Grand Hotel

"Thank the stars for a great entertainment!"

1932 1h 52m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 367

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Guests at a posh Berlin hotel struggle through worry, scandal, and heartache.

“Thank the stars for a great entertainment!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Greta Garbo
Grusinskaya
John Barrymore
Baron Felix von Gaigern
Joan Crawford
Flämmchen
Wallace Beery
General Director Preysing
Lionel Barrymore
Otto Kringelein
Lewis Stone
Doctor Otternschlag
Jean Hersholt
Senf
Robert McWade
Meierheim

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Edmund Goulding
Writers: Béla Balázs, Edgar Allan Woolf
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 / 7

ERA

Did you know

94 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Charles Maxwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

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#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Greta Garbo and John Barrymore and Joan Crawford carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Thank the stars for a great entertainment!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0022958 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Edmund Goulding directs. William H. Daniels behind the camera. Charles Maxwell scores. Blanche Sewell cuts. Produced in United States of America.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

194 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Edmund Goulding, shot by William H. Daniels. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Charles Maxwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Blanche Sewell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Greta Garbo and John Barrymore and Joan Crawford carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Thank the stars for a great entertainment!".
7IMDB entry: tt0022958 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 22 themes, including "hotel", "card game", "burglar", "stolen money".
9Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: William H. Daniels
Original score: Charles Maxwell
Editing: Blanche Sewell
Costume design: Adrian
Makeup / hair: Cecil Holland
Runtime: 112 min · 1h 52m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: Grand Hotel (1932)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Picture

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Edmund Goulding

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2025-09-04
★ 7/10
This starts with a rather downbeat description of life in the Grand Hotel where “…nothing ever happens”. Well maybe it is supposed to look like that, like the swan gliding effortlessly whilst it’s legs paddle like hell, but in reality it is a potpourri of the actually wealthy, the pretend wealthy, the aspirational, the petulant and one thoroughly decent old gent called “Kringelein”. He (Lionel Barrymore) has been given a terminal diagnosis by his doctor and so has decided to push the boat out and spend his remaining time, and money, enjoying caviar and champagne amongst those whom he hopes are a better class of individual. What he gets, though, is his erstwhile employer “Preysing” (Wallace Beery) who is up to no good with his investors; the charming “Baron” (John Barrymore) who hasn’t two pfennigs to rub together so has designs initially just on the pearls of dancer “Grusinskaya” (Greya Garbo) before falling hook line and sinker. Also, on the loved up front, is under appreciated secretary “Flaemmchen” (the charming Joan Crawford) who has taken a bit of a shine to the otherwise occupied “Baron” and then, just to top off this glittering array of profligacy and betrayal, we have the permanently sozzled “Dr. Otterschneig” (Lewis Stone). With the maître d’ expecting a baby; the cleaning staff unsure which rooms to clean or to avoid and card games proving make or break, it’s a maelstrom of activity and emotions that makes you realise exactly why Miss Garbo just wants to be alone! Director Edmund Goulding juggles the plates well here as his stars gel convincingly for almost two hours of gently simmering melodrama. In the end, will anyone get any fulfilment from their stay in this opulent Berlin facility? Aside from the engaging rapport between the two Barrymore brothers, Garbo hams up marvellously and as Stone stands beside that revolving door at the end, I wondered if it could all be about to happen again, only with different players. Which half dozen could equal these, though? Classy and stylish throughout, it’s a cleverly interwoven story that exposes humanity none too favourably sometimes, and is well worth two hours.

Production companies