Week 2. Anna Christie (1930)

2 STARS - NOT SO MUCH.

“I walked out on it, but I saw all I needed”--Syd

The Film:  An aging father, the captain of a barge, is reunited with his grown daughter (Greta Garbo) whom he hasn’t known since childhood.  They both imagine each other quite different than they really are.  And a robust, young sailor, saved from drowning, lustily pursues Garbo, whom he hardly knows either.   A prominent star of the silent screen, Garbo appears in her first talkie which was promoted with the now famous catch-phrase, “Garbo Talks!”

  Filmed in two versions, American and German, both with only Garbo reprising her role.   From the Chekhov play. 

The Society:  This has been our most challenging film and most difficult to watch.  We watched the German version, hearing that it was the better of the two.  Unfortunately, the outdoor night scenes in this version are so dark we could see almost nothing.  Then, of course, besides the difficulty reading subtitles, the film was not well adapted from stage to screen, with excessively long monologues and endless conversations in a single scene.  Syd actually just walked out on it.  We also looked at the American version.  The dark scenes were better lighted, but the cast less engaging.

The Family Vote:

Syd - 1 Star - I walked out on it, but I saw all I needed.

Kayla - 2 Stars - It was hard to see.  I couldn’t really tell what was going on because of the picture.

Kenz - 3 Stars -

 

Stacy - 2 Stars - This picture was really difficult to watch due to cinematography issues.  I didn’t like the American version any better than the German version.

Ladd -  2 Stars -  Honestly, except for historical interest--Garbo Talks!--I’m not sure why this was on the New York Times’ list.  Very stagy, with endless dialogue.  The movies can now talk, but they don’t yet know how movies will talk differently from the stage.  Me thinks Garbo talks too much!

Thanks for Dinner, Mom!

Theme -  German Food

            Originally I chose German fare because the movie was made in German first.  But if I had to do it over I would go with Swedish food as they were Swedish.

Bratwurst, with hot mustard

Schpaetzel

Sauerkraut

Klaussen pickles

Apple beer

Apple dumplings