Camille, 1936, is playing on Turner Classic Movies is playing on Turner Classic Movies on Thursday December 29 at 6:45 a.m. est. Not closed captioned. This is the best romantic movie ever.
This film further proves that the assembly-line system of Hollywood studios back then should also be taken seriously in terms of artistry. Just because movies were produced run-of-the-mill doesn’t mean that they weren’t paid critical attention to by their makers. The usual impression on studio-era Hollywood is: take a formulaic narrative style, maybe adapt a stage play for the screen, blend in a handful of stars from the stable and the films rake in the profit at the box office. Not quite, that’s the easy perception. George Cukor, another of those versatile directors, made it apparent with Camille that filmmaking as an art may still flourish despite (and even within) certain parameters. Camille is beautiful, in so many respects. And it’s not just because of Greta Garbo.
Sure, the acting is amazing, the casting is perfect. Garbo is luminous, mysterious, cruel, and weak at the same time. Robert Taylor surrenders himself to be the heartbreakingly young and vulnerable Armand. Henry Daniell’s coldness and sadism is utterly human and familiar. The others are just plain wonderful. The writing contains so much wit and humor, devotion and pain – but it never overstates anything. The rapport and tensions between lovers, friends, and enemies are palpable and consistent. The actions flow so naturally, just like every scene, that checking for historical inconsistencies seem far beside the point.
There is so much that I love about Camille that it’s hard to enumerate them all, but with every little discovery comes the realization that this is “but” a studio production, so it makes the experience more exquisite. Camille is a gentle, poignant romantic movie that, like Garbo, takes its place delicately and self-effacingly in the history of American cinema, but makes itself indelible in the heart and mind of the lovelorn individual viewer. Review by tsarevna for the IMDb.
Some behind-the scenes-from Camille.
Making Marguerite’s Dresses:
Robert Taylor Actor 
“Camille” is a nice romantic movie. In my opinion, in this movie, Mr.Taylor is very expressive and communicates well the mood of a young man in love. He would play others roles like this. While I find uninteresting those shot with his wife Barbara Stanwiych and the two are not (for me) compatible even on the screen.
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I kind of like the Taylor-Stanwyck films although I agree that he was more compatible with other actresses–like Eleanor Parker.
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I agree. In my opinion, Barbara Stanwych had a way of acting too excited -if I may say – a bit too American for Mr.Taylor, instead, always has a refined and sweet touch, more English.
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An osservation: I was very impressed with the video where you see Mr.Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck in an interwiew during a trip to England, in 1947. It is noted considerable discomfort on Mr.Taylor face, almost, suffering. She interrupts him before he had finisched speaking. An uncomfortable and also a veil of apparent irony in the eyes of B.Stanwyck ,perhaps , of contempt…these are my impressions…
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Yes, I noticed how she cut him off and dominated the conversation. She was always putting him down. He just stared around and looked like he’d rather be somewhere else. Happy New Year!
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Felice Anno Nuovo!
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A very Happy 2017 to you!
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Hovever, I can not understand how he could have endured so much to the side of that kind of woman-man (in italian: virago).
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Mr. Taylor hated conflict and disruption. It was easier for him, for many years, to put up with her even though he wasn’t happy.
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Then, luckily for him, Mr.Taylor went to Rome for “Quo Vadis” and Lia Di Leo managed to free him by his wife. Although in some way, his ex-wife held him prisoner with a heavy percentage of his earnins. A truly terrible woman…
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There was always something exotic about Robert Taylor, despite the fact that he was from the American heartland.
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Yes.
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Ms. Stanwyck had a tough life. They were both complex and difficult people in some ways. They just shouldn’t have married one another, they weren’t suited.
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