An actress in Austria and Germany, Salka Viertel joined her husband in his move to Hollywood in 1928 and took up screenwriting under contract at MGM. There, she worked predominantly on Greta Garbo’s films, contributing to the scripts for the actress’s most famous sound film roles including Anna Karenina (1935) and Queen Christina, in which Garbo plays the regent of Sweden. A biographical drama, the film follows the historical figure’s choice between her country and her heart when she falls for a Spaniard. 

Director: Rouben Mamoulian. Cast: Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Ian Keith, Lewis Stone.  1933. 99 min. USA. B&W. English. 35mm. 

All film screenings of Vienna in Hollywood: Émigrés and Exiles in the Studio System are available here.