minor plot spoiler this be set in berlin in a beautiful and luxurious hotel . among the tenant there greta garbo a grusinskaya she a fading ballerina who be miserable and vants to be alone while john barrymore play the penniless baron who fall in love with her while lionel barrymore play a man who die of an incurable disease but want to go out enjoy himself while wallace berry play a ruthless industrial man and joan crawford play a stenographer he hire . this be obviously a big production . the set be elaborate and everything look perfect and this be the first film with an all star cast . the script be sharp and the direction move the story along . garbo and crawford be just superb theyre so young and full of life . they play their role to perfection . but there be one big problem here the male actor . to put it kindly theyre pretty bad . john barrymore look like he a million mile away while his brother lionel overact to an embarrassing degree ( and get very annoy ) and berry chew the scenery . they weaken what could have be a great movie . a it stand i can only give it an 8 but it still well worth see . it win the academy award for best picture of 1932 .