it interest that the best picture of the year before hitler come to power in germany and set in germany and make no mention of the political situation in the country at the time . there be mention of the depression germany and the rest of the world be in and all five of the principal player be affect by it and one way or another . john barrymore and lionel barrymore and greta garbo and wallace beery and and joan crawford all check into the grand hotel one day and their life be never the same . greta garbo be the temperamental russian ballerina grusinskaya and her artistic tantrum be get less and less tolerable in many way because of the depression . john barrymore be the aristocrat now live in genteel poverty . his world end with world war i and but the depression reduce him to be a sneak thief . lionel barrymore be the terminally ill bookkeeper who now just want to spend his last day live it up . he just go to ignore the depression . wallace beery be the prussian industrialist who use to high live have marry the bos daughter and but his firm a so many others be about to go under unless he can pull off a merger . lionel barrymore be one of hundred who work for him and know what an extremely little man he be and that beery be really lack in any real ability for business . finally there joan crawford who a working class girl and hire a a stenographer by beery who have other thing on his mind for crawford . whether in germany or america joan crawford be the eternal shop girl . to her credit she do not attempt any kind of a teutonic accent and her performance ring true . this be in complete contrast to susan and god where she be consciously try to imitate gertrude lawrence from the stage . this be the depression in america too and many could identify with her . no one epitomize class and old world elegance like john barrymore and he be not well on film than here in grand hotel . he hat the life that poverty have reduce him to . use his old world charm a a facade for be a thief tear him inside . meet greta garbo give him a last chance at redeem his life . garbo performance be one of her best as well . i be not sure any other actress could have make you sympathize with the temperamental ballerina . in the hand of anyone less skilled and the audience would have sympathize with the management of her ballet company who want to can her . when john barrymore enter her life he like the audience she entertain over the year roll up in one person who still care about her the individual . it a last chance for happiness for her as well . wallace beery have a funny thing not happen to him in grand hotel which i would not reveal might have be quite comfortable with the regime to come in germany . beery be the only one in the film to attempt any kind of germanic speech and he do succeed in his portrayal of the hateful industrialist preysing . my favorite in grand hotel have always be lionel barrymore . lionel may very well have be the most talented in the barrymore family . play the gentle and terminally ill kringelein be light year different from mr. potter in it a wonderful life or captain disko troup in captain courageous . three very different role yet lionel barrymore imprint his personality on every one . a meek little man and he get courage enough now and courage that come when you have absolutely nothing to lose . grand hotel be now 75 year old . the style of act you see here be old fashion indeed and no one could remake grand hotel today in the same style . it melodramatic and but it work . it a fascinating look into the last day of the weimar republic a see from the balcony of a suite at the grand hotel in berlin .