Anna Karenina (1935)

The married Anna Karenina falls in love with Count Vronsky despite her husband's refusal to grant a divorce, and both must contend with the social repercussions.

Director:

Clarence Brown

Writers:

Leo Tolstoy (from the novel by) (as Count Leo Tolstoy), Clemence Dane (screen play)

Stars:

Greta Garbo, Fredric March, Freddie Bartholomew

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Greta Garbo	...	Anna Karenina
Fredric March	...	Count Vronsky
Freddie Bartholomew	...	Sergei
Maureen O'Sullivan	...	Kitty
May Robson	...	Countess Vronsky
Basil Rathbone	...	Alexei Alexandrovitch Karenin
Reginald Owen	...	Stiva
Phoebe Foster	...	Dolly
Reginald Denny	...	Yashvin
Gyles Isham	...	Konstantin Demitrievitch Levin
Joan Marsh	...	Lili
Ethel Griffies	...	Mme. Kartasoff
Harry Beresford	...	Matve
Sarah Padden	...	Governess
Cora Sue Collins	...	Tania

Storyline

This version of the Tolstoy classic lingers longer in Moscow during the weeks that follow the initial meeting of the starstruck lovers-to-be Vronsky and Anna Karenina. The story -- as it unfolds -- also focuses on Kitty, a young woman who is related to Anna's sister-in-law whose marital rift has brought Anna to Moscow. Until Anna shows up, Kitty had hopes of getting Vronsky, who is single and well connected, to propose to her. Ignored by Vronsky, Kitty turns her attention to another suitor, a man who seems to have a lot in common with Tolstoy.

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Plot Keywords:

infidelity | dysfunctional marriage | adultery | character name as title | anna karenina character | 

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Taglines:

A Masterpiece of Romance...An Immortal Love Drama...A Never-to-be Forgotten Story Enacted by Three Great Stars..! (Print Ad, Philadelphia Inquirer, ((Philadelphia Penna.)) 29 August 1935)

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 1935 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Ana Karenina

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,152,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The file for the film in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library contains a memo, dated November 6, 1935, from PCA Director Joseph I. Breen, who suggested that David O. Selznick alter the scene in which "Vronsky" returns to Moscow from Italy, to show that "Vronsky" is "definitely punished as a result of his sinful alliance with Anna." According to the memo, when Breen suggested that "Vronsky" be denied reinstatement in the Russian army and be banished from his native land, "Mr. Selznick agreed to this change." Breen also raised a number of objections to specific scenes that showed "Anna" and "Vronsky" carrying out an "adulterous" affair with impunity. In March 1935, Selznick wrote a letter to Breen, in which he sharply criticized new objections raised by the PCA to the script, claiming that Breen's "change of heart...will jeopardize a million dollar investment." Selznick went on to say that Breen's comments left M-G-M with no alternative but to make a "completely vitiated and emasculated adaptation of Tolstoi's famous classic." Following the film's release, the PCA received a letter from the Chicago Legion of Decency, which stated: "We are thoroughly disgusted to hear that you have passed Anna Karenina (1935) and Barbary Coast (1935) and shall boycott these and all others like them."

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Goofs

During the drinking game, while under the table, the officer who is in front of Vronsky disappears.

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Quotes

Anna Karenina: You know, darling, men like Stiva aren't really conscience of deception at all. They put their wives and homes in one compartment and these other women in another. It's strange; but, I know it to be true.

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Alternate Versions

Despite all previous versions being intact the 2006 UK Warner DVD was cut by 7 secs by the BBFC to remove footage of horse-falls.

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Connections

Referenced in Hedda Hopper's Hollywood (1960)

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Soundtracks

Eugene Onegin, Op. 24)
(1879) (uncredited)
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Libretto by Konstantin Shilovsky, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Modest Tchaikovsky
Based on the novel by Alexander Pushkin
Opera Excerpts performed at the theater

User Reviews

A well-done adaption

For a film that tries to pack a 900 page novel into 95 minutes, Clarence Brown's rendition of Tolstoy's masterpiece is quite impressive. Naturally, there are aspects of the story that are forced aside- too little time is spent on the relationship between Kitty and Levin (who was a self-portrait of Tolstoy)- but Brown manages to portray the affair between Anna and Vronsky with plenty of depth and emotion.

Greta Garbo, one of the greatest actresses of the 30's, is stunning in the lead. Frederic March is a little flat as Vronsky, dressed in his military uniform in almost every scene, but manages to do well with the character nonetheless. Basil Rathbone's usual grimness suits Karenin perfectly. The production design is spectacular. Brown directs his cast so that they always stand out from the scenery, clearly visible amidst the decadence and imperial settings. The ballroom scenes, where characters dance gracefully while exchanging crucial dialogue, particularly impressed me.

A delight for Garbo fans, as well as anyone who likes costume pieces or literary adaptations.