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Demanding a whiskey (which she is offered the chance to receive in a pail), Greta Garbo made her first, historic spoken words in this film. (I have to imagine audiences of the era must have been horrified to hear how deep and thickly accented it was.) The story is rambling melodrama that must have felt right at home when it first aired, in the heart of the Great Depression, comprising vignettes that include a souse returning to town from Minnesota (!), a sinking boat, a trip to Coney Island, a broken engagement, and -- of course -- a past that will have to be revealed in the end. Extremely popular in its day, the film was shot a second time on the same sets but with a different crew and in German. The DVD includes both versions, allowing you to nod off before the end twice.
