as she must choose between her duty to her country and the man she loves.
In the loosely based on real-events genre comes the 17th century historical romantic-melodrama Queen Christina (1933), a pre-code Hollywood production starring screen legend Greta Garbo (Mata Hari) as Swedish Queen Christina, who inherited the throne at the tender age of six after the death of her father the King. Thirty years later she had grown tired of her duties as Queen and of defending her kingdom from constant attack, to that end she has called for an end to war and a plea for peace, to unite the kingdoms. With peace at hand she is being pressured from within to marry and produce an heir, suitors include her older cousin Charles Gustav (Reginald Owen, Bedknobs and Broomsticks), the duplicitous Swedish nobleman Prince Charles (Ian Keith, It Came from Beneath the Sea), and Spain’s King Philip IV. However, her heart yearns for something else, and this being pre-code Hollywood the flick it is able to dabble in themes that later would most likely have been excised, like an ambiguous sense of homosexuality as Christina kisses her lady-in-waiting Countess Ebba (Elizabeth Young, There's Always Tomorrow) on the mouth, and seems disheartened when Ebba later finds love in the arms of a man. Garbo's Queen has a penchant for dressing as a man and sneaking out of the castle on horseback to get a taste for life outside the castle walls. During one of these excursions she meets a traveler stranded in a snow, helping him free himself she departs and later taking shelter from the blizzard at a nearby inn. Still masquerading as a gent she takes the last available room at the inn, then the stranger she helped earlier also turns up at the inn and believing that she is a man asks to share the last room, which she accepts. The traveler turns out to be Antonio Pimentel de Prado of Spain (John Gilbert, Flesh and the Devil) an ambassador from Spain who has come to Sweden carrying the King of Spain's proposal to Queen Christina. During the night de Pardo cannot help but notice the beauty of this "man" he is sharing a room with, and to be honest the illusion is pretty dubious - it's hard to make the stunning beauty of Garbo look masculine folks. It's a wonderful and romantic meet-cute as Christina reveals that she is a woman, though she does not reveal that she is the Queen of Sweden. Their night together sparks intimations of romance which leads to trouble down the line as she must choose between her duty to her country and the man she loves.
Audio/Video: Queen Christina (1933) conquers Blu-ray with a new 2023 1080p HD Master from 4K scan of best surviving Nitrate elements, and for a 90 year-old film it's pretty dang wonderful. The monochromatic image showcases stable grain structures, welcomed textures and a pleasing grayscale with excellent contrast. Blacks are a tad milky but overall I wasn't bothered by it considering the age of the film. Occasionally the focus seems a bit soft, unsure if this is stylistic choice or source related, either way I didn;t find it detrimental to my viewing Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 2.0 dual-mono, and like the visuals it's outstanding for a vintage track that is 90 years-old, showing much less age-related wear than I was expecting, but some occasional hiss does remain during quieter moments.
Extras include a 29-min episode of the 1956 M-G-M Parade Television Series that focus on the later half of Garbo career at the studio. The Pall Mall cigarettes sponsored show features a song and dance routine advertising the tobacco company, which was pretty common place back in the day but might come off a bit shocking to younger viewers not in the know. We also get a 2-min Original Theatrical Trailer for the film. The single-disc release arrives in a standard keepcase with a single-sided sleeve of artwork featuring the original illustrated movie poster artwork for the film, advertising Garbo in much larger letters than the title of the film, the disc inside features an excerpt the same key artwork.
Special Features:
- Episode of “M-G-M Parade” Television series on the career of Greta Garbo at the studio (1956) (29:22)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:16)
Screenshots from the Warner Archive Blu-ray:
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