Anna Christie (1930)

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Frances Marion (adapted by)
Eugene O'Neill (from play "Anna Christie")

Release Date:

21 February 1930 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Garbo talks!

Plot:

A young woman reunites with her estranged father and falls in love with a sailor, but struggles to tell them about her dark past.

Plot Keywords:

Sailor | Love | Barge | Rescue | Father Daughter Relationship

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Greta Garbo	...	Anna
Charles Bickford	...	Matt
George F. Marion	...	Chris
Marie Dressler	...	Marthy
James T. Mack	...	Johnny the Harp
Lee Phelps	...	Larry
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Baxley	...	Coney Island Barker (uncredited)
William H. O'Brien	...	Waiter (uncredited)

Directed by
Clarence Brown

Writing credits
Frances Marion		(adapted by)
Eugene O'Neill		(from play "Anna Christie")

Produced by
Paul Bern	....	producer (uncredited)
Clarence Brown	....	producer (uncredited)
Irving Thalberg	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
William Axt		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
William H. Daniels		(photographed by) (as William Daniels)

Film Editing by
Hugh Wynn		(film editor)

Art Direction by
Cedric Gibbons

Costume Design by
Adrian		(gowns)

Sound Department
Douglas Shearer	....	recording director
G.A. Burns	....	sound recording engineer (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Milton Brown	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (presents) (controlled by Loew's Incorporated) (Clarence Brown's Production)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1930) (USA) (theatrical)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

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) | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Greta Garbo's first sound film.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Divine Garbo (1990) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Scherzetto

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!