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:

Lev 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Because Greta Garbo refused to work at night, "MGM" was forced to build a stage over the St. Petersburg railroad station set on the back lot to simulate darkness.

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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

Yashvin: I'm not going to beat around the bush.

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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

Version of Anna Karenina (1997)

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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

Unforgettable Version of Tolstoy's Classic Romance

In Imperial Russia, the aristocratic Anna Karenina (Greta Garbo) travels from Saint Petersburg to Moscow to visit her brother Stiva (Reginald Owen) and she meets the cavalry officer Vronsky (Fredric March), who came with Stiva to the train station to welcome his mother.

After a family reunion where Anna Karenina has a conversation with her sister-in-law Dolly (Phoebe Foster) to help to save Stiva's marriage, Anna is invited to stay for the ball. Anna Karenina is courted by Vronsky, but she decides to return to Saint Petersburg to her loveless marriage because of her beloved son Sergei (Freddie Bartholomew).

However Vronsky follows her and she introduces him to her husband Karenin (Basil Rathbone) at the train station. Vronsky woos her and soon they have a doomed love affair that will lead Anna Karenina to a tragic fate.

"Anna Karenina" (1935) is the first and the unforgettable version of Tolstoy's classic romance. Greta Garbor is perfect in the role of Anna Karenina, a beautiful and aristocratic married woman that falls in love with a man in a society repressive with the women's rights and feelings. The scene where her face appears in a cloud of steam is one of the most beautiful of the cinema history.

The grandiosity and the camera work of the initial scene showing the officer's table and the ball are still very impressive. The heartbreak conclusion of a woman destroyed by her love is very sad. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Anna Karenina"

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 November 1935 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Anna 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