A beautiful opera star kept by a rich older man falls in love with a young clergyman.
Acting
Garbo's close-ups could stop traffic in 1930 or 2024.
Production
Pre-code freedom lets them actually talk about sex and sin out loud.
Director
Clarence Brown
Greta Garbo
Rita Cavallini
Lewis Stone
Cornelius 'Conny' Van Tuyl
Gavin Gordon
Tom Armstrong
Elliott Nugent
Harry
Florence Lake
Susan Van Tuyl
Clara Blandick
Abigail Armstrong
Henry Armetta
Theater Manager Beppo
Mathilde Comont
Rita's Maid Vannucci
Rina De Liguoro
Nina (as Countess De Rina)
Roy D'Arcy
Minor Role (uncredited)
Pat Harmon
New Year's Eve Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Margaret Mann
Tearful Woman at Opera (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Garbo hated the original ending where Rita dies; she insisted on the ambiguous walk-away that lets her character choose her own fate.
This was Garbo's first talkie hit after the disastrous Mata Hari, proving audiences wanted her voice as much as her face.
US
