FLESH AND THE DEVIL (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1926),directed by Clarence Brown, is a silent film classic that marked the initial pairing of John Gilbert and Greta Garbo, and possibly their best collaboration of the silent era. As in most Garbo films during her rise to fame, she plays a heartless "vamp," a kind of screen role Hollywood seemed to usually give its foreign imports, and Garbo is no exception to that rule.

The story focuses on Leo Von Harden (John Gilbert) and Ulrich Von Eltz (Lars Hanson),two Austrian militant comrades who happen to be the very best of friends since childhood. (In a flashback sequence where Leo and Ulrich are boys, they are seen, along with Ulrich's kid sister, Hertha, playing on what they call "The Island of Friendship" where the boys become blood brothers. Although Hertha loves Leo, Leo simply ignores her). Back to present day, now set at a lavish dinner party, Leo, who had earlier noticed the mesmerizing Felicitas (Greta Garbo) at a train station, finally makes her acquaintance. During a dance, it is love at first sight. They both leave the party only to later have an affair in her place of residence. During the affair, they are caught by her husband, Count Von Rhaden (Marc MacDermott). Not wanting to disgrace his good name, the husband challenges lover boy to a duel with the understanding that they had "words in a card game." The duel takes place and the Count is instantly killed. Leo continues to see this "merry widow," but because of the duel, Leo is ordered by his superiors to go on a mission to Africa for five years. After he is pardoned, he rushes home on horseback with only Felicitas' name on his mind. Upon his return, he finds that Felicitas is now married ... to ... his best friend, Ulrich. At first he tries to avoid her, but finds himself meeting her secretly. After husband No. 2 learns of their secret rendezvous, Felicitas, with those devilish eyes, succeeds into turning these former best friends into bitter enemies.

In the supporting cast are George Fawcett as Pastor Voss, the man who warns Leo (Gilbert) that when the devil cannot reach man through the spirit, then he sends a woman to get him through the flesh; Eugenie Besserer as Leo's mother; William Orlamond as Uncle Kutowski; and the pert and dark-haired Barbara Kent as the grown up Hertha.

FLESH AND THE DEVIL was one of MGM silent movies presented on New York City's public television station of WNET, Channel 13 (original air date: August 27, 1973),in the 13-week showing of MOVIES GREAT MOVIES, hosted by Richard Schickel, featuring an original orchestral score written directly for the film in this series. It also ranked one of the most revived movies from that series, making its final bow in May 1978. When distributed to home video by MGM/UA in 1988, the newly restored copy was presented with a new Thames orchestral score by Carl Davis, which proves disappointing at times mainly due to its occasional violin playing that makes viewing this sleep inducing. The only other disturbing element in regards to the video copy and the print that turns up on Turner Classic Movies is its elimination of the original ending involving Leo (Gilbert) and Hertha (Barbara Kent) as she rides a coach bound for Munich never to return as Leo runs after her, thus, ruining the focal point as to what becomes of Hertha after she earlier begs the uncaring Felicitas to go out in the cold and snowy grounds to spare the lives of both her brother and the man she loves from a duel they are to have at sunrise. The alternate ending that hasn't been shown since its 1970s PBS presentation has been placed in the 2005 DVD release of the "Garbo Silents Collection."

Although a big success upon its release, FLESH AND THE DEVIL will probably provide few surprises to first time viewers, especially since many movies involving illicit affairs have been done many times since the beginning of cinema and continues on to this very day. However, minus the more explicit "bedroom scenes" and flesh most common practice in more modern films, director Clarence Brown substitutes that with Gilbert-Garbo doing their passionate love and kissing moments transpired into semi-darkness. There is one fine visual effect that has Gilbert lighting a cigarette as she coyly blows out the match. Otherwise what the two central characters do is left to the imagination of the audience. It's surprising to mention, however, that a story such as this did not get remade in later years as a starring vehicle for the likes of either Hedy Lamarr or Elizabeth Taylor playing the Garbo role, and Peter Lawford and Ricardo Montalban as the militant comrades, for example, but overall, it's hard to duplicate and compare the performances of the screen's popular flesh and the devil themselves, Gilbert and Garbo. (***)

One can't fault silent films for the over the top drama. Here, John Gilbert, who has great feeling for a boyhood friend, falls big time for Greta Garbo. She is married and in a duel with her husband, the husband is killed. The road should be cleared but the military doesn't take kindly to this sort of action and Gilbert is sent away to a remote place for five years. Meanwhile his friend offers to look after the Garbo character. She is impatient and marries the guy after promising to wait for Gilbert. There is a lot of fallout including huge damage to the friendship. I was a little disquieted by the affection the two men show toward one another, in a physical sense. I would imaging scholars have looked at this. Overall, it is a story that has been done before where time and distance are the greatest enemies of love. The ending is stunning and quite bleak and leaves us to ponder the implications.

The tail end of the silent screen era brought us the great screen team of John Gilbert and Greta Garbo. As we well know Gilbert came up short in talkies and there are a lot of explanations why that happened. But Garbo only started her immortal career and as she said in sound, definitely not alone.

Flesh And The Devil was her biggest screen success to date and it introduced Gilbert and Garbo as a team. Garbo is one sly and hedonistic woman who married to an older and titled man in Wilhelmine Germany. She eyes Gilbert like a prime cut in a butcher shop, especially in his army uniform.

At the same time Gilbert has Lars Hanson as a best friend since childhood and a little sister in Barbara Kent. They're like a German version of Tom, Huck, and Becky Thatcher as kids.

When Garbo's titled husband Marc McDermott catches them en flagrato only a duel will satisfy. But since both are anxious to avoid tainting the lady's name they say the duel is over some card cheating. Gilbert kills the husband, but has to flee the Fatherland for colonial service. He asks Hanson to check in on her now and then, but he never tells him about his real relationship with Garbo.

Greta is not about to wait five years for some fleshly pleasures. She marries Hanson because she has needs, but still has a yen for Gilbert. When he returns matters do come to a head.

The hedonistic woman does not triumph in this one. That satisfies the moralists of the town. But this was the Jazz Age, the Roaring Twenties and the era of the first frank discussions of sex. Sex and those steamy scenes with Gilbert are what sold this picture.

Even without sound over 80 years later Garbo and Gilbert still steam up the small screen if you're watching your DVD or the Turner Classic Movies Channel. Silent films were indeed universal and no one spoke the language of silence better than Greta Garbo and John Gilbert.

I should also mention that Barbara Kent as Gilbert's virginal sister has some good moments as well. Kent functions well as the pure counterpoint to Garbo's hedonism. And she's also the voice of conscience in the movie in her own way.

Flesh And The Devil holds up well. Garbo didn't need words to get her message across, but that was an added treat for the next decade.