[.ca] Anna Karenina

Amazon.com Essential Video:
Garbo won two consecutive New York Film Critics Awards for best actress in this and Camille--an altogether more satisfying selection. At 95 minutes, this handsome David O. Selznick production for MGM hasn't a prayer of doing justice to the rich supporting cast of characters in Tolstoy's thick novel (notably Kitty, through no fault of the perky Maureen O'Sullivan). That was equally true of Clarence Brown's 1927 silent version Love (1927), also starring Garbo, but it was both more passionate and more fluid; Brown's direction here gathers no momentum within scenes or in the film overall. Garbo's quiet "Too late, too late," as she realizes early on what a tragedy her obsessive love affair must lead to, is exquisitely doomed; but Fredric March makes a tiresome, even petulant, Vronsky. It's a measure of the film's misdirection that Basil Rathbone, icy-cold as the careerist husband Karenin, inspires more sympathy. At least he's entertaining. --Richard T. Jameson

Triumphant:
It is appropriate that one of literature's greatest and most tragic figures, Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, is given compelling life on screen by one of fildom's most gifted and spellbinding artists, Greta Garbo, in MGM's luxurious production of Tolstoy's masterpiece, "Anna Karenina". Anna is the neglected wife of Russian aristocrat/bureaucrat, Karenin, haughtily portrayed by Basil Rathbone. Karenin is consumed by his career and social standing. It seems that the only reason he married Anna and had a son with her is to enhance his "respectibility" in society. When a handsome officer, Count Vronsky, played with conviction by Frederic March, understandably is infatuated by the astonishingly beautiful and charming Anna, he makes this known to her. He is persistent in his pursuit of her. At first Anna is reticent to his charms, but eventually succumbs. This story takes place during the 1800's under the reign of Czar Nicholas I of Russia. In this era, there was a strict and judgmental social code. Adultery was treated like a crime or a contagious disease, and Anna finds herself the object of scorn and ridicule among society. Anna's husband Karenin refuses to grant Anna a divorce and tells their son that Anna is dead when she flees to Venice with Vronsky. Eventually Anna becomes a social outcast because of her affair, and Vronsky begins to suffocate from their relationship. He decides to go off to war rather than be with Anna constantly. Devasted by Vronsky's abandonment and shunned by society, Anna's fate is tragic. I can imagine few other actresses than Greta Garbo who could so realistically embody the character of Anna. Anna is essentially a good person, a loving mother, and dutiful wife. But she is starved for tenderness and affection so she turns to Vronsky. Garbo subtly conveys Anna's despair and loneliness in her loveless marriage to Karenin. Garbo makes you empathize with her predicament, and you truly feel the joy, passion, and guilt that Anna experiences as she falls in love with Vronsky. As an actress, Garbo is a minimalist in the best sense. She understands that less is more. She can gladden or break your heart with a glance, a smile, or the slightest tilt of her posture. Her eyes are wondrously expressive. This is a masterful, mature, and dignified performance by a consummate actress. As for the rest of the movie, the direction, sets, and photography are all impressive. And Garbo's unearthly beauty is complemented by the ravishing costumes designed by Adrian. This version of "Anna Karenina" is a triumph.

Greta Garbo in one of her greatest roles:
The classic 1935 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's tragic masterpiece is still a joy to behold. Greta Garbo is breathtakingly-lovely in one of her greatest screen performances. Anna Karenina (Greta Garbo) lives a life of dull monotony, broken only by the presence of her engaging son Sergei (Freddie Bartholomew). Her cold husband Karenin (Basil Rathbone) treats her more like a trophy than a wife, and she relishes her carefree visits to her relatives. When Anna falls in love with the dashing - and younger - Captain Vronsky (Fredric March) she gives way to a great passion...and even greater tragedy. This was in fact a remake of the hugely-successful silent film LOVE, again starring Greta Garbo with her frequent leading-man (and lover) John Gilbert. Both versions are splendid, but this version stays more faithful to Tolstoy's novel. Also starring Maureen O'Sullivan, May Robson and Reginald Owen.

Garbo Salvages It:
Greta Garbo stars in this adaptation of Tolstoy's famous novel as the title character, a woman whose loveless marriage leads her into the arms of another man ... and then to tragedy. Garbo, always fascinating to watch, is very strong in the role of a woman torn between her love for an officer and sacrificing her child. Fredric March, as the officer she loves, does not register as strongly. It's difficult to see the attraction he holds for Garbo. Basil Rathbone, playing Garbo's rigid husband, is appropriately cold, while the rest of the cast walks through their roles without much notice. All in all, the film failed to engage me to any great degree. The screenplay is stiffly written, with little time given to showing how the lovers' relationship developed, and several wooden moments of dialogue that fall flat. Were it not for the presence of Garbo, I don't think there would be much to recommend in it. From the great moment at the beginning where her face first emerges from the smoke by the train, she gives the film whatever magic it has.

I Like Fredric March, but I didn't like him in this film...:
....because he plays a cad and I just can't take seeing Fred playing a cad! I was glad to read in his bio that he himself didn't want to do this part, feeling it wasn't really the best for him. But he had to do it...Really, he is much better as the romantic GOOD guy, not the sort of romantic, selfish BAD guy. I will start first with what I liked about this film. First of all, Fredric March. This man rarely fails to impress me as an actor. He was just such a wonderful guy too...so handsome and romantic. In this, he looks terrific in the military uniforms, has a GREAT haircut and a cute little mustache. Once again he has a drunk scene, which is very unique. All these Russian soldiers drinking shots in unison and with the precision as if they are doing drills on the parade field. And then they must crawl under the table, come back to their place, and then the commander shouts orders to prepare for the next drink...truly weird!! Also, the opening shot of the LONG LONG table of food was very impressive. I liked Basil Rathbone because he did a great job of being the strange husband of Anna's. I liked the relationship Anna had with her young son. I liked seeing Fred doing the Russian dance at the party. What I didn't like. As mentioned before, seeing Fred as a cad. I didn't like his selfishness. I don't like Greta Garbo much, and while she did okay in this film, she just seemed so tragic in spirit all the time, like she never really was happy, but was in a trap of an unhappy marriage, yet her affair with Vronsky was not any happier. It didn't seem like they really liked each other; I didn't feel any passion between them; it was very strange how the whole love affair was handled in the film, but then I read that the Code had a lot to do with that. I don't approve of affairs; and I couldn't respect Anna as a person because her values were wrong. She gave up her son for a fling with another man. A mother who truly loves her children will never go and seek something for herself at the expense of her children. The whole film was generally dark and meloncholy, sad and tragic. You could be happy for neither Anna or Vronsky. You sit at the end of the movie only feeling sad for their tragedy. It is not a "happy" watch. But I did like to gaze upon a handsome Fredric March! If you want to see Fredric as a Russian soldier again...see him in We Live Again. He is young and handsome and beautiful in this one too. Based on Leo Tolstoy's "Ressurection", he plays a cad in that one as well, but happily we get to see him realize the errors of his ways and he make his wrongs right. I must also share with you that this Anna Karenina is MUCH better than the later remake with Vivien Leigh. Skip that one, watch this one.

Anna the Great-a:
Watching this movie Garbo came across as a tender nurturing mother, a very strong, self assure woman capable of hadling any situation that came before her,contrary to the Anna in the book. The other side of all this was that Garbo failed greatly to convince me that she was distraught by the the problems the arose with the relationship with Wronsky,and consequently kill herself. The part where Anna has a child with Wronsky was omited in this movie. Overall still very much worth getting this video.