AllMovie

This is a remake of the award-winning 1932 classic Grand Hotel with Michele Morgan in the role of Grusinskaya (originally portrayed by Greta Garbo). Based on a book by Vicki Baum, all of the action takes place in the course of one day in a luxury hotel in Berlin. Grusinkaya is a ballerina staying at the hotel, other guests include Baron von Gaigern (O.W. Fischer) a sophisticated thief, Otto Klingelein (Heinz Ruehmann) a dying man, Preysing (Gert Froebe) a businessman, and a stenographer (Sonja Ziemann). Events intertwine the lives of these strangers, bringing them together for some dramatic moments but not quite as effectively as in the 1932 film which boasted the Barrymores (John and Lionel), as well as Wallace Beery and Joan Crawford in its cast -- a hard combination to beat in any era.