Sorry, this movie sucks

Just what I expected

Great Film overall

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Viewing both of these films concurrently is not a bad idea to get a sense of early film production and acting for the camera styles. I give the nod to Garbo(but not by much)in regard to her naturalness. Robeson is majestic. But his performance is aimed for a large proscenium theater. Something else that struck me was the movies themes of empowerment for women and minorities. There hadn't been any films coming out of Hollywood yet that allowed the voices of marginal characters like Anna and Brutus to take the foreground. These were very progressive films for their time. It's quite probable that O'Neill saw the writing on the wall way before everyone else did about the future of America.

This film is worthwhile despite what you may hear. The performance of Marie Dressler (I hope I am spelling it right) as a drunken old sot is reason enough to see this film. It is an amazing performance. She is in a drunken stupor in three scenes for a good long while and she never does the same thing twice. You can actually smell the alcohol when she is done. Amazing. And Greta of course speaks her first lines on film and shes great. The Eugene O'Neill story is solid and like most O'Neill stories, very deep and intense. This is not light entertainment but if you appreciate those great character actors from the 30's and 40's you will like it. Some of the film is technically fuzzy but all in all worthwhile.

Anna Christie (1930) *** 1/2 (out of 4) A former prostitute (Greta Garbo) goes to see her father (Hans Junkermann) for the first time in fifteen years so she can escape her past but she ends up falling in love with a sailor (Theo Shall) who isn't aware of her secret. While I haven't seen the American version, which was filmed at the same time, I have a hard time believing the subject matter would be treated more seriously or openly as what's on display here. The only problem I had with the film is that some of the direction is weak in terms of the camera just standing still and not adding too much to the film. Other than that this is a very open and hard hitting little love story that works wonders and packs a terrific punch due to the three leads performances. Garbo brings her typical beauty to the screen and perfectly captures her character's tortured soul. The love scenes with Shall are very good and you can't help but cheer for things to work out well.

"Anna Christie" marked the sound debut of Garbo.It was quite a daring step for the silent screen siren to play a downtrodden prostitute in this glum melodrama.She's still affected by the acting-style of the silent pictures and overplays her dramatic gestures quite a lot. The movie gave Marie Dressler's career a shot in the arm.She's very good as the boozing girlfriend of George F. Marion who plays Garbo's father.Charles Bickford plays Garbo's virile love interest.With an Irish accent his performance impressed me the most.For the most this movie is an ordeal to sit through.The acting is overly dramatic and the story doesn't hold that much interest.The movie is only of historical interest.