Greta Garbo delivers a captivating performance as Marguerite in this stylish retelling of Alexandre Dumas' narrative. She portrays a well-situated courtesan maintained by the affluent "Baron de Varville" (Henry Daniell), who then introduces her to the attractive "Armand" (Robert Taylor). He quickly becomes infatuated with her, though she isn’t simply going to accept his advances. Armand is young, good-looking, inexpe…

My admiration for Greta Garbo clearly colors my perspective, but even setting that aside, her performance in this adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ tragic tale is remarkable. When held up against the 1921 silent film, Cukor demonstrates a superior directorial hand, although Rudolph Valentino feels more convincing in the role of Armand Duval. The two films offer distinct and interesting interpretations, and Henry Daniell…