Anna Christie (1930, German version)

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Movie
Original title Anna Christie
Country of production United States
original language German
Publishing year 1930
length 82 minutes
Rod
Director Jacques Feyder
script Walter Hasenclever ,
Frank Reicher
production MGM
music William ax
camera William H. Daniels
cut Finn Ulback
occupation

Anna Christie is an American feature film with Greta Garbo from 1930 and the German-language version of the English-language original of the same name . Directed by Jacques Feyder . The world premiere took place on December 22, 1930 in Cologne.

action

In the port district of New York, the young Anna Christie visits her father Chris, who left her as a small child to continue to sea. While she is waiting for him, she meets her father's mistress, the old prostitute Marthy. Both have a lively conversation in which it becomes clear that Anna pursued this trade herself for a while in St. Pauli in Hamburg. Later, Anna meets her father and is touched by the exuberant greeting from the old man and since Chris is convinced of his daughter's virtue, Anna does not dare to tell him about her past as a prostitute. Chris takes Anna aboard his coal ship and after she has got used to life at sea, the painful memories seem to fall away from her. However, when the seaman Matt, who is in distress, gets on the ship, his impetuous passion for Anna threatens not only to destroy the new relationship with her father, but also to reveal her dark secret. Only after a violent argument are both men ready to forgive Anna and finally Anna and Matt find happiness together.

background

Immediately after completing the English version, Garbo shot a German version under the direction of Jacques Feyder , which differs in several aspects. Such a process was not uncommon in the early days of talkies and other established stars like Maurice Chevalier occasionally produced remakes in their own language. Garbo's German pronunciation is a bit difficult, but overall the dialogues are more fluid and less charged with pathos. The actress is also acting more relaxed and less tense. In some scenes she laughs very heartily. In private circles, Garbo has repeatedly emphasized that she gave one of her best acting performances in the German version of Anna Christie .

The fact that her mentor and good friend Salka Viertel played the role of Marthy certainly contributed to the laid-back attitude of the Garbo. Viertel, who is listed under her maiden name Salka Steuermann in the credits, was several years younger than Marie Dressler , who played Marthy in the original, but she gave the role more warmth and vulnerability. Filming took place in the spring of 1930, with most of the film sets from the English version being reused.

Rudolph Schildkraut was originally intended for the role of Chris, but he died during filming and was replaced by Junkermann.

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