Empowering her but monstrously transforming her, circuitry appeared under her skin, and charges of electricity and power passed into her body - she became an agent of the machine.Grusinskaya""s (Greta Garbo) personal maid, relayed a message that the fragile, isolated, aging, sickly Russian prima ballerina performer wouldn""t be attending her dance rehearsal due to nervous exhaustion; the performer""s emotional state was threatening her career; reportedly, there was "something preying on her mind" and she couldn""t sleep; the possibly suicidal, forlorn dancer had taken a sleeping tablet (Veronal) o ease her "tortured" mindBaron Von Gaigern (John Barrymore), an indebted, financially-broke yet charming, sophisticated and suave gentleman, frantically phoned about needing money; he was plotting the theft of the ballerina""s jewels in the hotel by scoping out her room, and by becoming friends with her ballet master Pimenov (Ferdinand Gottschalk)In the lobby, world-weary house physician Dr.In the police locker room after sparring in a boxing ring with a younger opponent named Gomez, Riggs admitted that he faked an injury to end the fight, and then confided the truth of his accelerating age to Murtaugh.A year earlier, Lewis Milestone directed another adaptation of a classic John Steinbeck novel, the tragedyOf Mice and Men (1939), with five Oscar nominations and no wins.Hiding his jealousy, Emperor Han rewarded Zi Yuan with anything she desired for her work, and she replied: "I want to spend my life with General Ming.