Greta Garbo is basically a mood in Queen Christina

Is this worth your time?

If you like old-school Hollywood glamour where nobody talks much but everyone looks incredible, you’ll dig this. If you need a movie with a fast pace or a plot that doesn't just circle the same emotional drain for two hours, maybe skip it. It's a slow burn, but mostly because it just wants to watch Garbo exist.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Queen Christina (1933) through its definitive frames.

Greta Garbo is the whole show here. She plays Queen Christina with this weird, detached energy that somehow works perfectly. There is a moment where she’s just wandering around her bedroom, touching the walls and the furniture, trying to memorize the room before she leaves it. It goes on for a long time. It feels like the director just let the camera roll because he didn't want to tell her to stop. Honestly, I didn't mind.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Queen Christina (1933) through its definitive frames.

The chemistry between her and John Gilbert is… well, it’s certainly something. It’s heavy on the staring. So much staring. Sometimes it feels like they’re trying to communicate entirely through eye movements while the rest of the cast tries to keep the plot moving in the background.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Queen Christina (1933) through its definitive frames.

• The costumes are wild. She wears these stiff, masculine outfits that make everyone else in the room look like they're wearing pajamas.
• The dialogue is definitely from another era. Nobody talks like a normal human, but in this specific black-and-white world, it almost makes sense.
• The ending. Oh, the ending. It’s the ultimate "I'm staring into the distance and thinking deep thoughts" shot. It’s almost funny how long it holds on her face, but you can’t look away.

It reminds me a bit of the heavy, deliberate pacing you find in Rain, where the atmosphere is doing way more work than the actual script. It isn't trying to be a history lesson. It’s a showcase.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Queen Christina (1933) through its definitive frames.

I found myself getting distracted by the background extras. There's one scene in the tavern where a guy is just awkwardly leaning against a pillar, and I spent a solid minute wondering if he was waiting for his lunch break. Maybe he was. The movie is so focused on the royals that the regular people just seem to be doing their own thing in the corner.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Queen Christina (1933) through its definitive frames.

It’s not a perfect film. It’s messy and slow and very full of itself. But it’s got a weird, quiet soul that keeps you from checking your phone. Just don't go in expecting a political thriller. It’s really just a long, beautiful, and slightly exhausting portrait of someone who is bored of being in charge.