ANNA CHRISTIE (1930)

(Week 1: Greta Garbo)

ANNA CHRISTIE (1930)

Directed by Clarence Brown

How inauspicious to start off this blog with an entry about a film I didn't like? But Garbo is first on the list, and this movie is significant in her short career: it was her first talkie. I can only imagine how exciting it must have been for fans of her silent films to hear their favorite star not only talk but speak the words of Eugene O'Neil.

ANNA CHRISTIE is about a fallen woman reuniting with her estranged father and falling in love while trying to escape her past. Whether or not the film was shot in sequence, the last half an hour of the film seems to be much better than the earlier portions. Garbo is really good in it. She speaks the lines more clearly. Her acting becomes more genuine, even though the scenes demands much of her emotional range. I'm saying this because this is not how I would describe Garbo's performance in the earlier part of the movie, where she is stiff and seems to be struggling with acting in English. 

She does sound good. She has a low, warm and luscious voice. She also possesses an effective lost-girl look. The dramatic make-up accentuates both her beauty and sadness. It's hard to tell if she commands the screen with her  charisma or if the camera does most of the work. In any case, she has a strong presence without appearing out of character. 

The role of Anna's father, the Swedish coal barge captain, is played by George F. Marion, an American actor who is so convincing I thought he was Swedish as well, but not in a good way. It's a challenge to understand his speech. He had originated the role on Broadway as well as played it in the silent film adaptation of the play. I guess there is such a thing as playing the role too well.

Charles Bickford plays Matt, Anna's love interest. He is the least quirky of the cast, which makes him a nice addition. He serves well as a leading man and character actor in a role that doesn't ask much of him. It's not hard to imagine a better film with an entire cast of actors like him. The result might have been a more heartfelt and nuanced storytelling.

I haven't read the Pulitzer Prize's wining play on which the film is based, so that I don't know if there might have been some changes made. There were moments when I thought that the actors didn't do the words justice, but there were also moments when I thought the script itself was weak. It's a story about people trying to make up for their past, so for the most part we don't see their problems as much as hearing about them. The ending feels like a copout. Anna could be one of those great female characters in American drama, but is portrayed here more like a dramatic caricature than a tragic-heroine. ANNA CHRISTIE is not entirely painful to watch--and really there are some good moments here--but unless you are a Garbo fan it is barely worth the time.