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Grand Hotel

Play trailer Poster for Grand Hotel 1932 1h 55m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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85% Tomatometer 55 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
At a luxurious Berlin hotel between the wars, the once-wealthy Baron Felix von Gaigern (John Barrymore) supports himself as a thief and gambler. In this lavish adaptation of the successful Broadway play, the baron romances one of his marks, the aging ballerina Grusinskaya (Greta Garbo), and teams with dying accountant Otto Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore) against his former boss, crooked industrialist Preysing (Wallace Beery), and his ambitious stenographer, Flaemmchen (Joan Crawford).
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Grand Hotel

Grand Hotel

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Critics Consensus

Perhaps less a true film than a series of star-studded vignettes, Grand Hotel still remains an entertaining look back at a bygone Hollywood era.

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Critics Reviews

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Ernest Betts London Evening Standard Jun 13, 2023
Grand Hotel, from many points of view, is a masterpiece of melodrama. It is not one film, but several, and it is certainly one of the most brilliant talkies which Hollywood has yet sent us. Go to Full Review Times (UK) Staff The Times (UK) Feb 28, 2020
Even all this brilliance of acting and even the remarkable ingenuity of the production cannot disguise the simple artifice of the whole construction, which seems all the more obvious in a plotless story designed to show a section of life. Go to Full Review Age Staff The Age (Australia) Jan 25, 2020
Grand Hotel is superbly acted and finely produced. Go to Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Nov 25, 2025
2/4
...a promising setup that is, particularly at the outset, employed to woefully (and distressingly) underwhelming effect by Goulding... Go to Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Feb 22, 2025
3.5/4
Creaky in spots, the film still triumphs due to its neatly interwoven plotlines, strong characterizations by the leads, and the expected MGM gloss. Go to Full Review Mark Johnson Awards Daily Jun 27, 2023
One of the first star-studded episodic dramas, Grand Hotel is headlined by silver screen legends Greta Garbo and John Barrymore. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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T M @RT55749265 Apr 13, 2026 A big idea which must have wowed them back in the day. Lots of melodramatic acting from Garbo. Quite a modern feel to Crawford who impresses as the loose stenographer. A worthwhile watch from Hollywood's golden age. See more Bradley B. @album Jan 15, 2026 It’s interesting how old things become new. I found this AAW refreshing and interesting it was in pre-war Berlin. With a pro-worker theme. See more Christian K @ckacar Jan 8, 2026 Starts off pretty strong with lots of cutting between our 5 different leads and their interconnecting stories. Eventually falls into a standard melodrama. One of the main character only shares scenes with one other which was weird, almost like they had to film it separately. See more ChrisCSH H @RT12343453 Feb 17, 2025 Grand Hotel is grand in scale with production and cast along with superb acting. The film might be lacking in plot, but makes up for it with the great production and the great chemistry that each of the characters have with each other. See more Alec B @Alec97 Jan 5, 2024 Like all the best ensemble films, this one utilizes its star studded cast perfectly. Crawford and Lionel Barrymore in particular give strong and often quite moving performances. See more Zachary V @RT80629691 Nov 12, 2022 This was the first movie I think I've ever seen starring Greta Garbo - she is suitably glorious as the slightly-over-the-hill ballerina (shades of Gloria Swanson's future performance in Sunset Boulevard, I think). Interesting also to see the Barrymore brothers both here, particularly since I mainly know Lionel Barrymore from being the heavy-set villain Henry Potter in It's a Wonderful Life. He's barely recognizable here (I know, he is quite a bit younger) as the harmless, goodhearted if bland accountant Otto Kringelein. An engaging story with an all star cast, not entirely predictable either. Well worth the watch. See more Read all reviews
Grand Hotel

My Rating

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Cast & Crew

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Edmund Goulding

Director

Greta Garbo

Grusinskaya

Joan Crawford

Flaemmchen

John Barrymore

Baron Felix von Geigern

Wallace Beery

Preysing

Lionel Barrymore

Otto Kringelein

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Grand Hotel

Grand Hotel (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) Grand Hotel (1932) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis At a luxurious Berlin hotel between the wars, the once-wealthy Baron Felix von Gaigern (John Barrymore) supports himself as a thief and gambler. In this lavish adaptation of the successful Broadway play, the baron romances one of his marks, the aging ballerina Grusinskaya (Greta Garbo), and teams with dying accountant Otto Kringelein (Lionel Barrymore) against his former boss, crooked industrialist Preysing (Wallace Beery), and his ambitious stenographer, Flaemmchen (Joan Crawford).
Director
Edmund Goulding
Producer
Paul Bern, Irving Thalberg
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 12, 1932, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 18, 2010
Runtime
1h 55m
Sound Mix
Mono
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