Inspiration

Inspiration is a 1931 American Pre-Code Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film adapted from the Alphonse Daudet short novel Sappho (1884). The film was adapted by Gene Markey, directed by Clarence Brown and produced by Irving Thalberg. The cinematography was by William H. Daniels, the art direction by Cedric Gibbons and the costume design by Adrian. The film features Greta Garbo playing Yvonne Valbret, an artist's model and kept woman. Robert Montgomery, Lewis Stone and Marjorie Rambeau co-starred. The film is a romantic melodrama that portrays a Parisian belle whose past returns to haunt her. (Inspiration is the only film in which Garbo played opposite Montgomery.) According to the critics, Garbo played her role easily and convincingly, contributing sparkling bits of light comedy, and making the awkward dialogue believable. She illuminates every scene, shining in her different styles of coiffure and striking costumes.