Camille

DVD Review from The Movie Snob:

Camille (D+). The next-to-the-last film in the Garbo DVD collection, Camille is, unfortunately, not very good. The setting is Paris, 1847. Garbo plays Marguerite Gautier, a woman whose beauty and wit have allowed her to escape the poverty of her youth and to become the kept woman of the cold and wealthy Baron de Varville. Then she meets the young and passionate Armand Duval, whose love finally melts her icy heart. It seems as though all will be well for the two lovebirds, but this is 1847, not 2006. Armand's father intervenes and begs Marguerite to send Armand away because her sordid past makes marriage impossible and their liaison will only ruin Armand's good name and career. What will she do? Overwrought and interminable, this movie may have been well-received in its time, but it just doesn't work any more. How Garbo got an Oscar nomination for her mediocre acting is a mystery, and Armand's widow's peak and slicked-back hair make him look like Eddie Munster. The folks over at DVD Verdict (new link added to the left side of this screen) point out that this plot has been recycled numerous times, including in Moulin Rouge, which had not occurred to me. Watch Moulin Rouge again and skip this overdone souffle.