The first few months in America for young Swedish actress Greta Garbo were not happy ones. After arriving some weeks in Los Angeles, she wrote to her boyfriend back in her native country saying "I don't feel at home here. Oh, you lovely little Sweden, I promise that when I return to you, my sad face will smile as never before." Compounding her homesickness was her new employer, MGM Studios, wanted to composite an entirely new image for her. Instead of the sweet, shy woman roles she acted in Sweden, studio production head Irving Thalberg wanted to mold her into an exotic, sophisticated woman of the world. He arranged for a dentist to work on her teeth, made her lose weight, and hired a tutor for her English lessons.
In her first two MGM movies, she played worldly characters whose actions were far more mature than her 21-years of age. In her second film, October 1926's "The Temptress," Garbo's role is of a sophisticated exotic beauty who tempts a series of men into getting her rich material goods she wants out of life.
Based on a Vincent Ibanez 1922 novel, "The Temptress'" production was filled with backstage drama. Garbo's favorite director, Swedish Mauritz Stiller, brought over to America alongside the actress, was canned from the project after 10 days. His limited English caused friction among the crew and he clashed with leading actor Antonio Moreno, insisting he shave off his signature mustache. Steady studio director Fred Niblo took over the production, tossing out all of Stiller's work to start all over again.
In addition to her friend being fired, Garbo learned four days into filming that her sister died. MGM executives refused to honor her request to take a break to travel to Sweden for her funeral. So the actress slugged through the picture. MGM head Louis B. Mayer was quite unhappy with the ending when he previewed the finished copy, and insisted Niblo film a more upbeat conclusion that would appeal to rural American audiences. The version seen currently is the one with the original downer of an ending.
Critics ended up raving about Garbo's beauty ravishing the screen every time she appeared. A Photoplay writer at the time praised her acting. "Look back and think if you can of any actress who had made a more profound impression than Greta Garbo in but one picture," read the review. "You can't. Neither can I." Despite all the positive reviews, "The Temptress" failed to make a profit, Garbo's only loss in a picture during her silent days.
The plot revolves around Garbo falling in love with an Argentine engineer (Moreno), only to see him returning to his native country to build a dam. "The Temptress" uses the St. Francis Dam near Los Angeles while being built as a prop for the movie's Argentinian dam. A couple of years later, that dam burst, killing over 430 people.
In her first two MGM movies, she played worldly characters whose actions were far more mature than her 21-years of age. In her second film, October 1926's "The Temptress," Garbo's role is of a sophisticated exotic beauty who tempts a series of men into getting her rich material goods she wants out of life.
Based on a Vincent Ibanez 1922 novel, "The Temptress'" production was filled with backstage drama. Garbo's favorite director, Swedish Mauritz Stiller, brought over to America alongside the actress, was canned from the project after 10 days. His limited English caused friction among the crew and he clashed with leading actor Antonio Moreno, insisting he shave off his signature mustache. Steady studio director Fred Niblo took over the production, tossing out all of Stiller's work to start all over again.
In addition to her friend being fired, Garbo learned four days into filming that her sister died. MGM executives refused to honor her request to take a break to travel to Sweden for her funeral. So the actress slugged through the picture. MGM head Louis B. Mayer was quite unhappy with the ending when he previewed the finished copy, and insisted Niblo film a more upbeat conclusion that would appeal to rural American audiences. The version seen currently is the one with the original downer of an ending.
Critics ended up raving about Garbo's beauty ravishing the screen every time she appeared. A Photoplay writer at the time praised her acting. "Look back and think if you can of any actress who had made a more profound impression than Greta Garbo in but one picture," read the review. "You can't. Neither can I." Despite all the positive reviews, "The Temptress" failed to make a profit, Garbo's only loss in a picture during her silent days.
The plot revolves around Garbo falling in love with an Argentine engineer (Moreno), only to see him returning to his native country to build a dam. "The Temptress" uses the St. Francis Dam near Los Angeles while being built as a prop for the movie's Argentinian dam. A couple of years later, that dam burst, killing over 430 people.