Camille

1936 - George Cukor (starring Garbo)
Cukor's technique in this film is of little moves in, byt the real interest in getting as close as possible. The camera, once in, remains almost entirely static. Longer (medium) give way to two shots, and the real interest seems to lie on moving into medium close-ups (top of the shoulders up, not too cramped). These are photographed in a soft manner.
There are some nice moments of detail, the picking up of the fan, for example (defintion of what a 'gentleman' is). The main elements running through seem to be a focus on, and certain distaste of(though, perhaps, fascination with) vulgarity. The transcendental love is at once soiled, and breaks through somehow, failing really, this vulgarity. It is against life, both cultural life and biological life.
There is something quite wooden, not jsut about Garbo and the whole piece. It is as though an atmosphere of stuffiness, constraint is everywhere. Cukor entirely focusses on the love, with little to no let up. Even the duel is dispatched in about half a second. It makes for a very particular environment.