CAMILLE (George Cukor/1936/USA)

La Dame Aux Camelias, a novel and play written by Alexander Dumas in 1852 has become a seminal love story. It has seen numerous incarnations as opera, play, film, even TV show. Verdi used it as the basis for his opera La Traviata; more recently, Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge injected pop songs into its basic plot. Irving Thalberg, the MGM producer, hired George Cukor to direct Greta Garbo as Marguerite Gautier. She is a witty and beautiful woman who makes a living in 1847 Paris by charming wealthy men out of their money. Then, Armand (Robert Taylor) slips into her opera box by mistake and Marguerite unexpectedly and most truly falls in love. She dares to dream of a pure and honest life with the simple and virtuous Armand but her past catches up with her. Armand's Father (Lionel Barrymore) convinces her she'd only ruin his career and family name. Marguerite leaves him, sacrificing her chance at true happiness, a change that won't come again because she is, secretly, dying of tuberculosis.

Camille was the great Greta Garbo 's favorite role; one in which she was allowed to channel her own persona and put her own stamp on a classic character. Camille is worth seeing for her unforgettable performance alone, but the high production values and Cukor's nimble direction make Camille one of the best melodramas of Golden Era Hollywood.