Conquest (1937)

The story of a Polish noblewoman (Greta Garbo) who became the mistress of Napoleon Bonaparte (Charles Boyer in an Oscar nominated performance). Based on the novel PANI WALEWSKA by Waclaw Gasiorowski and directed by Clarence Brown (NATIONAL VELVET). This was the seventh and final collaboration between Garbo and director Brown. Visually, it's quite impressive what with the ornate art direction which received an Oscar nomination for Cedric Gibbons and William A. Horning and gorgeous costumes by Adrian. The film is quite engaging for the first 45 minutes until Garbo becomes Boyer's mistress and then it turns into a stodgy historical epic. Garbo is at her most glamorous but she can't do much with her character as written except pine away beautifully. It's a lifeless performance. Fortunately, Boyer brings a vigorous vitality to his Napoleon and he's never less than compelling. He's matched by Maria Ouspenskaya as a feisty Countess and their scene playing cards is a film highlight. The film did well at the box office but the movie's massive budget ($3 million) precluded it from turning a profit. With Reginald Owen, Alan Marshal, Henry Stephenson, Scotty Beckett, Leif Erickson and Dame May Whitty.