"The Temptress" is Illogical, Ridiculous and Far-Fetched

 

by Daniel White

Who knows if screen legend Greta Garbo would even make American Film Institute's list of greatest actresses if it were compiled today. She definitely would be forced to forfeit her exalted 5th position. Probably replaced by the industrious Meryl Streep, or far worse, the insipid Sandra Bullock. I personally love Garbo, despite the fact most of the movies she starred in are not particularly worthy of her talent. What's intriguing about the camera-shy Swede? She is always watchable, even in projects that, by today's standards, stink to high heaven. Her second American feature, The Temptress (1926), certainly has a particularly foul odor emanating from it. Illogical, ridiculous and far-fetched, I gleefully lapped up every balmy minute.

Directed by Fred Niblo (Ben-Hur), Greta plays the title character (natch), Elena. A Parisian hot-house flower, Elena is married to one man, kept by another and in love with a third! She's a mighty busy gal!

Cavorting about the capital's sinful houses of vice, our vamp meets her above-mentioned paramour (Antonio Moreno), spending a wild night of bliss with him. Proclaiming their undying devotion to each other, it's quite a kick in the pants for Boy Toy, when he discovers Elena's married. To one of his dearest friends (an engineer, Boy's been away in South America building things). Ouch. Disgusted, our distraught hero decamps for the Argentine. Not to be thwarted, Elena follows, with husband in tow. Men are shot, whipped and stabbed, all on account of our alluring mantrap. Even a dam is dynamited on her behalf, causing mishap and mayhem for all.

An exercise in overwrought silent cinema, The Temptress is a potboiler par excellence. My only regret? Contemporary movie goers will turn up their collective noses at this smelly, yet wildly entertaining romp. A silent, B&W flick about a sexy seductress, so tantalizing she destroys every man she meets? Sounds pretty corny, right? Yes. And so is Garbo.

With Lionel Barrymore as just one of our vixen's victims, and the unbelievably campy Roy D'Arcy as the arch villain, MGM's The Temptress is currently available on YouTube.