... based on Tolstoy's book, from MGM and director Clarence Brown. Greta Garbo is the title woman, a member of the Russian aristocracy in the late 19th century. She's trapped in a loveless marriage with the cold Alexei (Basil Rathbone), but she tolerates it for the sake of their young son Sergei (Freddie Bartholomew). That changes when she meets handsome soldier Count Vronsky (Fredric March). The two fall madly in love, but at much sacrifice to the rest of their lives, a burden that may prove too much to bear.
The production design is sumptuous, and the costumes top-rate. I've never read the novel, nor seen any other film versions, so I can't speak on how much or how little it diverges from the source material. If it's like many literary adaptations of the time, the differences can be quite large. The performances are good. March looks a bit severe in his military haircut, while Garbo looks much like she always does in her 30's films. Between March's and Rathbone's, I kept wondering who would have the thinnest mustache, and how much of it was drawn in.
The production design is sumptuous, and the costumes top-rate. I've never read the novel, nor seen any other film versions, so I can't speak on how much or how little it diverges from the source material. If it's like many literary adaptations of the time, the differences can be quite large. The performances are good. March looks a bit severe in his military haircut, while Garbo looks much like she always does in her 30's films. Between March's and Rathbone's, I kept wondering who would have the thinnest mustache, and how much of it was drawn in.