Flesh and the Devil
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Flesh and the Devil (1926) is an MGM silent film starring Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lars Hanson, and Barbara Kent, directed by Clarence Brown, and based on the play The Undying Past by Hermann Sudermann.
In 2006, Flesh and the Devil was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Plot summary
The film was a melodrama about two childhood friends who grow up to be soldiers in Germany. After returning to civilian life, one of the friends, Leo, (Gilbert) becomes infatuated with Felicitas (Garbo) the wife of a powerful count. After Leo kills the count in a duel over the love and honor of Felicitas, he is punished by the military and sent away to Africa for three years. He asks his friend, Ulrich (Lars Hanson) to take care of Felicitas' needs while he's away, but Ulrich - unaware that his friend is in love with Felicitas, falls in love with her himself and marries her. Upon Leo's return, he finds himself torn between temptation for Felicitas -- which the young woman encourages -- and his friendship for Ulrich. Condemned by a local pastor for carrying on an affair with Felicitas, Leo eventually loses control of his emotions and tries to kill the woman, leading to a climactic duel between the two boyhood friends.
History
Flesh and the Devil was produced in 1926 (released in early 1927) and marked a turning point for Garbo's personal and professional life. Initially, she refused to participate in the film. She had just finished The Temptress and was tired, plus her sister had recently died of cancer and she was upset that her contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer did not allow her to take the long trip back to Sweden. A sternly-worded letter from MGM (read by Garbo biographer Barry Paris on the audio commentary for the 2005 DVD release of the film) warned her of dire consequences if she did not report for work. This was a rehearsal of sorts for a pitched battle Garbo would fight against studio heads after Flesh and the Devil was completed, which ended up with Garbo becoming one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood up to that time.
The romantic chemistry between Garbo and Gilbert was a director's dream because it was not faked. The two actors quickly became involved in their own romantic affair and before production of the film was completed had already moved in together (per Paris' commentary). Hollywood legend has it that it was also during production that Gilbert proposed to Garbo; she accepted, a high-profile wedding was arranged, but Garbo backed out. Paris disputes that this could have happened in the midst of production. Regardless of the chronology, Flesh and the Devil marked the beginning of one of the most famous romances of Hollywood's golden age. They would also continue making movies together into the Sound Era, though Gilbert's career would collapse in the early 1930s while Garbo's soared.
The direction and cinematography of the film (by Clarence Brown and William Daniels, respectively) are exceptional. Indeed, Garbo was so impressed that she continued to work with both of them in her subsequent films at MGM. She was particularly insistent on the use of Daniels as her prime cinematographer.
DVD release
Flesh and the Devil was restored and released to DVD with The Temptress in September 2005 as part of a collection by Turner Classic Movies entitled Garbo Silents. The DVD includes an alternate, upbeat ending director Brown filmed under duress.
