Queen Christina

"Triumphant Return To The Screen!"

1934 1h 39m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 147

RomanceHistoryDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Popular monarch Queen Christina of Sweden must choose between love and loyalty to her nation when she unexpectedly falls for a Spanish envoy.

“Triumphant Return To The Screen!”

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Cast

Greta Garbo
Christina
John Gilbert
Antonio
Ian Keith
Magnus
Lewis Stone
Oxenstierna
Elizabeth Young
Ebba
C. Aubrey Smith
Aage
Reginald Owen
Charles
David Torrence
Archbishop

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Rouben Mamoulian
Writers: Margaret P. Levino, Salka Viertel, H.M. Harwood
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

92 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Rouben Mamoulian, shot by William H. Daniels. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Blanche Sewell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Greta Garbo and John Gilbert and Ian Keith carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Triumphant Return To The Screen!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0024481 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Rouben Mamoulian directs. William H. Daniels behind the camera. Blanche Sewell cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
292 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4Directed by Rouben Mamoulian, shot by William H. Daniels. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Blanche Sewell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Greta Garbo and John Gilbert and Ian Keith carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Triumphant Return To The Screen!".
8IMDB entry: tt0024481 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 13 themes, including "ambassador", "peace", "queen", "sweden".

The technical file

Cinematography: William H. Daniels
Editing: Blanche Sewell
Production design: Edgar G. Ulmer
Costume design: Adrian
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Status: Released
Budget: $1,114,000
Box office: $2,610,000
Return: 234% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: Queen Christina (1934)

Also by

Rouben Mamoulian

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-03-09
★ 7/10
Greta Garbo is great in this speculative depiction of the life of the famed Queen of the Swedes, Goths and Vandals! Acceding to the throne after the death of her warrior king father, she spends much of her reign engaged in the Thirty Years War that ended with Sweden being a pre-eminent power in a battle-torn Europe. The arrival of her army commanding cousin, Prince Charles (Reginald Owen) gives rise to hope amongst the population the she will soon marry him. She, on the other hand, has no plans to be bounced into matrimony. Indeed, she has no plans to keep the war going either, so despatching her chancellor (Lewis Stone) to peace talks, she invites a new Spanish Ambassador (John Gilbert) to her court. Meantime, her domestic suitor "Magnus" (Ian Keith) is pressing his own suit, her confidant "Ebba" (Elizabeth Young) earns her enmity with a clumsily delivered conversation with her own lover and so she sets off into the snow with her aide "Aage" (C. Aubrey Smith) where a chance encounter changes the course of not just her own destiny, but that of her country too. If you know a bit about the history, then you will have an inkling as to what happens - an epitome of politicking, romance and tragedy, and Garbo plays the part boldly and engagingly. It helps that the script gives her the latitude to play the role of a strong and forceful woman in what is undoubtedly a man's world. There's a strong chemistry between Both Garbo and Gilbert and also between her and her stalwart Aubrey Smith, with the latter introducing a little humour to the snow-bound proceedings. Much has been made of the supposed sexual ambiguity of both the character and the actor, and I suppose if that's the case you want to make it can be, but for me this is a classic biopic of a clever and shrewd women playing a game built for men - either on screen or behind it, and I really did enjoy it.

Production companies