{"id":27182,"date":"2012-09-11T11:19:41","date_gmt":"2012-09-11T18:19:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=27182"},"modified":"2020-11-26T15:23:18","modified_gmt":"2020-11-26T22:23:18","slug":"anna-karenina-1935","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=27182","title":{"rendered":"Anna Karenina (1935)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I feel that we&#8217;re being watched eternally &#8212; watched and criticized, from all sides.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Poster-194x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"194\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-27183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Poster-194x300.jpg 194w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Poster-83x128.jpg 83w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Poster.jpg 490w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA married countess (Greta Garbo) falls in love with a handsome military man (Fredric March), but her socially conscientious husband (Basil Rathbone) refuses to provide her with a divorce, ultimately forcing her to choose between a life with her new lover and contact with her beloved son (Freddie Bartholomew).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Basil Rathbone Films<\/li>\n<li>Clarence Brown Films<\/li>\n<li>Freddie Bartholomew Films<\/li>\n<li>Fredric March Films<\/li>\n<li>Greta Garbo Films<\/li>\n<li>Infidelity<\/li>\n<li>Maureen O&#8217;Sullivan Films<\/li>\n<li>Morality Police<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nTolstoy&#8217;s <em>Anna Karenina<\/em> has been <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Adaptations_of_Anna_Karenina\">adapted for the stage and screen numerous times<\/a>, but this early version by director Clarence Brown remains perhaps the most famous and beloved. The screenwriters do a decent job compacting the meaty novel&#8217;s most critical plot points into a 90-minute storyline, though it lacks one essential element: a strong enough sense of why Anna would give up contact with her beloved son for a man like Count Vronsky. As played by March, his charm simply isn&#8217;t magnetic or overpowering enough to convince us he&#8217;s worthy of such a sacrifice by Anna, no matter how unhappy her marriage is to cold and rigid Karenin (Rathbone). The film opens rather creatively on a scene of Vronsky carousing with his military comrades, during which time we get a strong sense of this man as both &#8220;one of the boys&#8221; and apparently among the mightiest (given that he wins a lengthy drinking contest). Later, once he lays eyes on luminous Anna (Garbo) emerging in a shroud of mist from her train, we can see how and why he&#8217;d be smitten &#8212; but too little time is ultimately spent building a sufficient context for their life-changing romance. <\/p>\n<p>However, <em>Anna Karenina<\/em> is really all about its titular character &#8212; and this film is Garbo&#8217;s all the way. She inhabited the role once before, in a silent adaptation by Edmund Goulding entitled <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=23946\"><em>Love<\/em> (1927)<\/a>; ironically, that version &#8212; while too pared down narrative-wise to remain a must-see adaptation of the novel &#8212; demonstrates chemistry in spades, given the very-real romantic tensions between Garbo and her on-and-off-screen lover, John Gilbert. Nonetheless, those hoping for a more authentic, albeit radically condensed, look at Tolstoy&#8217;s famous novel would be best off checking out this version, which features lovely cinematography by William Daniels (who also served as DP on <em>Love<\/em>) and creative direction by Brown, who worked with Garbo in no less than seven of her films &#8212; including <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=23763\"><em>Flesh and the Devil<\/em> (1927)<\/a> and <em>Anna Christie<\/em> (1930). Watch for Maureen O&#8217;Sullivan in a truncated role as Kitty, who initially has eyes for Vronsky herself. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Greta Garbo as Anna Karenina<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Garbo2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Garbo2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Garbo2.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Garbo2-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Garbo2-300x215.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>William Daniels&#8217; luminous cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27184\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Cinematography.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Cinematography-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Cinematography-300x215.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Cinematography2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Cinematography2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27185\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Cinematography2.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Cinematography2-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Cinematography2-300x215.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Often-inspired direction by Brown<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Direction.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Direction.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27186\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Direction.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Direction-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Direction-300x215.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Direction2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Direction2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"512\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-27187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Direction2.png 512w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Direction2-128x92.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/Anna-Karenina-Direction2-300x215.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, simply to see Garbo in one of her most iconic roles. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#noteworthy\">Noteworthy Performance(s)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0026071\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/19\/anna-karenina#articles-reviews?articleId=532\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/78030\/anna_karenina.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I feel that we&#8217;re being watched eternally &#8212; watched and criticized, from all sides.&#8221; Synopsis: A married countess (Greta Garbo) falls in love with a handsome military man (Fredric March), but her socially conscientious husband (Basil Rathbone) refuses to provide her with a divorce, ultimately forcing her to choose between a life with her new lover and contact with her beloved son (Freddie Bartholomew). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Basil Rathbone Films Clarence Brown Films Freddie Bartholomew Films Fredric March&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=27182\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27182"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55147,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27182\/revisions\/55147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}