Anna Christie (1930 film)
| Anna Christie | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Clarence Brown |
| Produced by | Clarence Brown Paul Bern Irving Thalberg |
| Written by | Frances Marion (screenplay) Eugene O'Neill (play) |
| Starring | Greta Garbo Charles Bickford George F. Marion Marie Dressler |
| Cinematography | William Daniels |
| Editing by | Hugh Wynn |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Release date(s) | February 21, 1930 |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Anna Christie is a 1930 MGM Pre-Code drama film adaptation of the 1922 play by Eugene O'Neill. It was adapted by Frances Marion, produced and directed by Clarence Brown with Paul Bern and Irving Thalberg as co-producers. The cinematography was by William H. Daniels, the art direction by Cedric Gibbons and the costume design by Adrian.
The film stars Greta Garbo, Charles Bickford, George F. Marion, and Marie Dressler.
It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress (Greta Garbo), Best Cinematography and Best Director. This pre-Code film is the movie that used the marketing slogan "Garbo Talks!", as it was her first talkie.
Of all its stars, Garbo was the one that MGM kept out of talking films the longest, to coach her in English and to add to her mystique. Her famous first line is: "Gif me a vhisky, ginger ale on the side, and don't be stingy, baby!"[1] In fact, Garbo's English was so good by the time she appeared in this film, she had to add an accent in several retakes to sound more like the Swedish Anna.[2]
George F. Marion performed the role of Anna's father in the original Broadway production and in both the 1923 and 1930 film adaptations.
In early 1931, MGM released a German-language version, also starring Garbo, with Theo Shall, Hans Junkermann and Salka Viertel. (In this version, the famous opening line became "Whisky – aber nicht zu knapp!" ["Whiskey, but not too short"].) The English and German language versions grossed a combined $1,499,000.
In addition to the English and German-language version of this film, a silent version with titles was also made.[3]
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[edit] Cast
- Greta Garbo as Anna Christie
- Charles Bickford as Matt Burke
- George F. Marion as Chris Christofferson
- Marie Dressler as Marthy Owens
- James T. Mack as Johnny the Harp
- Lee Phelps as Larry
[edit] Academy Award nominations
The film received the following Academy Awards nominations:[4]
[edit] Modern critical reception
Despite its historic significance as Garbo's first talking film, film historian Richard Schickel today describes the film as "dull", with Marie Dressler providing "the only vitality in an otherwise static and ludicrous" film.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Hay, Peter (1991). MGM: When the Lion Roars. Atlanta: Turner Publishing, Inc.. p. 68. ISBN 1-878685-04-X
- ^ Hay, p. 72
- ^ Alan Gevinson (1 October 1997). American Film Institute catalog. University of California Press. pp. 37–. ISBN 9780520209640. http://books.google.com/?id=bsoUXGZSxZcC&pg=PA37. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
- ^ Osborne, Robert (1994). 65 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards. London: Abbeville Press. p. 25. ISBN 1-55859-715-8.
- ^ Schickel, Richard (1962). The Stars. New York: Bonanza Books, a division of Crown Publishers, Inc.. p. 134.
[edit] External links
- Anna Christie at the Internet Movie Database
- Anna Christie at AllRovi
- Anna Christie at the TCM Movie Database
- Production notes and still gallery at GarboForever.com
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