The story of the eccentric 17th-century Swedish Queen Christina--who wore men's clothing all her life, refused to marry, and abdicated the throne at age 28--is embellished into a witty and elegant romance featuring a minutely sensitive performance by Greta Garbo. Escaping a Parliament clamoring for war, Christina, disguised as a rogue, takes off for the snowy isolation of a country inn, where she is asked to share the one available room with the handsome Spanish ambassador (John Gilbert). She takes a lusty delight in the comedy of mistaken gender which ensues, but inside the chamber, passion takes a more transcendent turn. William Daniels extends his exquisite silent-film lighting into the thirties sound film, while director Rouben Mamoulian, in some memorable sequences, uses silence as the most effective "sound" of all.