As with the other reviewer here, I first saw this made for TV movie when it came out in the early eighties, and had never seen it since, till finally I found it online last night. I loved it the first time as part of the Moviola series of three made for TV movies based on the novel Moviola by Garson Kanin. But I loved it even more finally getting to see it again.
Garbo has always held a certain fascination for me, and believe me Kristina Wayborn's Garbo is a treasure to behold. Though understated, Miss Wayborn is totally luminous as Garbo, and completely owns the part. I have no idea if Garbo herself ever saw this, but I feel sure she would have been proud of the way Kristina Wayborn portrayed her.
What really surprises me is that Miss Wayborn did not herself go on to have a great career after playing such a wonderful part. I don't know, maybe she was born in the wrong era, but I can't help thinking she would have been a major star today.
The rest of the cast of The Silent Lovers are in the main, good, especially Barry Bostwick as John Gilbert, Harold Gould as L. B. Mayer, and John Rubinstein as the ill-fated boy wonder, Irving Thalberg.
If you do get to see The Silent Lovers, I doubt you will be disappointed. It's worth seeing alone for Kristina Wayborn's magnificent re-creation of Greta Garbo.
