Directed by:
Robert Z. LeonardCinematography:
William H. DanielsComposer:
William AxtCast:
Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Jean Hersholt, John Miljan, Alan Hale, Hale Hamilton, Russell Simpson, Cecil Cunningham, Ian Keith, Rose Dione, Walter Walker (more)Plots(1)
It was once theorized by critic Andrew Sarris that this 1931 Greta Garbo vehicle was subtitled "Her Fall & Rise" rather than the expected "Rise & Fall," because Hollywood--and by extension, the public--could not tolerate a failure. Whatever the case, modern audiences will latch onto Susan Lennox not because of its cumbersome title but because of its one-time-only pairing of Garbo and Clark Gable. Fleeing an arranged marriage with Alan Hale, Sr.,, Swedish farmer's daughter Garbo takes temporary refuge in a cabin in the woods, occupied by engineer Gable. Though it is love at first sight, Garbo hastily runs out of Gable's life when her uncle and her betrothed show up. Again a fugitive, Garbo joins a seedy carnival, becoming the kept woman of carney owner John Miljan. By chance, she is reunited with Gable, who spurns her because of her tawdry station in life. Years pass: Garbo has worked her way up the courtesan ladder, becoming the mistress of politician Hale Hamilton. This relationship comes to a sudden halt thanks to Hamilton's muckraking enemies, so it's back to the road for Garbo, who by now will settle for no man but her long-lost Gable. The protagonists finally manage bury the past in the jungle community where the drink-sodden Gable has retreated to "lose himself." Greta Garbo's performance in Susan Lennox: Her Fall and Rise is up to standard. The film was adapted by four screenwriters from a novel by David Graham Phillips. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Greta Garbo
Sweden
Best movies:
The Mysterious Lady (1928)
Flesh and the Devil (1926)
Ninotchka (1939)
Clark Gable
USA
Best movies:
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Teacher's Pet (1958)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Jean Hersholt
Denmark
Best movies:
Greed (1924)
Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927)
John Miljan
USA
Best movies:
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Samson and Delilah (1949)
Juarez (1939)
Alan Hale
USA
Best movies:
It Happened One Night (1934)
Gentleman Jim (1942)
The Sea Hawk (1940)
Hale Hamilton
USA
Best movies:
Edison, the Man (1940)
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
Russell Simpson
USA
Best movies:
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
The Power and the Glory (1933)
Dodge City (1939)
Cecil Cunningham
USA
Best movies:
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
It's a Wonderful World (1939)
Monkey Business (1931)
Ian Keith
USA
Best movies:
The Sea Hawk (1940)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
The Big Trail (1930)
Rose Dione
France
Best movies:
Freaks (1932)
West of Zanzibar (1928)
Svengali (1931)
Walter Walker
USA
Best movies:
You Can't Take It with You (1938)
Marie Antoinette (1938)
The Cowboy and the Lady (1938)
Eddie Kane
USA
Best movies:
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)