Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The line is a ballerina's weariness at the end of her career, said by the most guarded star in Hollywood. Garbo later insisted she had said 'I want to be let alone', which is not at all the same thing, and the misreading stuck to her for life. Fans use it as the classic announcement of a person who has had enough of everyone.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Grand HotelShow the scene
In MGM's Grand Hotel (1932), directed by Edmund Goulding, a dozen lives cross in a Berlin luxury hotel. Greta Garbo plays Grusinskaya, a Russian ballerina whose career is fading. Back from the theatre one night, she is in despair and contemplating suicide in her suite, unaware that the jewel thief Baron von Gaigern is hiding in the room to steal her pearls. When he steps out and tries to comfort her, she tells him she wants to be alone. He refuses to go, and the two fall in love that night. AFI ranks the line number 30 among film quotes.
Sources (2)
- Grand Hotel (1932 film), WikipediaPlot and leadReference checked
- Grand Hotel (film), WikiquoteGrusinskaya and the Baron exchangeReference checked
Context reviewed