r/netflix • u/Twinkie_Heart • May 14 '25
New on Netflix Garbo Where Did You Go
Has anyone watched this yet? I’m hoping someone could explain to me why the blonde woman narrating is whispering? Greta Garbo has such a fascinating life story and it’s so distracting the way she’s narrating.
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u/Desperate_Pie_4877 May 15 '25
Awful! Awful! Awful! I don't understand the mask ,I don't understand this blonde chick talking every time it gets interesting ! she intercedes and, man! I don't know if I can finish this , this is awful!!! What is the point, can someone tell me I don't get it!
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u/Twinkie_Heart May 15 '25
Yes, wtf was with the creepy mask? I genuinely don’t understand why they did all of this extra stuff and didn’t actually get into the real details of her life.
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u/NotBettySpaghetti May 15 '25
I don’t understand that either. I love Greta Garbo and was really looking forward to watching this but it’s kinda awful. I’m struggling to finish it.
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u/Impossible-Will-8414 May 15 '25
Ugh, I had to stop watching this doc because it was so poorly done. It seems that Garbo is a very interesting figure, but all I got from what I watched was a low-energy depressed vibe and irritation regarding that annoying blonde chick and the weird, frequently featured old age mask. Plus, the doc seemed very surface-y. For example, when discussing Garbo's beloved sister's death at the age of 23, they don't even say how it happened (I looked it up, and it was apparently lymphatic cancer).
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u/Impossible-Will-8414 May 15 '25
And I'm assuming the blonde woman is supposed to represent a young Garbo, but she looks more like a flight attendant from the 1960s.
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u/Twinkie_Heart May 15 '25
Greta Garbo had a fascinating life and the I was really looking forward to hearing more details about her but this shit was garbage. To just gloss over her sisters death that way was gross and disingenuous for a supposed documentary.
The whole show was just little tiny pieces of facts strewn in with unnecessary whispering and gossip.
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u/Apprehensive_Fox4115 May 16 '25
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who felt this way. It's sick that we can't leave reviews on Netflix and they can get away with this garbage without being held accountable. Who the hell thought that actress was necessary? And she is such a bad actress on top of it. The mask. Oh my God. The reenactments with the handwriting on index cards that you can't even read. Whoever worked on this and made these decisions should never be employed again. So so bad.
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u/Former-Resolution282 May 16 '25
I am a film buff. surprised the documentary didn't delve into her acting technique. the narrator very annoying. Greta Garbo best movie for me was Anna Christie. documentary didn't do Garbo justice. she did fight mgm for better roles. 2 great actresses came out of Sweden in the Golden age og Hollywood. first, Greta Garbo. second, Ingrid Bergman.
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u/Exciting-Theme-1955 May 16 '25
Who is that blonde lady?
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u/Twinkie_Heart May 16 '25
No idea. Wish someone could explain the intent here because I’m still bewildered.
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u/PromotionContent8848 May 17 '25
Bewildered is the only way to describe it. What is happening here 😂
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u/Twinkie_Heart May 17 '25
This show is so bad that we’re the only ones writing about it! Someone posted that google sent them HERE!
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u/WakersJones4 May 17 '25
Ok, I’m 17 minutes in and bailing. I searched google for reviews to (hopefully) explain the intent here, like the mask? The blonde actress who’s trying to act coquettishly and mysterious but comes across as out of place and annoying. The doc is disjointed and bizarre. I’m out.
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u/student_HM May 17 '25
The blonde lady made this so cringe. I have no idea why she was there, must have been tied to it financially.
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u/Brilliant-Rip4555 May 17 '25
I literally am watching now and just googled , “annoying blonde narrator on Garbo”. It brought me to this post. I just want to comment that I am in total agreement.
What led me to google, was a genuine attempt to try to make sense of what I am watching. I was certain that I would find a good explanation or some additional context that would answer the question my head as i watch. There are many questions but each is a variant of “WTF am I watching?” Could this be a parody? What is the blonde’s deal? They did Greta dirty. My attempt to rationalize this 90 minutes, was to wonder if blonde may be relation to her or her biographer.
50 minutes in and still mostly too distracted and went to my phone. It’s so bad, it made me stop watching a subject which I had interest in learning more about. Now rather than learn about Garbo, I’m on here trying to learn about by why this woman is whispering and making monologues while not blinking.
I typically am not driven to rants, but this doc brought one out tonight lol. Comforted by this post, and that indeed there is no deeper meaning to this that I missed. This was just a disappointing, strange, amateurish injustice to the telling of Greta’s story. I believe there is a really good story somewhere but you won’t learn it here. Narrator kind of reminds me of Elizabeth Holmes 🤣🤣🤣🤣
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u/DegreeSea7315 May 18 '25
🤣😂😅
You just made the time I wasted watching this mess worth it.
Less than halfway through, but I could not deal with the blond anymore either.
I thought maybe she directed it as a vanity project. I went to Imdb. The actual director is highly respected, lauded even. Got a CBE (she's a Brit). For her contribution to the arts!!!
Her other work is award winning. I don't know what happened here.
Bizarre.
Given the comments here, I don't think I have to finish it. It doesn't sound like it redeems itself.
Thanks for the laugh. I love a good rant.
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u/Twinkie_Heart May 17 '25
Oh my gosh the Elizabeth Holmes reference is so spot on.
Yeah, when I watched it I was completely dumbfounded same as you. Googled and there was nothing available so figured I’d ask good old Reddit and still, no one can explain this garbage.
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u/Proper_Floor_1594 May 17 '25
15 mins into this documentary and I came here to see if anyone else had issue with the texas chain saw massacre look a like mask they used. Why? It's creepy. Total injustice to Garbo. I really wanted to learn more about this story but I'm not going to finish this. Just weird.
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u/JumpingJellyBean May 17 '25
I am watching now and couldn't agree more. The weird narration just throws it all off. I dont think I'll finish.
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u/Cheap_Ad532 May 18 '25
I agree. I am watching it now and the blonde/narrator is just a big distraction. Is she a detective? A performance artist? An opportunist trying to get a contract? Let's just learn about Garbo.
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u/GeekGroovy May 24 '25
I came here to see if anyone else had the same issues I did with this. I couldn’t believe that the narrator with the blonde wig, pseudo private eye board, and random sticky was truly meant to be a part of this. I enjoyed the archival parts of the film but the narrative part was truly bizarre…and don’t even get me started on the mask scenes.
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u/Jake_Ubique May 25 '25
The narrator in the wig kind of bothered me at first, but I got past it - the 'masks' (though, yes, creepy) symbolize the mask(s) she wore throughout her life /in the public eye.
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u/Separate_Potato_8472 May 16 '25
I was looking forward to this documentary and feel like I experienced a fever dream instead. What a waste.
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u/Abject-Twist-9260 May 17 '25
I feel like they are trying to make the blonde lady into Greta and the mask is how she viewed herself 🤷🏻♀️ I don’t know but since it’s probably one of those independent things it has a way deeper meaning.
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u/AdministrativeAd3524 May 17 '25
I was too distracted by the interesting info and then the lag with narrating blonde. There should have been way more info in that 90+ min than we received. I’m sorry for the creator of the whole thing but it absolutely cured my insomnia last night.
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u/Simple_Actuator_8174 May 17 '25
I’ve read a couple of Garbo biographies and own a lot of her movies. I was excited to find this documentary. Ugh, it’s terrible. I kept thinking it would get better, but after 20 minutes, I had to quit.
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u/Substantial-Field218 May 17 '25
Y'all this is terrible.
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u/Twinkie_Heart May 17 '25
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u/Substantial-Field218 May 17 '25
🤣 that gif! And I was so excited to learn about her. I decided to watch the Hope Solo doc instead.
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u/Twinkie_Heart May 17 '25
That’s what angers me most about this stupid show, Greta had a very fascinating life and what she did for herself as a woman at the time was utterly overlooked to only focus on her looks and the men in her life.
This show minimized her to nothing.
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u/Substantial-Field218 May 18 '25
Can you direct me to a doc or book that I can actually learn about her lol
edit: because I couldn't make it through this one
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u/Sad-Willingness3858 May 17 '25
Listening to the narration was worse than nails on a chalkboard. She must’ve been related to one of the producers or something. And that creepy mask was so distracting. So glad I could come here to vent about it!
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u/Additional-Virus2175 May 18 '25
I'm so sad this is bad. I was looking forward to this. That mask... I like others. I just turned it off.
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u/ShinyWolverine May 18 '25
Ugh, this was so bad and I’m so disappointed because I was really looking forward to this doc. The use of the blonde lady with the bad wig and creepy mask just ruined it all. Was she the documentary filmmaker? I don’t think it was ever explained! And her voice was so distracting.
The low energy of it all was terrible, too. I fell asleep after about a half hour and will not be going back to rewatch the rest. Guess I’ll go read up on Garbo instead. What a shame since this topic for a doc has so much potential.
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u/sunpatiens May 18 '25
The worst from the mask to the blonde. I am very interested in her life story, and this was so poorly made. Highly disappointed! ☹️
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u/Tess47 May 18 '25
I was just watching this and stopped it to see if it's an AI voice. The credits list a name as a person. It sounds like fucking AI. I can watch it. Maybe I ll try another day with the sound off.
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u/paisano May 18 '25
Better off watching the movie “Garbo Talks” which was wonderful story about a son trying to make their mom’s dream about meeting Garbo come true. Great cast Anne Bancroft (Mrs Robinson)
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u/Twinkie_Heart May 18 '25
LOVED this movie!!
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u/AdvancedYoghurt7992 May 25 '25
Read Barry Paris’ biography about Garbo. So damn good. But this documentary…is…AWFUL.
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u/Jake_Ubique May 20 '25
Just finished, and have to say, other than the odd choice of the blonde narrator in the wig, it isn't bad - though, if you're looking for an in depth look into her films, this is not it; it is instead a look into her mind, and personal thoughts about her life during her time in Hollywood' through letters and interviews. As a long-time Garbo fan, the one gem that made it worthwhile for me was the inclusion of some of Sam Greene's recorded phone conversations with her - often talked about and mentioned in other biographies, you actually get to hear them, here, in particular the one where she calls him out and ends their friendship over his discussing her at a party w/friends - in interviews, Sam Greene always made her sound rather paranoid in her confronting him over it, though, here, IMO, she reveals herself to be anything but; she confronts him and he all but falls over himself trying to squirm his way out of it. She knew exactly what he'd done and held his feet to the fire, understandably. Watch and take from it what you will.
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u/amienona Jun 14 '25 edited Jun 14 '25
Just ... thank you for this post. I'm halfway through and just the freaking existence of the bottle blonde is so distracting I can hardly stand it. The character is so very u n n e c e s s a r y.
Update: this film feels way longer than it actually is. Great golly. No matter, but this film is not to my personal taste.
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May 18 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/paisano May 18 '25
I will admit that the Ellyn Daniels with the extra L does resemble the narrator more than the writer director What do you think? Ellyn Daniels
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u/Ill-Nefariousness874 May 20 '25
I have 38 minutes of this left and my brain won’t let me leave it unfinished but the is the worst documentary I’ve ever seen. I’ve watched better documentaries on YouTube …
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u/Jake_Ubique May 25 '25
People commenting on the 'masks' reminded me of this anecdote about her meeting director Ingmar Bergman in 1962' - http://www.garboforever.com/Garbo_and_Ingmar_Bergman.htm
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u/Raj_Dutta3731 May 31 '25
EVERYONE WATCH THE GARBO DOCUMENTARY narrated by Joan Crawford. That's really good. ♥️
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u/AltruisticAnxiety787 May 15 '25
Dear lord this is so weird. The lady in the really cheap blond wig takes me right out of it. And the mask…I had to look away and just listen. So disturbing and unnecessary. Why? I really wanted to learn about Garbo’s history but this seems like a high school project with the wig and mask girl