Anna Karenina is a 1935 film directed by Clarence Brown. The film stars Greta Garbo, Fredric March, Basil Rathbone and Maureen O'Sullivan. It is the most famous and critically acclaimed film adaptation of the novel Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. There are several other film adaptations of the novel.

 

In New York, the film opened at the Capitol Theatre, the site of many prestigious MGM premieres. The film earned $2,304,000 at the box office, and won the Mussolini Cup for best foreign film at the Venice Film Festival. Greta Garbo received a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress for her role as Anna. In addition, the film was ranked #42 on the American Film Institute's list of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Passions.

 

Plot summary

Anna Karenina (Greta Garbo) is the wife of Czarist official Karenin (Basil Rathbone). While she tries to persuade her brother Stiva (Reginald Owen) from a life of debauchery, she becomes infatuated with dashing military officer Count Vronsky (Fredric March). This indiscreet liaison ruins her marriage and position in 19th century Russian society; she is even prohibited from seeing her own son Sergei (Freddie Bartholomew).

 

Production

Trivia

Notes

Garbo also was lead in the 1927 version of Anna Karenina, released under the title Love.

 

Cast

• Greta Garbo — Anna Karenina

• Fredric March — Count Vronsky

• Freddie Bartholomew — Sergei

• Maureen O'Sullivan — Kitty

• May Robson — Countess Vronsky

• Basil Rathbone — Karenin

• Reginald Owen — Stiva

• Reginald Denny — Yashvin

• Joan Marsh — Lili

• Ethel Griffies — Mme. Kartasov

• Harry Beresford — Matve

• Mary Forbes — Princess Sorokina

• Constance Collier — Countess Lidia (uncredited)