Greta Garbo: A Cinematic Legacy
By Mark Vieira
OK full disclosure, we are working with Mark Vieira on a photography and video project. But setting that aside for a moment, THIS BOOK ROCKS!
Twin engines power this journey through Garbo’s professional life; the first is the photography reproduction and the second is Vieira’s distinctive research technique.
The photographs are unique, comprehensive, drop dead gorgeous – pick this book up in a store and you are going to stand there flipping through pages until your back hurts. Even if you never heard of Garbo, the images are compelling to the point of distraction. Mark printed many of the images for publication at his Starlight Studios in Los Angeles and the attention to detail and level of taste are truly remarkable.
The research seems to be unimpeachable. Vieira built a timeline of Greta’s professional life by combing through vintage documents such as film production reports and staring at edge numbers on original negatives. Armed with this knowledge of where Garbo was actually standing on certain days he was able to verify or discount much of the Garbo Lore that has built through the decades. While the book is indeed homage to Greta Garbo’s film legacy, it also presents a fascinating revision of her personal life.
There are a few surprises and the stuff with Dietrich is priceless. It’s well written and edited -- a must for film buffs and fans of Greta Garbo. But, I think the people who will get the most from this book are working filmmakers, actors, and photographers. It’s not a technical dissertation by any stretch but I have a hunch the pros out there are going to feel something that most of us won't quite fathom.
Francis Coiro
Santa Monica - 2007