Clarence Brown's Anna Karenina (1935) bears little resemblance to Tolstoy's Russian melodrama. But the discrepancies hardly matter. Garbo is, of course, Anna a beautiful, congenial and much beloved wife to senior Russian statesman and all around bore, Karenin (Basil Rathbone). And although her virtue is beyond question, speculations begin to mount when Anna takes an interest in a member of the Imperial Guard, Vronsky (Fredric March). The two quickly develop as lovers, a move that places Anna's future with her son, Alexei (Freddie Bartholomew) in peril. You just know this is going to end badly.
Of all the Garbo classics, this film most brilliantly opens up its cinematic space and develops a real flare for storytelling that goes beyond the acting. Brown's initial establishing shot a lavish tracking over a seemingly endless dinner table decked out for the soldiers is both impressive and commanding. Ditto for his handling of Anna's exile from her home at the hands of her husband (another marvelous tracking shot) and her fatal final moments on the railway tracks. David O. Selznick personally supervised and produced this spectacular entertainment under the aegis of his MGM contract and the same meticulous attention to detail that would exemplify his own productions by the end of the decade is present here. This is a marvelous film.
Warner's DVD transfer is the second most impressive one in the bunch. A generally clean image with minimal grain, exceptionally fine detail, solid blacks and clean whites greets the consumer. Age related artifacts are present but sufficiently tempered so as not to distract from the presentation. The audio is mono but very nicely balanced and presented at an equitable listening level.
Of all the Garbo classics, this film most brilliantly opens up its cinematic space and develops a real flare for storytelling that goes beyond the acting. Brown's initial establishing shot a lavish tracking over a seemingly endless dinner table decked out for the soldiers is both impressive and commanding. Ditto for his handling of Anna's exile from her home at the hands of her husband (another marvelous tracking shot) and her fatal final moments on the railway tracks. David O. Selznick personally supervised and produced this spectacular entertainment under the aegis of his MGM contract and the same meticulous attention to detail that would exemplify his own productions by the end of the decade is present here. This is a marvelous film.
Warner's DVD transfer is the second most impressive one in the bunch. A generally clean image with minimal grain, exceptionally fine detail, solid blacks and clean whites greets the consumer. Age related artifacts are present but sufficiently tempered so as not to distract from the presentation. The audio is mono but very nicely balanced and presented at an equitable listening level.