Her rank is a bit too high in AFI
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Greta Garbo
rocker_from_the_moon — 12 years ago(September 17, 2013 07:43 AM)
Sorry but i don't know much of her. She only has a handful of "well-known" classics and Elizabeth Taylor has more mentions than her in the pop culture. She's not really a household name anymore. What's about her that makes her so special? Pardon my ignorance.
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FranLovesBetteD — 12 years ago(September 18, 2013 06:47 AM)
I love both Garbo and Taylor, but a comparison between both ladies is quite unfair, since they belong to different eras: Garbo retired from movie industry in 1941, when Elizabeth was only 9 years old, so it's logical Taylor's name sounds much more familiar to you or anyone else.
Anyway, the place Garbo was given in the AFI list is about right, since she wasn't an actress and a movie star only, but an icon. There were many superstars over the years, but the iconic quality is a rather different thing: it has nothing to do with talent, career longevity or beauty. Many people complain about the inclusion of Mae West and Shirley Temple on that list, but they were and still are icons, as well. Certainly, not something everybody can achieve just like that.
In Garbo's case, well, she's not one of my favorite actresses, I must confess, even though I like her a lot because of her splendid looks, the "mystic" and the "aura" she had around her. Besides, s5b4he had personality and usually got her wishes done, which is something very few stars of the golden era could do succesfully without being suspended or even fired from the studios they worked at.
As an actress, her performances almost always looks dated and overly theatrical, but yet you can't take your eyes off her when she's on screen. When it comes to performances, her silent period is by far my most favorite, though in her talkies is always a great pleasure to hear her deep voice.
As for liking her or not, well, that's something you cannot force yourself to do, especially if you're biased from the beginning. You just like someone or you don't. However, based on my own experiences, I can assure you that a change of mind can happen sometimes, but it has to occur naturally, without the need of having to try very hard.
Animal crackers in my soup
Monkeys and rabbits loop the loop -
hockeyvoodoo — 11 years ago(July 24, 2014 04:57 AM)
I got her 'beauty' at all(Jean Harlow's either, and I think that they had similar facial features.).
I consider both of them Purina Dog Chow mouths. They are both very homely, in my own opinion. Most people with whom i discuss movies feel the same way. -
zhu_bernard — 9 years ago(December 05, 2016 06:35 PM)
I understand how Liz had such impact on popular culture. Liz was born out of the studio period and the very first generation of the subject of tabloid industry, among Monroe, Gardner and others. The tabloid hurt Liz's career but boost her fame. As in acting, Garbo is much stronger and professional. AFI ranked Garbo too low, as I remember even after Audrey Hepburn.