Queen Christina

Queen Christina | 1933 | U | Dir. Rouben Mamoulian | US | 105 mins | IMDb 7.5 | B&W

ONLY PACKAGES ARE AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE JUST NOW WHICH ENABLES YOU TO SEE ALL FOUR FILMS.

Tickets for individual Classic Cinema films will only be made available much nearer the time, if space allows.

Our third film in this series is Queen Christina (1933), which is by far the oldest film to be screened in our three Classic Cinema Seasons to date, the whole ‘talking pictures’ revolution having only been in existence for six years by the time of its release.

Greta Garbo’s career had begun during the silent era in her native Sweden.  Such was her early success she soon found herself in demand and quickly answered Hollywood’s call.  She immediately took ‘Tinseltown’ by storm, becoming an international star in the process.

Her first ‘talkie’ – Anna Christie (1930) – was MGM’s highest-grossing film of the year and, although never in doubt, it announced unequivocally to the world that Garbo had successfully made the transition from silent to sound.

Mata Hari (1931), where she played the notorious exotic dancer and spy, and the Oscar winning Grand Hotel (1932) quickly followed, and were equally successful, both critically and financially.

Garbo had become vital to MGM’s success, and we have our third Lady with Attitude to thank for tonight’s film.  After her contract with MGM had expired in 1932 she spent a year back home in Sweden.  Such was her power and influence, even within the notorious studio system of the time, she was able to include a condition in her renewed contract that she should play her fellow countrywoman, Queen Christina, in a film MGM had hitherto been reluctant to make – that, and negotiating a staggering salary, for the time, of $300,000 per film.  

Queen Christina is based on the titular Swedish monarch who reigned at the height of one of the bloodiest periods in Europe’s history: The Thirty Years War, which started in 1618. The film itself begins in 1632 as the five year old Christina is crowned ‘King’ of Sweden after her father, Gustavus Adolphus, was killed on the battlefield.  Constantly away at war, he left instructions for his daughter to be brought up as a boy.  The Russian born Director, Rouben Mamoulian has some fun with this when the grown up Christina, out hunting with her ‘valet’, and dressed in manly garb, bumps in to the Spanish envoy, Antonio, in a Country Inn. John Gilbert, who frequently co-starred with Garbo and had been her lover in real life, plays Antonio with relish.  

We fast forward to 1644 and the end of the ‘Regency Period’, Queen Christina at 18 has now come of age to rule one of the most powerful nations in Europe - a Europe at war. No doubt the film takes liberties with the historical figure, but there are some fundamental truths the narrative holds by.  For example, against the wishes of her court advisers, she refuses to marry, and she is far more interested in becoming a patron of the arts and supporting education than continuing to lead her nation in what is becoming a ruinous war.  

Interestingly, there are parallels between Queen Christina and Greta Garbo’s lives, which may be why Garbo was so keen on the project.  Both women never married and they each voluntarily gave up their thrones: Christina as Queen of Sweden and Garbo as Queen of Hollywood.    

With Queen Christina you get so much for your money: period drama, biography and romance. There are wise words, some philosophising from Christina and not a little humour.  In one scene The Queen quotes Moliere: “on marriage being an altogether shocking thing. How is it possible to endure the idea of sleeping with a man in the room” and the Spanish Envoy, Antonio in decrying the Swedish weather complains: “You can’t serenade a woman in a snowstorm!”  

The whole film revolves around Garbo, who is mesmerizing throughout, gloriously photographed by her regular cinematographer, William Daniels.  Like us, I’m sure you can’t wait to see some of the most iconic images of one of Cinema’s greatest ever Stars on the big screen.            

• Seating limited to 64 so we recommend you book in advance.

• Screen 3.

• One wheelchair space - get in touch to reserve this - at contact.harrogatefilmsociety@gmail.com

• Doors open at 6.45pm and the film will start after the introduction @ 7pm.  

• Premier seating RESERVED for Classic Cinema Package holders ONLY. All other seating is unreserved.

• Free parking in Odeon car park but you must display a parking voucher available from Odeon staff.