Love

Plot

In Imperial Russia, Anna Karenina, the beautiful wife of the esteemed government official Karenin, falls deeply in love with the dashing young military officer Count Vronsky during a chance encounter at a train station. Despite her marriage and young son, Anna cannot resist the passionate connection she feels with Vronsky and begins a torrid affair that scandalizes Russian society. Abandoning her family and social standing, Anna becomes Vronsky's mistress, but their relationship is tested by societal ostracism, jealousy, and the weight of Anna's guilt. As Anna's mental state deteriorates under the pressure of social condemnation and Vronsky's growing restlessness, she becomes increasingly desperate and paranoid. The film culminates in Anna's tragic decision to end her life by throwing herself under a train, mirroring the film's opening imagery and completing the cycle of her doomed romance.

Historical Background

The film was produced during the transitional period between silent and sound cinema in 1927, the same year 'The Jazz Singer' revolutionized the industry. This era saw Hollywood studios scrambling to adapt to new technologies while still producing lavish silent spectacles. The late 1920s also represented the peak of Garbo's silent film stardom, as she and other stars faced the uncertainty of whether their voices would match their screen personas. The film's release coincided with the growing sophistication of cinematic storytelling, with longer runtimes and more complex character studies becoming common. In broader historical context, 1927 saw the rise of celebrity culture in America, with movie stars like Garbo and Gilbert becoming household names and their personal lives generating as much public interest as their films.

Making Of

The production of 'Love' was marked by the tense professional relationship between its stars, John Gilbert and Greta Garbo. Their real-life romance had famously ended when Garbo left Gilbert at the altar in 1926, yet MGM continued to pair them as a screen couple. On set, the two maintained a cold professionalism, communicating only through intermediaries when necessary. Director Edmund Goulding had to navigate this difficult dynamic while coaxing passionate performances from both actors. The famous train sequence required extensive preparation, with the studio building a special track on their backlot and implementing safety measures for Garbo's stunt work. The film's elaborate costumes were designed by Adrian, who would become Garbo's favorite designer and create her signature look throughout her career. The synchronized sound version was created simultaneously, with composer William Axt conducting the orchestra during filming to ensure the music matched the actors' movements and emotional beats.

Visual Style

The cinematography by William H. Daniels employed innovative techniques to convey the emotional landscape of the story. Daniels used soft focus lighting for Garbo's close-ups, creating the luminous, ethereal quality that became her trademark. The famous train sequence utilized tracking shots and multiple camera angles to build tension and create a sense of movement and danger. The ballroom scenes featured elaborate lighting setups with hundreds of practical lights to recreate the opulence of Russian aristocracy. Daniels employed chiaroscuro techniques throughout the film to contrast the brightness of Anna's passion with the darkness of her despair. The cinematography also made effective use of shadows and reflections to suggest the psychological states of the characters.

Innovations

The film pioneered several technical innovations that influenced future cinema. The synchronized sound version represented one of the earliest successful attempts at combining music and effects with a dramatic feature. The train sequence employed a specially designed camera crane that could move alongside the tracks, creating dynamic movement previously unseen in cinema. The film's lighting techniques, particularly Daniels' use of diffusion and backlighting for Garbo, set new standards for glamour photography in Hollywood. The production also utilized early matte painting techniques for establishing shots of Russian cities and landscapes. The film's preservation of both silent and sound versions provided valuable documentation of cinema's transition between formats.

Music

The musical score was composed by William Axt, one of MGM's staff composers during the silent era. For the sound version released in 1928, Axt conducted a full orchestra that was synchronized to the film's action using the Vitaphone system. The score featured adaptations of Russian classical music, including works by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, to establish the film's setting. Axt created distinct leitmotifs for each main character, with Anna's theme being particularly memorable and emotionally resonant. The soundtrack also included synchronized sound effects for the train sequences and ballroom scenes, adding to the film's immersive quality. The music was considered groundbreaking for its seamless integration with the visual narrative.

Memorable Scenes

• The opening train station sequence where Anna first meets Vronsky, with the dramatic imagery of a worker being crushed by a train foreshadowing Anna's fate
• The grand ballroom scene where Anna and Vronsky dance together, causing scandal among the Russian aristocracy
• The passionate embrace in the garden where Anna and Vronsky consummate their affair
• Anna's mental breakdown scene where she hallucinates and sees visions of her abandoned son
• The final tragic sequence where Anna throws herself under the train, returning to the film's opening imagery

What Critics Said

Contemporary critics praised 'Love' as a triumph of both acting and filmmaking. The New York Times hailed it as 'a masterpiece of silent cinema' and specifically lauded Garbo's performance as 'the most moving and authentic portrayal of Anna Karenina ever captured on film.' Variety noted the 'electric chemistry' between the leads despite their off-screen tensions. Modern critics continue to regard the film as a high point of silent cinema, with the American Film Institute including it in their list of greatest American films. Film scholars often point to Garbo's performance as a landmark in screen acting, demonstrating how silent film could convey profound psychological depth through gesture and expression alone.

What Audiences Thought

The film was a major commercial success, grossing over $1 million domestically - an impressive figure for 1927. Audiences were particularly drawn to the on-screen pairing of Gilbert and Garbo, whose real-life drama added an extra layer of intrigue to their performances. The film's emotional intensity and tragic romance resonated strongly with contemporary audiences, many of whom attended multiple viewings. The train sequences and ballroom scenes became particularly talked-about moments, with audiences reportedly gasping and fainting during Anna's final scenes. The film's success solidified Garbo's position as one of the most bankable stars in Hollywood and proved that sophisticated literary adaptations could attract mainstream audiences.

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