Torrent (1926 film)

Torrent
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMonta Bell (uncredited)
Written byDorothy Farnum (adaptation)
Based onEntre Naranjos
1900? novella
by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
Produced byIrving Thalberg[1]
StarringRicardo Cortez
Greta Garbo
CinematographyWilliam H. Daniels
Edited byFrank Sullivan
Music byArthur Barrow
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • February 21, 1926 (1926-02-21)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageSilent (English intertitles)
Budget$250,443.27[2]

Torrent is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by an uncredited Monta Bell, based on a novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, and released on February 21, 1926.[1][3][4][5] Torrent was the first American film starring Swedish actress Greta Garbo.[6][7] The film also starred Ricardo Cortez and Martha Mattox.

The title refers to a flood that occurs in the small town where most of the action takes place, which draws the two romantic leading characters closer together.

Torrent (1926)

Plot[edit]

As described in a film magazine review,[8] Donna Brull is opposed to her son Rafael marrying the peasant Leonora, a poor young Spanish woman. She leaves the small town and goes to Paris where she becomes a famous opera singer. Later, she visits her home, where Rafael saves her and Remedios, the young woman he is engaged to, from drowning in a flood. Eight years pass and Leonora and Rafael, who is now married, meet again. Although she still loves him, she resumes her operatic career and Rafael remains with his wife.

Cast[edit]

Publicity still for the film with Garbo and Cortez.

Reception[edit]

MGM was uncertain about how to cast Garbo after her arrival in Hollywood. In Torrent, her first American film, she was cast as Leonora, a young Spanish peasant woman, and MGM was pleased with the results. Variety reviewed the film and described Garbo in her debut as " a girl with everything, looks, acting ability and personality". The film grossed $460,000 in the USA and $208,000 internationally, it grossed $668,000 worldwide, netting a $126,000 profit for MGM.[9] Louis B. Mayer's initial instinct about the actress's ability paid off, and the film was a success.[10] Torrent was released on DVD in 2011 as part of the Warner Archive Collection.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Fleming, E. J. (January 2009). Paul Bern: the Life and Famous Death of the MGM Director and Husband of Harlow. McFarland. p. 325. ISBN 978-0-7864-3963-8. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  2. ^ Alexander Walker; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (October 1980). Garbo: a Portrait. Macmillan. p. 183. ISBN 978-0-02-622950-0. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  3. ^ John Reid (April 2006). Films Famous, Fanciful, Frolicsome & Fantastic. Lulu.com. p. 196. ISBN 978-1-4116-8915-2. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
  4. ^ Jacobs, Lea (April 2, 2008). The Decline of Sentiment: American Film in the 1920s. University of California Press. p. 255. ISBN 978-0-520-25457-2. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
  5. ^ American Film Institute (1971). The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. University of California Press. p. 823. ISBN 978-0-520-20969-5. Retrieved July 18, 2010.
  6. ^ Borrelli, Laird. "Greta Garbo". Style.com. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  7. ^ Motion Picture News (March 13, 1926). Motion Picture News (Mar - Apr 1926). New York The Museum of Modern Art Library. New York, Motion Picture News. p. 204.
  8. ^ Pardy, George T. (March 6, 1926), "Pre-Release Review of Features: Ibáñez's Torrent", Motion Picture News, 33 (10), New York City, New York: Motion Picture News, Inc.: 1111, retrieved March 31, 2023 Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ^ "The Torrent".
  10. ^ "Greta Garbo – The Ultimate Star – The Torrent". home.hiwaay.net. Archived from the original on February 12, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2010.

External links[edit]

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