Anna Christie (1930, English version)

Movie
German title	Anna Christie
Original title	Anna Christie
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1930
length	74 minutes
Rod
Director	Clarence Brown
script	Frances Marion
production	MGM
music	William ax
camera	William H. Daniels
cut	Hugh Wynn
occupation
	Greta Garbo : Anna Christie; Charles Bickford : Matt Burke; George F. Marion : Chris Christopherson; Marie Dressler : Marthy;

Anna Christie is an American feature film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Greta Garbo . It was first released for distribution on March 14, 1930 and was the actress' sound film debut . The film is based on the play of the same name by Eugene O'Neill . Greta Garbo also shot a German version of Anna Christie under the direction of Jacques Feyder .

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. Anna later meets her father and is touched by the exuberant greeting from the old man. Since Chris is convinced of the virtues of his daughter, Anna does not dare to tell him about her past as a prostitute. Chris takes Anna on board his coal ship. After she gets 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

Anna Christie was Greta Garbo's much-anticipated sound film debut . Since 1926, the actress had gained fame as a performer of exotic lovers and became one of MGM's most important stars. The end of the silent film was in sight since mid-1928 and the studio was intensely concerned with the future of Garbo. For many of the numerous foreign stars of the time, the switch to speaking films meant the more or less abrupt end of their careers. Pola Negri , Vilma Banky and Emil Jannings were among the prominent victims of the technical innovation. The main problem was on the one hand the strong accent of the actors, paired with the very primitive recording technique, which also strongly distorted well-modulated voices. In contrast to most other studios, MGM took a lot of time with the changeover and used the interim to give the contract actors very specific language lessons. It wasn't until mid-1929 that the top stars began to step in front of the microphone and all of them mastered the change without problems. Even Ramon Novarro , who spoke with a heavy Mexican-Spanish accent, made the leap into the new medium.

In the case of Garbo, in addition to the problems with the English diction, there were also contractual ambiguities. Her current contract was ambiguous as to whether the actress had to make a sound film at all or whether the obligation only related to working in silent films. After not only the last silent film by Garbo, but also the last silent film by one of the big studios ever hit the cinemas in September 1929 with The Kiss , everyone involved finally agreed to try the new profession. However, choosing the right subject was much more difficult. For some time, Irving Thalberg toyed with the idea of making a film of the play St. Johanna by George Bernard Shaw . Garbo was enthusiastic about the idea and said in one of her last interviews in the late autumn of 1929 that she hoped to be able to play the role of St. Johanna under the direction of Erich von Stroheim .

In the end, the parties agreed on Anna Christie . The play by Eugene O'Neill about a bitter Swedish prostitutes represented a radical departure from the previous image of the actress as a glamorous star in romantic melodramas. To be on the safe side, Thalberg Garbo added Marie Dressler, an experienced actress. The scenes they shared are some of the best in the film. Otherwise, the strip is staged statically and over long stretches looks like a filmed stage performance. The studio took advantage of the growing tension among fans to launch one of the biggest publicity campaigns. Under the slogan Garbo Talks! the film was advertised months in advance. After the opening titles, it takes another 16 minutes for Greta Garbo to enter the scene. She sits down in a bar, takes a deep breath and finally speaks her first sentence:

"Gimme a whiskey, ginger ale on the side, and don't be stingy, boy."

Theatrical release

The cost of producing the English version was $ 376,000, which was a little below the MGM average cost. It was very successful at the box office, grossing $ 1,013,000 in the United States and $ 486,000 abroad. The total result was $ 1,499,000. MGM posted a profit of $ 576,000. This made the film the most successful Greta Garbo film to date.

criticism

The critics were consistently enthusiastic about Garbo's sound film debut. Most of the reviewers were, of course, concerned with the sound and modulation of the Swedish actress.

Mordaunt Hall wrote a true hymn of praise in the New York Times on March 15, 1930:

“The hugely popular Greta Garbo is even more interesting in her first sound film, a film adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christe, than in her silent films. She shows no nervousness in front of the microphone and her portrayal of Anna is beyond criticism. […] Your voice is deep, even deeper than in real life. [...] Unlike most other actresses in their sound film debuts, Miss Garbo adapts her acting to the dialogues. She thinks about what she is saying and accompanies each sentence with the appropriate gesture and the appropriate expression on her face. There is no hesitation in her dialogues, as she memorized her lines very carefully. In contrast to the appearances of most of her male and female colleagues, she doesn't even have to think about the name of the next line of dialogue. "

Awards

The film went to the 1930 Academy Awards (November) with three nominations :

Best Actress: Greta Garbo (together with Romance )
Best Director: Clarence Brown
Best camera: William H. Daniels

Web links

Footnotes

↑ Give me a whiskey with ginger ale and don't be stingy, kid.
↑ In her first talking picture, an adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie", the immensely popular Greta Garbo is even more interesting through being heard than she was in her mute portrayals. She reveals no nervousness before the microphone and her careful interpretation of Anna can scarcely be disputed. [...] Miss Garbo's voice from the screen is deep toned, somewhat deeper than when one hears her in real life. […] Unlike most of the film actresses in their debuts in talking films, Miss Garbo suits her actions to the words. She thinks about what she is saying and accompanies the lines with suitable gestures and expressions. There is no hesitancy in her speech, for she evidently memorized her lines thoroughly before going before the camera, and not in a single instance does she seem to be thinking about what she must say next, which has been the case in the first audible efforts of many of the male and female performers.

[1] Give me a whiskey with ginger ale and don't be stingy, kid.

[2] In her first talking picture, an adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's "Anna Christie", the immensely popular Greta Garbo is even more interesting through being heard than she was in her mute portrayals. She reveals no nervousness before the microphone and her careful interpretation of Anna can scarcely be disputed. [...] Miss Garbo's voice from the screen is deep toned, somewhat deeper than when one hears her in real life. […] Unlike most of the film actresses in their debuts in talking films, Miss Garbo suits her actions to the words. She thinks about what she is saying and accompanies the lines with suitable gestures and expressions. There is no hesitancy in her speech, for she evidently memorized her lines thoroughly before going before the camera, and not in a single instance does she seem to be thinking about what she must say next, which has been the case in the first audible efforts of many of the male and female performers.