Anna Christie

78 years ago...the premiere of "Anna Christie" advertised by the slogan "Garbo Talks!" The film runs for 16 minutes and the viewers reach the climax of curiosity: Greta enters the bar and gets through a long awaited transfer from silence into sound: a few seconds closing her silent era and, at last, Greta Garbo says a historic line: "Gimme a whiskey, ginger ale on the side and don't be stingy, baby!"

"Anna Christie" (1930) is the movie by Clarence Brown that introduced a great silent star Greta Garbo to talkies. Nowadays, we can only imagine what serious transfer it was for actors and actresses. The careers of many were bound to end - something we hardly or not at all see at present. And it was no coincidence that it was Clarence Brown who directed the first talkie with the Swedish beauty. Garbo trusted the director after two of his great silent productions, FLESH AND THE DEVIL (1926) and A WOMAN OF AFFAIRS (1928): movies that achieved a smashing success at the box office, both with Garbo in the lead.

But we are in 2008 and that fact about the movie, now purely historical, appears to be of minor importance. The question for today's viewer is not what Garbo's voice sounds like but if the movie is still watchable after these 78 years. In other words, we all strive to answer the question if the movie has stood a test of time. Has it?

When I recently watched it, I came into conclusion that, except for some minor technical aspects, including static camera, "Anna Christie" is still very entertaining. It's, on the one hand, a wonderful story of a life, of a reality that the young woman faces (being based on Eugene O"Neill's play), and, on the other hand, an artistic manifestation of true magnificence in the field of direction and acting. Let me analyze these two aspects in separate paragraphs.

CONTENT: Chris Christopherson (George F Marion), a heavy drinker, lives a life of a sailor, on a barge. Although his days are filled with sorrows, he is consoled by a letter from his daughter Anna (Garbo) whom he hasn't seen for 15 years. She says that she will come back to him. He starts to change everything for better; however forgets that his daughter is no longer a child lacking experience but a 23 year-old woman who has got through various sorts of things on a farm in Minnessota where she lived and worked. Moreover, he forgets that she has a right to accept another kind of male love in her life... This brief presentation of the content not from the perspective of the main character but the one which is introduced to us sooner than Anna (her father Chris) makes you realize how universal it is. Simply no letter from the whole text that life appears to be has been erased after all these years. Cases discussed here in 1930 are still meaningful and valid...

PERFORMANCES. There are not many characters in the movie, but there are two that really shine in the roles. It is of course Greta Garbo herself who did something extraordinary in her 15 year-long phenomenon, the presence that strongly marked the history of early cinema (something I have already discussed in many of my earlier comments on her films). But here, Garbo is slightly different. I admit that there are moments in this movie when she does not feel very comfortable with her role. That seems to be caused by her new experience with sound in English; however, her performance is, as always, genuine and unique. But that is what everyone has expected from Garbo. The true surprise of the movie for the 1930 viewers and also for us is Marie Dressler as Marthy. She is excellent in her facial expressions, in her accent, in the entire portrayal of a drinking woman who looks at life from the perspective of "hitting the bottle." Her best moments include the conversation with Anna Christie in the bar preceded by her hilarious talk with Chris. The rest of the supporting cast are fine yet not great whatsoever (here the German version makes up for it). Particularly Dressler, except for Garbo herself, constitutes an absolutely flawless choice.

If you asked me what I like about "Anna Christie" nowadays, that's what I would tell you: it's a classic movie. However, there is one more thing that I must mention at the end. It is humor, wonderful wit that is noticeable throughout. Although the content is quite serious and "Anna Christie" in no way carries a comedian spirit (the only Garbo's comedy was NINOTCHKA), there are such moments when you will split your sides. Don't skip, for instance, Anna and Matt's visit in the fun park, particularly at the restaurant where he orders milk for her thinking how virtuous and innocent she is, beer for himself and where suddenly Marthy joins them by chance...

"Anna Christie" is a perfect movie for classic buffs and a must see for all at least a bit interested in the true magnificence of performance. If you are fed up with many of those modern starlets, seek such movies out and you shall be satisfied. Very worth your search!

Skaal Greta Garbo! Skaal Marie Dressler! Let us drink a toast to the great jobs you did in the movie! Skaal after all these years when wine tastes much better and your spirits are with us in a different sense...

"Anna Christie" (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1930), directed by Clarence Brown, was the motion picture event of the season where "Garbo talks!" Naturally she talked, but was never heard during her days (1926-1929) on the silent screen. With other silent film stars having already made the transition by 1929, the selection in what Garbo was to appear had to be a sound one. Considering Lon Chaney's talking debut being a remake to his 1925 success, THE UNHOLY THREE (1930), the possibilities of Garbo doing the same for any one of her silent screen successes. FLESH AND THE DEVIL (1927) or that of Anna Karenina from LOVE (1927) immediately come to mind. Garbo did play Anna Karenina again, but in 1935. Another Anna did get selected, one that was already filmed in 1923 starring Blanche Sweet. Taken from Eugene O'Neil's Pulitzer Prize winning play that originated on stage in 1921 starring Pauline Lord, considering the title character of Swedish heritage, it seemed natural for the Swedish born Garbo to tackle tat role herself. And so she did, earning an Academy Award nomination in the process. With her accent authentic, George Marion, who originated his role of Chris Christophersen on both stage and silent screen, was not or didn't appear to be. Whether faithful to O'Neill's writing or not really didn't matter for that "Anna Christie" proved to be a critical success.

The story gets underway as Old Chris (George Marion) a Swedish captain of the fishing boat, living on the barge with Marty Owens (Marie Dressler), his drunken waterfront mistress. After coming to the nearby bar for some drinks, Chris receives a letter with news that his daughter, Anna, is coming from St. Paul, Minnesota, for a visit. Chris, who hasn't seen Anna since she was a five-year-old child in Sweden, is a concerned how to handle their meeting after a 15-year separation. While in the next room, Anna, who calls herself Anna Christie (Greta Garbo) enters the waterfront bar where her first encounter being Marty, the woman Anna claims to be herself, "forty years from now." As both women drink some whiskeys, and Anna smoking cigarettes, she reveals her troubled past to Marty, being raised by cruel relatives on the farm, turning to prostitution in order to survive, and hating all men in the process. Having been released from jail and a two week hospital stay, Anna finally meets with her father as Marty secretly moves from the barge where Anna is to stay. As the two venture out to sea, they meet with a terrible storm, later rescuing Matt Burke (Charles Bickford), a tough talking Irish seaman, from a drifting raft where he and others had spent five days. When Matt shows interest in Anna, Chris objects, causing the two stubborn men to become rivals, forcing Anna to come between them.

For its initial 34 minutes, "Anna Christie" is virtually stage-bound, set mostly in a bar. Garbo's star entrance takes its toll 16 minutes into the story. From there she recites these spoken words to the barman in deep throat manner, "Gimme a vhiskey. Ginger ale on the side - and don't be stingy, baby," with occasional end of sentence catch phrases of "Alright, alright." With this, the long wait ends. "GARBO talks!" And does she ever. The voice not only fits her personality, but her character as well. How the story develops in early sound technique is another matter.

During its 88 minute time frame, director Clarence Brown breaks away from its staginess with outdoor scenery of the Brooklyn Bridge, the sea, as well as time away at Coney Island Amusement Park before resorting to stage-bound manner on the barge. There is no underscoring to set the mood but inter-titles ("The next morning - the waterfront of the East River - New York City." "Two days later in town off New England." "At anchor in an outer harbor along the Massachusetts coast.")in the silent film tradition placed between extended scenes.

With the supporting cast a limited few, only four take precedent. Charles Bickford proved way different from the usual Garbo co-stars. Definitely not the John Gilbert romantic type, but that of a roughneck Irishman, a vivid reminder of Victor McLaglen caricature found in John Ford directorial features reciting such typical lines as, "I can lick any man with one hand tied behind me back." The opposites attract combination of Garbo and Bickford gives equal balance to the nature of the story. George Marion, at times, bears a slight resemblance of character actor, Donald Meek. No doubt Meek might have been an interesting prospect to play Old Chris had a remake of ANNA Christie been considered in the 1940s with Ingrid Bergman in the lead. Marie Dressler's performance leaves a lasting impact, enough to have earned a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination had that category been around back then. In fact, her waterfront floozy in second hand clothing was no doubt a dress rehearsal for her upcoming role in MIN AND BILL (1930) for which won Dressler a Best Actress award by the Academy.

Seldom revived until its 1985 distribution to home video by MGM/UA, followed by occasional public television showings, "Anna Christie," along with Garbo's German-language version, can be found on cable TV's Turner Classic Movies. While the English version of 'Anna Christie" now available on DVD, is better known, many claim the German edition to be better and much more forthright. Though this "Anna Christie" may not hold up as well as Garbo's most notable assignments as CAMILLE (1936) or NINOTCHKA (1939), it's noteworthy, if nothing else, as the one where that term "Garbo talks!" started. (*** vhiskeys)

This is an amazingly well-filmed early talkie adaptation of the Eugene O'Neill play. Its major drawback is a static camera, and as a result it comes off much of the time as the filmed play it is, which is a pity, for it's a good piece of primitive moviemaking, made at a time when sound was posing all kinds of technical problems, and as a result most films were experimental whether or not this was their maker's intention. Garbo is as mysterious and charismatic as she was in her silent films, and her entrance is still classic. Her voice is strangely deep, almost boyish, which only enhances her already seductively eccentric persona. As her boyfriend, Charles Bickford is appropriately virile,--he was apparently born craggy--and a perfect counterpart to the divine Garbo. His Irish brogue is not bad at all, and he seems always a natural man of the sea, very O'Neill-like in his independent, brooding nature. As Garbo's (very) confused father, George Marion seems truly from another time. He has the sort of face and voice,--open, unmannered, totally without guile--that has vanished from the earth. Marie Dressler is also in the O'Neill swing of things. Her blank expression and intensity around the eyes speaks volumes, as she plays her boozy character as a woman at times bordering on psychosis. Poetic license, perhaps, as this is not in the script, but we can forgive Miss Dressler's excesses; she is too good at it not to. The story ends with a movement to the next thing, as distinct from resolution, which isn't the author's cup of tea; and those who like their films neatly worked out in the end will be disappointed by the absence of any real surprise. In Anna Christie we are in O'Neill country, a place of sea, storms and fog, a feeling of all-pervading and damnable uncertainty, which we would now call ambivilance, or anxiety neurosis. Rather than analyze this mood the author simply and wisely presents it, as weather, land, ocean and people intertwine and address one another in a unique language we feel priveleged to have heard.

In New York, the alcoholic skipper of a coal barge Chris Christofferson (George F. Marion) receives a letter from his estranged twenty year old daughter Anna "Christie" Christofferson (Greta Garbo) telling that she will leave Minnesota to stay with him. Chris left Anna fifteen years ago to the countryside to be raised by relatives in a farm in St. Paul and he has never visited his daughter.

Anna Christie arrives and she is a wounded woman with a hidden dishonorable past since she had worked for two years in a brothel to survive. She moves to the barge to live with her father and one night, Chris rescues the sailor Matt (Charles Bickford) and two other fainted sailors from the sea. Soon Anna and Matt fall in love with each other and Anna has the best days of her life. But when Matt proposes to marry her, she is reluctant and also haunted by her past. Matt insists and Anna opens her heart to Matt and to her father disclosing the darks secrets of her past.

"Anna Christie" is the first talkie of Greta Garbo and a heartbreaking story of a young woman that finds redemption through love. I bought the DVD with both versions of 1930 and 1931, and the version in English is restored and has additional scenes in the beginning and in the ending; however, Jacques Feyder's version in German is better than Clarence Brown's. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Anna Christie"

Garbo's first spoken words in this 1930 film electrified audiences and became part of Hollywood legend. Garbo had become a star in her first American film, The Torrent, in 1926. And audiences waited til this film to see if Garbo could make the transition to talkies. She did. And while Pola Negri, Vilma Banky, and Renee Adoree fell by the wayside because of their accents, Garbo sailed on for another decade. Despite the staginess of this film, Garbo is really excellent, especially in the opening scene with the equally great Marie Dressler as Marthy. The two great stars trade dirty looks and sharp words as they size each other up while they have a few drinks and set the tone for the remainder of the film. Garbo was 25; Dressler was 60. Charles Bickford is OK as Matt, and George F. Marion is good as Old Chris. Marion originated this role on Broadway in 1922 and also played it in the 1923 silent version with Blanche Sweet. This Eugene O'Neill play is a true classic yet, oddly, was never filmed again. Anna Christie ranks as one of Garbo's greatest performances. And despite the staginess of the film and the grimness of the story, she is truly a marvel. See this one for Garbo and Dressler!