Anna Christie (1930)

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Frances Marion (adaptation)
Eugene O'Neill (play)

Release Date:

21 February 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Garbo talks!

Plot:

It has been 15 years since Chris has sent 5 year old Anna to live with relatives in St. Paul, and now she is coming back...

Plot Keywords:

Sailor | Rescue | Love | Barge | Sea Captain

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Greta Garbo	...	Anna Christie
Charles Bickford	...	Matt Burke
George F. Marion	...	Chris Christofferson
Marie Dressler	...	Marthy Owens
James T. Mack	...	Johnny the Harp
Lee Phelps	...	Larry - the Bartender

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric System)

Certification:

Australia:PG | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:A (Original rating) | UK:U (Video rating)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

The Broadway play "Anna Christie" by Eugene O'Neill opened at the Vanderbilt Theater in New York on 2 November 1921 and ran for 177 performances. George F. Marion (Chris) and James T. Mack (Johnny) originated their movie roles in the play. Marion also starred in the earlier silent movie version Anna Christie (1923). To date, the play has been revived 3 times, most recently in 1993 with Natasha Richardson as Anna, Rip Torn as Chris, Liam Neeson as Matt and Anne Meara as Marthy.

Quotes:

Anna Christie: Gif me a visky, ginger ale on the side, and don' be stingy, baby.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Magic Sword (#5.11)" (1992)

Soundtrack:

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

And Don't Be Stingy, Baby

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!