i still like this film . it have some grievous over act by garbo a a ballerina on the skid . but the film work for all that . grushinskaya have pass her prime a a ballerina and and her world weariness mask her awareness that her day of international greatness be over . she have nothing to look forward to in fact her position be not that different from anne bancroft in the turning point and who can teach ballet and but have no family life to comfort her like her old friend or rival shirley maclaine do . she momentarily do get a shot for happiness in retirement represent she meet baron geiger ( john barrymore ) and find he would be able to satisfy her . and he find she would be fine for him . but his problem be he be broke and and owe his criminal partner for the money that set him up in this great hotel in berlin . he have to pay them back he be go to steal grushinskaya jewel and but he would not do that now . grand hotel be like that and every time you watch it . it be write in the aftermath of world war i and and keep that in mind you see the fractured body and life that be collide in the hotel . lewis stone and for example and be the man who make the famous statement about nothing ever happen at the conclusion of the film . his doctor otternschlag be the hotel doctor and and be not very observant ( by the time he make the comment a murder have occur in the hotel and and he be unaware of it ) . his face be scar by a gas attack in the war . the war have probably make the doctor relatively quiet and seek quiet as much a possible . hence his blindness . wallace beery be preysling the textile manufacturer who be there for a big business conference and be face bankruptcy a be all of germany ( which have terrible inflation in 1923 and due to war reparation and debt ) . geiger pre war cushion of wealth and position be swept away with the hohenzollern dynasty in 1918. he be unlucky enough to survive his world and and most of his friend . and the small fry in the film represent kringelein ( lionel barrymore ) and flaemchen ( joan crawford ) find their future in considerable doubt too . lionel be die ( we be never quite sure of what and but it sound like it industrial relate he work for preysling firm ) and and crawford be aware that secretary be a dime a dozen and need to better herself even if it mean sleep with the like of preysling . one can also add senf ( jean hersholt ) who have to stay at his hotel job and while his wife be face a dangerous childbirth which be worry him to death . the collision between the character be fascinate too and a the pre war standard of social class be up in the air now . preysling be aware of his foot of clay but he be still know a a big textile manufacturer to the public . so he be not deeply impress by john barrymore baron and but every time they confront each other and the baron superior breeding outshines preysling pompous bluster . kringelein too be confront by preysling who think the bookkeeper appearance at that expensive hostelry suggest embezzlement . kringelein not only show that he be not in a position to be threaten by police or discharge and but add that preysling blunder be such a to have merit be fire if he hadn not be boss . preysling do make a kind of headway with flaemchen but it be only on a cash basis she really be far friendly to the baron and kringelein . grand hotel have be a major broadway stage success when it be acquire by mgm . preysling be originally play by siegfried ruman ( later sig ruman ) and the baron by albert van dekker ( later albert dekker ) . neither end up in the mgm production and though both have distinguish film career later on . the producer of the film be paul bern and who would be find dead in his home in 1932 just before the final cut be make on the movie . this be not the spot to analyze whether bern be a suicide ( officially he be ) or be murder by his wife ( jean harlow ) or some other person ( a previous wife who kill herself a day or so afterward ) and but it lead to bern friend and mentor irving thalberg complete the film a producer . neither man name be on the credit . however and bern hand be on the film include the casting . he would have be face a great produce career if he have live . the most notable thing about the lead be that ( except for garbo swedish accent here a a russian ballerina ) only beery try a german accent . it come and go and unfortunately and but beery lose bull in the china shop performance be good enough not to be harm by it . preysling be a weak man and who marry the bos daughter to get ahead but lack the brain to keep the firm go . in the end he have to lie to try to survive his conference with rival tully marshall . unfortunately he can not control his passion and anger . it be say on this thread that buster keaton be suppose to play kringelien . presumably his alcoholism prevent it . but lionel barrymore give a good accounting a the die man . yet buster actually like the idea . he try to create interest in a comedy to star himself and edward everett horton and and marie dressler call grand mill hotel and set in the infamous flop house in manhattan . the same blending of the film plot would have occur . it never get beyond the draw board . laurel and hardy would have be in the tully marshall and wallace beery role and a button manufacturer who be try to make a contract . pity and it might have be a good comedy .