The main interest point for most people in seeing 'Anna Christie' is most likely, it certainly was in my case, seeing the wonderful Greta Garbo in her first "talkie" (after ten years starring in silent films). Especially considering that when it came to the advertising, she was the most hyped up asset and a big thing was made about the film being most significant for it being her first film to be in sound. While 'Anna Christie' is no 'Long Day's Journey into Night', Eugene O'Neill is always worth reading and getting acquainted with and that's still the case.
While there are no issues to be had with Garbo, if it weren't for her 'Anna Christie's' existence would have been unknown to me, it was a different story regarding the film itself. 'Anna Christie' is worth seeing for her and historical interest for that particular stage of her career, but not for an awful lot else. Not an awful or unwatchable film by any stretch, it actually takes a lot for me to call any film that, but not great either and one of not many Garbo films to not hold up particularly well.
Garbo is the main rain to see 'Anna Christie' in the first place and she is the best thing about it too. She is a truly luminous presence and brings intensity, dignity and pathos to her role. Marie Dressler is also riveting, not as subtle but she gives it absolutely everything and plays her character to a hilt in a way that still entertains and sears now.
'Anna Christie' has handsome set and costume design, though one wishes that the photography was more striking and accomodating to fully appreciate it. Garbo's opening line "give me a whisky, ginger ale on the side and don't be stingy, baby" is quite an iconic one for her career and one heck of a way to order for something. Some of the script is entertaining and thoughtful.
Sadly a lot of the dialogue is too heavy on the talk and comes over as over-wordy, betraying the source material's stage origins. 'Anna Christie' also fails at opening up the drama so it comes over as very stagy and too much like a filmed stage play. Unfortunately, the story for me was little more than creaky (could hear the creaking of wooden floorboards going on in my head while watching) over-heated melodrama moving at a very turgid pace.
Despite loving Garbo and Dressler, the others impressed me quite a lot less. George F. Marion seemed to be thinking he was playing a pantomime villain on stage or something and Charles Bickford came over as bland. Clarence Brown's direction is neither sympathetic or engaging.
In summary, watchable curio with two great performances but not an awful lot more than that. 5/10
While there are no issues to be had with Garbo, if it weren't for her 'Anna Christie's' existence would have been unknown to me, it was a different story regarding the film itself. 'Anna Christie' is worth seeing for her and historical interest for that particular stage of her career, but not for an awful lot else. Not an awful or unwatchable film by any stretch, it actually takes a lot for me to call any film that, but not great either and one of not many Garbo films to not hold up particularly well.
Garbo is the main rain to see 'Anna Christie' in the first place and she is the best thing about it too. She is a truly luminous presence and brings intensity, dignity and pathos to her role. Marie Dressler is also riveting, not as subtle but she gives it absolutely everything and plays her character to a hilt in a way that still entertains and sears now.
'Anna Christie' has handsome set and costume design, though one wishes that the photography was more striking and accomodating to fully appreciate it. Garbo's opening line "give me a whisky, ginger ale on the side and don't be stingy, baby" is quite an iconic one for her career and one heck of a way to order for something. Some of the script is entertaining and thoughtful.
Sadly a lot of the dialogue is too heavy on the talk and comes over as over-wordy, betraying the source material's stage origins. 'Anna Christie' also fails at opening up the drama so it comes over as very stagy and too much like a filmed stage play. Unfortunately, the story for me was little more than creaky (could hear the creaking of wooden floorboards going on in my head while watching) over-heated melodrama moving at a very turgid pace.
Despite loving Garbo and Dressler, the others impressed me quite a lot less. George F. Marion seemed to be thinking he was playing a pantomime villain on stage or something and Charles Bickford came over as bland. Clarence Brown's direction is neither sympathetic or engaging.
In summary, watchable curio with two great performances but not an awful lot more than that. 5/10