Anna
Picture: C Sound: C- Extras:
D Film: C
Anna (1987) is the product of America’s obsession with youthful beauty
and its discontent with fading beauty.
Anna (Sally Kirkland) is a Czechoslovakian actress whose career peaked
in her early 20s in Czechoslovakia, prior to her fleeing to America.
Now, on the cusp of middle age, Anna faces her own mortality, her
struggle to get a decent acting role, and her inability to have a relationship that
lacks tumult.
Throw
into the mixture Krystyna (Paulina Porizkova), a vibrant, bright-eyed aspiring
actress, who has left Czechoslovakia to meet Anna, her screen idol,
and to pursue her own dreams in America just as Anna has. Anna takes Krystyna into her home and under
her wing. Krystyna’s experience in America is quite different than
Anna’s. Success, for the most part,
comes easily for Krystyna. The
relationship between Anna and Krystyna is bittersweet. At first, they find solace in each other by
sharing common ambition and common language.
However, their relationship predictably shifts from symbiotic to hostile
after Anna divulges too much of herself to Krystyna which, coupled with
Krystyna’s burgeoning carrier, forces Anna to deal with her personal and
professional shortcomings. In Krystyna,
Anna she sees what she might have been. Throughout
this slow-paced film, Anna never misses a chance to steal a disdainful glance
at herself in the mirror, thus emphasizing her frustration with herself.
The
subject matter of the film is engaging. Unfortunately,
the film is degraded by the 80s MTV-esque qualities throughout, i.e. an
overpowering synthesized soundtrack and unnecessary repeated photography
snapping throughout. Kirkland’s performance is
gut-wrenching. She deservedly was
nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Anna. However, as proven by the Carter
Administration, the leading role requires strong supporting players for an
overall successful performance.
The DVD,
which was released some seventeen years after the film, lacks any extra
material. The video quality of the DVD
accomplishes little, if anything, beyond VHS quality due to the constraints of
the available technology in 1987. The quality
of the Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo with Pro Logic surround sound, from the
original Dolby analog A-type Stereo, is even less impressive. This is the epitome of the basic DVD and is
only good if you really want to look at the film. Just don’t expect much.
- Carla Johnson
