GarboForever - Garbo's Beauty

They said...

Introduction

Many artists raved about Garbo's beauty.

William Daniels (cameraman)

William Daniels in 1935: “Her complexion is remarkable, both to the camera and the eye. She has the clearest, finest skin-texture in pictures. Garbo is a joy to photograph; it will be a revelation if she ever makes a color-film.”

In 1969, he lamented: “The saddest thing in my career is that I was never able to photograph her in color. I begged the studio. I felt I had to get those incredible blue eyes in color but they said no. The process at the time was cumbersome and expensive, and the pictures were already making money. I still feel sad about it.”

Daniels took great care with her and the effort showed. “We lit very much to find [an actor's] best features and accent those features strongly. Especially eyes. And Garbo had magnificent eyes,” he said. “She also had natural long eyelashes, and in certain moods I could throw the light from quite high, and show the shadows of the eyelashes come down on the cheeks: it became a sort of trademark with her.”

Clarence Sinclair Bull (photographer)

“She was the easiest of all stars to photograph, having no bad side and no bad angles. Her face was the most inspirational I ever photographed.”

Louise Brooks (American actress)

The first thing that struck Louise Brooks when she met Garbo was "the perfection of her features and the petal loveliness of her skin".

Nils Asther (Swedish actor)

“If she only knew it her best disguise would be to use no mascara," said her friend and co-star Nils Asther. "Her eyebrows and eyelashes are almost white. and without mascara she looks like a different person.”

Cecilia Parker (Garbo's The Painted Veil co-star)

“She taught me to be immaculate, which is quite a different thing from being 'dressy'. I have never seen anyone more immaculate than Garbo, Her shining, brushed hair, her clean strong hands, without nail polish or benefit of beauty parlor – if ever I thought it amusing to paint my nails or frizz my hair I got well over it, thanks to her.

No, she doesn't "fix up" in the beauty parlor sense of the word, but she is so shiningly groomed that it makes all that seem cheap by comparison. She taught me the beauty and wisdom of tact.”

Lilli Palmer (German actress)

“There's no need to have beautiful features in order to be beautiful. It is the overall arrangement and its particular harmony that gives the impression of beauty. But in Greta's case every single feature was not only boldly designed but perfect by itself. Nothing was small in her face.

A broad, high forehead, a strong, chiselled nose, as wide mouth, and most impressive of all, enormous dark blue eyes set under eyebrows curved like butterfly wings.

When we swam together, she would dive and reappear on the surface with drops of water clinging separately to eyelashes that looked as if they had been purchased at the drugstore. To me, though, the unique quality of her face showed at its best when she was displeased.

In Greta's face, even her frown was a thing of beauty. Yes, there she sat in old blue slacks and a faded blouse a lonely woman.”

	Garbo's Face	Garbo in Hollywood

	Garbo's Beauty