Anna Christie

This 1930 film is Greta Garbo's first with sound, and the studio announced the fact as an event. Adapted from Eugene O'Neill's play, it opens with the old sailor Chris waiting for the daughter he sent away to relatives years earlier. He believes she has lived a decent life. When Anna arrives the truth is otherwise: poverty, abuse and prostitution have worn her down. When she falls for a sailor, she is caught between telling him her past and not. Garbo's voice carried a weight entirely unlike her silent image, and that transition became the most discussed thing about the film. Marie Dressler's supporting turn is also striking. It is an example of how openly pre-Code Hollywood could take on its subjects. Who it's for: viewers curious about classic Hollywood and Garbo's career. Who it's not for: anyone wanting modern pace and naturalistic acting; the film shows its stage origins.