This isn't entirely the Anna Karenina story as you remember it having been penned by Tolstoy. Still, it's overall reasonably close enough, and is 81 minutes agreeably spent.

In this, Greta Garbo and John Gilbert are, not at all surprisingly, again supremely paired, having plentiful natural chemistry and obvious total ease with one another. This isn't the best movie that either of them ever made - it does have its faults - but still is well done and satisfying. A main flaw is that Gilbert goes way overboard with the smiles-flashing and the such, to a distracting extent, that dialing back by one-fifth or so would have brought things into more proper-seeming balance. His performance is otherwise excellent (like always).

Garbo is her usual gorgeous self, and her acting once again is stellar. In Silents she had a magical truly potent effect and power, her performances - and face - always knocking things completely out of the ballpark; in pre-talkies she's someone who absolutely commands the screen and who you can't take your eyes off of. Hard to believe she was only 22 when this movie was made; she looks and seems so worldly, and entirely unlike a "young soul". The general impression is of being at least somewhere in her 30s. (In this particular movie, the fact that she has an obviously much older husband, as well as a son portrayed by a 10 year old boy, furthers the effect.)

This is a beautifully, quite lavishly, shot production. I'm always impressed by the opening nighttime scenes shot in (presumably simulated, but entirely believable looking and seeming) snow and snowfall. Garbo and/or Gilbert movies were always studio prestige projects, and this is definitely no exception. Everything and everyone looks great. The money's all there on the screen.

George Fawcett, who I'm normally quite a fan of, and who portrays Grand Duke Michael, I don't feel he got his performance right this go-round: He plays the Grand Duke too farcically, rather than in a truly believable characterization. I don't dislike his performance, just don't feel like it successfully hits the mark.

Having said that, I very much like the casting of this movie - including of Fawcett. This is a film I always enjoy. It's compellingly performed, an interesting tale, and appealingly produced. It's easy to feel onboard about.

https://www.themoviedb.org/person/19549-greta-garbo/discuss/5a53b9609251411320037685

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