Anna DVD Review:

Anna is a heart wrenching drama from the late eighties, about an unsuccessful middle-aged Czech actress, trying desperately to work in New
York. In her youth she was a famous Czech actress, and her husband, a famous
director, but after being imprisoned during the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia, and then exiled, she has been unable to achieve any of the
success she previously knew.

When she takes in a young Czech girl, Krystyna,
who speaks no English, she soon sets out to help her achieve what she herself once had. Somewhere along the process it becomes apparent that with
all of the love that Anna has for her, there is a jealousy which cannot be contained watching Krystyna rise to stardom.

Sally Kirkland gives a wonderful, award winning performance, and is supported well by Paulina Porizkova, but there is something so desperate
about this film, it is most definitely not a fun Saturday night rental. This is a thought provoking, sad character study, which requires the audience to
watch the lead sink further and further away as the film progresses. There is nothing happy about it, even though there is a great deal of humor in the
first half. Still, it is an interesting film, and definitely well constructed, and well acted, though it may be a little slow at times for the average viewer.

The DVD is bare, which is sad, especially considering the caliber of the material. Unfortunately this film had too little recognition, too long ago, and the fact that it made it to DVD at all is something of a miracle.

Ryan Izay

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