This is a great film that shows the subtetly of acting for sound pictures. It's a counterpoint to the fast talking style of acting that is emerging in the 1930's. Greta Garbo actually takes her beats and lives in moments rather than rushing from one line to the next. Actors speak a little more gently, softly, less articulate, allowing for natural behavior. The historical dramatic setting is also great escapist filmmaking. It allows the audience to be transported to another time period and place and learn about a segment of history that they wouldn't know otherwise. You also see gender politics at play by having Garbo be a strong woman, a queen of her country, in this film yet acting like a man, and refusing the social constraints of the time to burden her.
With this film you see historical drama coming into its own with sound. Earlier historical dramas were more of a giant spectacle like in Griffith’s Intolerance that were about big sets and elaborate productions rather than a more humanist look into the characters who made up those historical storylines.