ANNA KARENINA (1935) B/W 85m dir: Clarence Brown

w/Greta Garbo, Fredric March, Freddie Bartholomew, Maureen O'Sullivan, May Robson, Basil Rathbone, Reginald Owen, Reginald Denny, Phoebe Foster, Gyles Isham

Tolstoy's story of an illicit romance in the imperial court of Russia is splendidly acted.

From The Movie Guide: "A remake of the John Gilbert-Greta Garbo silent movie LOVE, this often splendid, moody Garbo vehicle under Clarence Brown's direction tells the tragic Tolstoy tale with great sensitivity. ...

"Director Brown, in one of the best of his seven films with Garbo, and ace cinematographer William Daniels, Garbo's favorite, bathe their beloved actress in soft light that caresses her classic features. Adorned in luxurious but subdued gowns appropriate to both her own passionate but understated style and Anna [Karenina]'s profound sadness, Garbo is unforgettable as a woman who only briefly experiences carefree happiness, whose desires are crushed by a rigid and unfeeling society. Especially memorable is the finale, as light flashes from the oncoming train alternately reveal and hide Anna's conflicting emotions. Meticulously and sumptuously mounted by producer David O. Selznick, the film carefully pares down Tolstoy's sprawling classic to center almost entirely upon its heroine, but the end result is highly satisfying nonetheless."