Romance

Romance is a 1930 American Pre-Code film directed by Clarence Brown, and starring Greta Garbo, Lewis Stone, and Gavin Gordon. Based on the 1913 play by Edward Sheldon, the film was written by Edwin Justus Mayer and Bess Meredyth, and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The play was previously adapted as a 1920 silent film starring Doris Keane, the actress in Sheldon's 1913 play. Plot On New Year's Eve, Harry tells his grandfather, a bishop, that he intends to marry an actress, even though that is frowned upon by his social class. However, his grandfather recounts via flashback a cautionary tale of a great love affair with a "fallen woman" during his own youth. When he is 28 years old, Tom Armstrong, the son of an aristocratic family and the rector of St. Giles, meets the famous Italian opera star Rita Cavallini at an evening party given by Cornelius Van Tuyl. Tom falls in love with Rita even though there are rumors that she is Van Tuyl's mistress. Tom's family disapproves of Rita, but he continues to pursue her until he discovers that she has been lying to him about the true nature of her relationship with Van Tuyl. Though he forgives and loves her, their different lives and different social classes make an engagement untenable. Ultimately, Tom marries Harry's grandmother.