Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Anna Christie Blu-ray Movie Review

Garbo talks! (And drinks.)

Reviewed by Randy Miller III January 13, 2024

Marketed almost solely with the two-word tagline above, Clarence Brown's Anna Christie is, yes, the first feature film in which Golden Age star Greta Garbo's voice can be heard. Produced during the infancy of Hollywood's sound era and a full four years before the unfortunate adaptation of Hays Code restrictions, it's a little rough around the edges in front of and behind the camera. Adapted from Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-winning 1922 stage play, Anna Christie tells the account of its title character (Garbo) during a particularly turbulent time in her life: when she returns home to visit her father Chris Christofferson (George F. Marion) after a 15-year absence and two years of working in a brothel.

Anna's dark secret drives much of the thin and melodramatic plot, one in which raging alcoholics are usually accepted in society but a former prostitute should feel shame for her actions. The young woman's unwillingness to share past details with her father only grows more uncomfortable as the days go by and, after being introduced to a rescued sailor named Matt Burke (Charles Bickford) and falling desperately in love, Anna again resists telling him to prevent further embarrassment and possibly end their relationship. Their three-person situation grows especially turbulent after her father and Matt fight over her attention, which is of course partially neutralized by a belated "big reveal".

To its credit, Anna Christie is clearly interested in exposing the double standard of how female sexuality is (still) seen differently by the general public; if a woman "lowers" herself to prostitution, she'll most likely be vilified for it. But its good intentions -- and the obvious star power that fueled Anna Christie's marketing -- don't translate to a captivating experience by any stretch of the imagination. The stagy production, the near-static camera, the lack of locations: these are all shortcomings that can be traced back to the source material and/or filmmaking limitations (or at least accepted practices) of the day, and you'll have to keep most of these things in mind to appreciate what it offers. That, of course, and the serviceable performance by Garbo, who apparently was so accustomed to the United States by 1930 that she had to work on re-establishing that Swedish accent. Yet Anna Christie was inarguably popular in its day, a box-office success that earned three Oscar nominations, so think of this one as more "important" than "enjoyable".

Warner Archive's Blu-ray is a bit more hit-or-miss than usual, and not in the expected areas: it delivers a solid 1080p transfer and several worthwhile bonus features, but the audio is of lesser quality than anticipated. It's still a solid disc overall for fans of the film but, for obvious reasons, Anna Christie isn't exactly a recommended blind buy.

Anna Christie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Not surprisingly, Anna Christie might look as about strong as its fragile source material will allow here, as Warner Archive's recent 1080p transfer has been sourced from a recent 4K scan of the best-available preservation elements. I'm not one to guess exactly what type without hard evidence, but this Blu-ray inarguably sports a good amount of fine detail and textures that bring this now 94 year-old film back to life. Black levels are excellent under the right lighting conditions and, while depth is rarely achieved, the overall picture looks decently healthy and clean. Light damage is still certainly visible during numerous moments but is largely kept under control while preserving authentic film textures. Oddly enough, I detected a few instances of macro blocking during select scenes -- either that, or the grain levels were unusually chunky -- but these aren't distracting or even very noticeable in-motion and stand as only mild complaints about what's otherwise a great transfer and clearly a best-case scenario for fans of Anna Christie.

Anna Christie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While I normally give Warner Archive the benefit of the doubt in all questionable A/V situations, it's readily apparent that Anna Christie suffers from a number of sonic flaws that make it sound noticeably worse than most of their releases from this admittedly fragile era of filmmaking. Why? It could be a number of reasons: surely age-related damage, not to mention the very real possibility of on-set production noise being picked up by recording equipment and crew still finding their footing in this new "talkie" territory. Whatever the reason, there's a persistently distracting level of hiss, low-level humming, and other sonic anomalies during most scenes; even worse, it fluctuates in volume so your ears never really get used to the background noise. This compromises quite a bit of dialogue, so you'll most certainly need to make use of the optional English SDH subtitles. I'm fairly certain that a bit more elbow grease could have (at least partially) remedied some of these issues, because as-is there's quite a bit of room for improvement here.

Anna Christie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with poster-themed cover artwork and no inserts of any kind. A nice little collection of bonus features is also included, two of which give Garbo fans plenty of bang for their buck.

• German-Language Alternate Version (85:53, screenshots #17-20) - This alternate German-language version of Anna Christie, like many early sound films, was shot alongside the more common English version but features several notable cast and crew changes, including director Jacques Feyder (replacing Clarence Brown) and most members of the supporting cast, many of them native German speakers. Garbo is of course retained and acquits herself nicely but, while there are no major changes to the story (which runs 3-4 minutes shorter), there are obvious fundamental differences here like performance styles and character interactions, somewhat different dialogue courtesy of Walter Hasenclever and Frank Reicher, and in my opinion a more dynamic visual aesthetic. Featuring optional English subtitles, it's an interesting take on the material that some, like Garbo herself, might actually prefer to the original. It's obviously been given a fairly recent scan but no cleanup has been applied, making it a raw but watchable version of this interesting slice of film history.

• MGM Parade (29:23) - This 1955 episode of the studio's short-lived TV series was hosted by George Murphy and written by Ray Wander. Its first section concerns the early career of one Greta Garbo, appropriately enough with Anna Christie as her first starring role in a sound feature. Other bits include the Passing Parade short "The Amazing Mr. Nordill" (1947), a light-hearted tour of the studio with Pete Smith, and more.

• Lux Radio Theater Broadcast (54:52) - Rewinding a bit, this 1938 broadcast of the long-running radio series features an abridged version of the film performed by Joan Crawford, Spencer Tracy, George Marion, Marjorie Rambeau, and more, with grandiose hosting duties handled as always by Cecil B. DeMille.

• The Booze Hangs High (6:11) - I'm always up for an appropriately-themed vintage Looney Tunes short, and this very early Bosko-starring 1930 cartoon -- only the fourth in the series -- doesn't disappoint. Nicely restored and looking great, this alcohol-fueled adventure somehow made it to theaters during Prohibition.

Anna Christie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Preceded by a 1923 silent adaptation made only two years after its source material, Clarence Brown's 1930 production of Anna Christie is mostly recognized for the first "talkie" performance by star Greta Garbo. Beyond that distinction (as well as a trio of Academy Award nominations and a progressive view of female sexuality), it's a forgettable production that suffers from stagy performances and a glacial pace that doesn't use 89 minutes wisely. Warner Archive's Blu-ray is surprisingly a mixed bag with a decent 1080p transfer, lackluster audio, and a very nice collection of extras including a German-language alternate version of the film. Still, this one's recommended to die-hard Garbo fans only.