1931 saw the rivalry between the two become more overt with the release of Garbo’s Mata Hari and Dietrich’s Dishonored, in which each played a glamorous international spy, both to great success. But while Dietrich subsequently forged ahead with her career, Garbo became more selective. Here, as part of an ensemble that includes Lionel Barrymore, Joan Crawford, and Wallace Beery, she is Grusinskaya, a ballerina whose star is falling, who meets and falls in love with the roguish Count von Gaigern (John Barrymore). The film features Garbo’s delivery of one of cinema’s most iconic lines: “I want to be alone.”

Notes by Kevin Coyne.

Screening as part of the Dietrich X Garbo Season.