Directed: Clarence Brown

Year: 1930

Nominated: Best Director – Clarence Brown, Best Actress – Greta Garbo

Plot in 25 Words: A disgraced woman stays with her father on his barge. She rescues and falls in love with a washed up sailor. Admits her prostitute past!

In My Opinion: Aargh! I though I was free from the prostitute films. I’d started to believe the prostitute years were far behind me, but no, here’s another one. This is apparently a subject the era was very fond of mining and I guess I have to prepare myself for more. How long til the male prostitution films start – that’ll make a bit of a difference.

I really am starting to bore of the topic. Ooh look a prostitute. Aw she’s found love and reformed. Oh how brave, she’s admitting her past. Oh dear, he’s terribly cross and hates her. Oh look, she’s crying and begging forgiveness for her past in which he played no part. Yay, he forgives her and they can live happily ever after.

The difference with this film was the accents and the setting. There was Welsh and Irish, both claiming to be Scottish. According to a review i read, Greta Garbo’s character was supposed to be Swedish and her English was so good it wasn’t noticeable. Well I certainly didn’t notice it!

I felt a bit seasick watching. It was set on a barge at sea and to convey the rough seas, the camera was violently shaken from side to side. i really didn’t appreciate the efforts!

Star Performer: Greta Garbo at the title character Anna Christie. She performed the lines and played the part but I honestly didn’t see anything too special from anyone.

Overall: Pretty Woman in the 1920s at sea. Bit a bit rubbish with the underlying theme of ‘women are sluts.’ I personally picked up on the theme ‘men are gits.’ But that’s just me.