Sixteen minutes or so into this adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize play, 1930 audiences got what they were waiting for when Greta Garbo made her entrance and spoke on camera for the first time in her career: "Gimme a whiskey..." Like Lon Chaney and Charlie Chaplin, the Swedish Sphinx had continued in Silents even though Talkies were the rage. Here she made her landmark transition to the new era, playing a former prostitute whose past may ruin her chance for happiness. A different director and cast join Garbo in a German-language version (Side B) filmed on the same soundstages immediately after the English version. She called it the better film, and many fans today agree. You decide!

Garbo talks! Greta Garbo's unforgettable throaty and seductive voice burst onto the screen in this daring production of Eugene O'Neill's dark drama. Garbo stars as Anna Christie, a bitter and disillusioned former prostitute who returns home to her father (George F. Marion), a New York barge captain, looking for a safe haven to repair her damaged psyche. Anna is desperate to forget her past and hides her sordid life from her father, letting him believe that she is an innocent young woman. But when Anna falls in love with Matt (Charles Bickford), an Irish sailor, it becomes more difficult to keep her dark secret. Finally, when Matt proposes, Anna must accept the consequences of her shameful past. This realistic and dark story of one woman's search for redemption is portrayed with gritty honesty by the great Greta Garbo, bringing a powerful sensuality and iron will to the screen. This legendary production ushered in a new era in film and made Garbo a star of of both silent and sound pictures. Clarence Brown's stunning film features an outstanding supporting cast, including Marie Dressler as Marthy, a down-and-out warf rat who sympathizes with the threadbare and downtrodden Anna.