Louis B. Mayer made film history when he signed the star of Sweden's The Saga of Gosta Berling and brought her to America along with director Mauritz Stiller. Both she and Stiller were disappointed when MGM engaged Monte Bell to direct The Torrent, in which Garbo portrays a Spanish peasant who rises to stardom on the operatic stage while her middle-aged, aristocratic lover (Ricardo Cortez) attempts to drag her down. Amid the melodrama, fine scenes of theater life frame some bravura moments in which Garbo already displays considerable range and intensity. This was also the first meeting of Garbo and cinematographer William Daniels, who was to shoot her most memorable films.