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Anna (1987 film)

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Anna
Promotional theatrical poster
Directed byYurek Bogayevicz
Written byYurek Bogayevicz
Agnieszka Holland
Produced byDeirdre Gainor
Julianne Gilliam
StarringSally Kirkland
Paulina Porizkova
Robert Fields
CinematographyBobby Bukowski
Edited byJulie Sloane
Music byGreg Hawkes[1]
Distributed byVestron Pictures
Release date
  • October 2, 1987 (1987-10-02)
Running time
100 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1 million[1]
Box office$1.2 million[2]

Anna is a 1987 American comedy drama film directed by Yurek Bogayevicz and starring Sally Kirkland, Robert Fields, Paulina Porizkova, Steven Gilborn and Larry Pine. It was adapted by Agnieszka Holland from an unauthorized story by Holland and Bogayevicz, based on the real-life relationship of Polish actresses Elżbieta Czyżewska and Joanna Pacuła.[3]

Anna received widespread critical acclaim upon release, with high praise directed towards Kirkland's performance. She earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress,[4] in addition to winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama[5] and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.[4]

Plot

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Krystyna, an aspiring actress, journeys from her native Czechoslovakia to New York City in search of her idol Anna, an actress who was once famous in her homeland. Anna was imprisoned in Czechoslovakia after speaking out against the new regime after the 1968 Communist invasion, and was later banned from reentry to the country. Tonda, Anna's then-husband and a director of equally renown, was in Paris at the time of the invasion and has since become successful in the United States making music videos for MTV. Anna, who is now middle-aged and struggles to land parts in films and theatre, becomes a mentor for Krystyna and her fledgling acting career.

As Anna manages to land a gig as an understudy for an off-Broadway play, she also tutors Krystyna fluency in the English language and gives her a makeover. Krystyna blossoms as Anna's protégée, but when she uses Anna's life experiences as fodder for a TV show, the women's friendship starts to show strain.

Cast

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Critical reception

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Sheila Benson of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Anna "is the best kind of surprise--a small, frequently funny, fine-boned film set in the worlds of the theater and movies which unexpectedly becomes a consummate study of love, alienation and loss."[6] She described Kirkland's performance as "a blazing comet" and complimented Porizkova, Fields, and Maleczech.[6] Though Benson critiqued director Bogayevicz's "melodramatist’s flair for sudden rainstorms to underscore emotional scenes", she said these touches were redeemed by the cast and Holland's ear for dialogue.[6] Critic Emanuel Levy wrote, "Perhaps only a foreign screenwriter and a foreign director could have made the witty and cynical Anna, a movie about an expatriate Czech actress in New York, struggling with her progressive age, ruthless competition, sheer survival and other problems inherent in showbiz."[7]

Janet Maslin of The New York Times was less effusive and said the film was cliché-laden with too many unconvincing elements, though she praised Kirkland's performance.[8] The film was likened by multiple critics as another version of All About Eve.[6][7] Writing for The Spectator, Hilary Mantel commended Bogayevicz and Holland, writing "their careful thought and commitment is evident" and "they have allowed scope for a fine central performance — intense, observant and painful — by Sally Kirkland".[9]

Accolades

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Award Category Nominee(s) Result
Academy Awards[10] Best Actress Sally Kirkland Nominated
Deauville American Film Festival[11] International Critics Awards Yurek Bogayevicz Nominated
Golden Globe Awards[12] Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Sally Kirkland Won
Independent Spirit Awards[13] Best Female Lead Won
Best Screenplay Agnieszka Holland Nominated
Best First Feature Yurek Bogayevicz Nominated
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards[14] Best Actress Sally Kirkland Won[a]
Torino Film Festival[15] Best Feature Film Yurek Bogayevicz Won
Valladolid International Film Festival Best Film Nominated
Best First Film Won

Notes

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  1. ^ Tied with Holly Hunter for Broadcast News.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Anna". AFI Catalog of Feature Films.
  2. ^ "Anna". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  3. ^ Hopkins, Ellen (January 4, 1988). "The Real 'Anna': The Truth Behind the Hit Film". New York. Vol. 21, no. 1. pp. 24–29. ISSN 0028-7369. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Gruber, Xaque (February 22, 2012). "25 Years After Anna, Sally Kirkland Reflects on the Oscar Race for Best Actress". The Huffington Post.
  5. ^ "Sally Kirkland". Goldenglobes.com.
  6. ^ a b c d Benson, Sheila (November 13, 1987). "MOVIE REVIEW: All About 'Anna' and Irreconcilable Pangs of Desire". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Levy, Emanuel (August 1, 2010). "Anna (1987): Witty, Cynical Tale of Aging Actress Starring Sally Kirkland". EmanuelLevy.com. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  8. ^ Maslin, Janet (October 2, 1987). "'Anna,' on Stardom Of Czechs". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  9. ^ Mantel, Hilary (August 27, 1988). "Anna ('15', Metro)". The Spectator. p. 34. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  10. ^ "The 60th Academy Awards (1988) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
  11. ^ "1987 Deauville Film Festival". Mubi. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  12. ^ "Anna – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  13. ^ "36 Years of Nominees and Winners" (PDF). Independent Spirit Awards. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  14. ^ "The 13th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards". Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  15. ^ "5° Festival Internazionale Cinema Giovani". Torino Film Festival. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
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