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

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

Publicity still for the film with Garbo and Cortez.

Reception

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

  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.
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