Description
Book SynopsisOne of the silver screen’s greatest beauties, Greta Garbo was also one of its most profound enigmas. A star in both silent pictures and talkies, Garbo kept viewers riveted with understated performances that suggested deep melancholy and strong desires roiling just under the surface. And offscreen, the intensely private Garbo was perhaps even more mysterious and alluring, as her retirement from Hollywood at age thirty-six only fueled the public’s fascination.
Ideal Beauty reveals the woman behind the mystique, a woman who overcame an impoverished childhood to become a student at the Swedish Royal Dramatic Academy, an actress in European films, and ultimately a Hollywood star. Chronicling her tough negotiations with Louis B. Mayer at MGM, it shows how Garbo carved out enough power in Hollywood to craft a distinctly new feminist screen presence in films like
Queen Christina. Banner draws on over ten years of in-depth archival research in Sweden, Germany, France, and the United States to demonstrate how, away from the camera’s glare, Garbo’s life was even more intriguing.
Ideal Beauty takes a fresh look at an icon who helped to define female beauty in the twentieth century and provides answers to much-debated questions about Garbo’s childhood, sexuality, career, illnesses and breakdowns, and spiritual awakening.
Trade Review“In this scrupulously researched book, Lois Banner brings a novel and insightful approach to the study of film icon Greta Garbo by examining her life and relation to standards of beauty, as well as surfacing previously unheralded issues: those who found her unattractive, the role of “Garbo Maniacs” in her star discourse, her power at MGM, the toll of her hidden illnesses, the place of religion in her life, the celebrity world in which she circulated post-Hollywood retirement. Thus,
Ideal Beauty combines biography, film analysis, and social/feminist history in a scholarly yet approachable fashion. A must for all Garbo aficionados.”— Lucy Fischer, Distinguished Professor Emerita, University of Pittsburgh
"While Garbo captivated audiences with her beauty and mysterious persona, [
Ideal Beauty] offers an insightful portrait of her private life, interrogating her feminism, sexuality, mental health, and more. Garbo rose to fame on the silent screen, but this new biography gives voice to her life in unparalleled fashion."— Entertainment Weekly
"[D]ifferent and highly worthwhile...[
Ideal Beauty] captures well the milieu in which Garbo became a star, but, more to the point, places her in the context of what beauty meant in the era in which Garbo thrived."— Air Mail
"[An] enriching and immersive biography...Banner meticulously examines Garbo’s 'ideal beauty' as a canvas onto which filmmakers could project their creative vision...The result is a rewarding look at an enigmatic star."— Publishers Weekly
"[A] reconsideration of Greta Garbo as a template for analyzing tropes about 20th-century women...[
Ideal Beauty] presents a truly different approach for both lay and academic readers. It expertly offers an understanding of an elusive figure within the context of the film industry."— Library Journal, STARRED Review
Exclusive Excerpt: "Greta Garbo, the 'Furious Lesbian,' and a Classic Hollywood Love Triangle". — Vanity Fair
"In this illuminating biography of Greta Garbo, Lois Banner brings her skills and talents as a perceptive feminist, accomplished historian, and keen cultural observer to move beyond the myths and stereotypes to uncover the life and times of this iconic Hollywood beauty. A great read!"
— Lary May, author of Screening out the Past and editor of Recasting America
Table of ContentsPROLOGUE
Who Was Greta Garbo?
PART I. THE STEICHEN PHOTO
1 GARBO GLORIFIED AND DEMONIZED
PART II. MATURING
2 CHILDHOOD
3 PUB, DRAMATEN, AND MIMI POLLAK
4 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Garbo and Stiller
PART III. THE STAR
5 HOLLYWOOD
6 THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY
Garbo and John Gilbert
7 FRIENDS AND LOVERS; ANNA CHRISTIE AND GARBO’S ACTING
PART IV. CHOOSING SIDES
8 UNDERSTANDING ADRIAN
From Flapper to Glamour
9 THE PRE-CODE ERA
10 BREAKING FREE
Queen Christina
11 DENOUEMENT
PART V. CELEBRITY
12 SUCCESS AND FAILURE
13 NEW YORK
14 SUMMING UP
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index
