Anna Christie is a 1930 MGM Pre-Code drama film adaptation of the 1922 play by Eugene O'Neill. It was adapted by Frances Marion, produced and directed by Clarence Brown with Paul Bern and Irving Thalberg as co-producers. The cinematography was by William H. Daniels, the art direction by Cedric Gibbons and the costume design by Adrian.
The film stars Greta Garbo, Charles Bickford, George F. Marion, and Marie Dressler.
It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress (Greta Garbo), Best Cinematography and Best Director. This pre-Code film is the movie that used the marketing slogan "Garbo Talks!", as it was her first talkie.
Of all its stars, Garbo was the one that MGM kept out of talking films the longest, to coach her in English and to add to her mystique. Her famous first line is: "Gif me a vhisky, ginger ale on the side, and don't be stingy, baby!" In fact, Garbo's English was so good by the time she appeared in this film, she had to add an accent in several retakes to sound more like the Swedish Anna.
Plot
The nearly 30-year struggle to bring sound to motion pictures is the backdrop for this insightful documentary. Film historians, and survivors from the era take the audience from the early failed attempts by scientists and inventors, to the joined forces of Western Electric and Warner Bros. who, with their Vitaphone process,revolutionized the entertainment industry, perhaps more than any time before or since.
Plot
A troubled young woman comes to live with her estranged father on the New York waterfront. A tough sailor falls in love with her, sparking conflict between her father and her suitor. What neither knows is that she has a secret that could cause her to lose both of them.
Keywords: based-on-play, character-name-in-title, pulitzer-prize-source
"I Think I'll be Killin' you Now!"