Anna Ascends
1922 · United States · 60 min
- Director
- Victor Fleming
- Screenplay
- Margaret Turnbull
- Producer
- Adolph Zukor, Jesse Louis Lasky
- Cinematography
- Gilbert Warrenton
Cast
What it is about
Anna, a waitress of Syrian origin working in the United States, sets out to climb the social and economic ladder through sheer hard work. The film follows her determination to make her way in a world that is not her own, while her life crosses paths with people from different social circles. The story blends the drama of immigration with a romance that develops across the plot.
How it was made
The story comes from the stage play of the same title by Harry Chapman Ford, which opened on Broadway in 1920. Ford loosely drew on Anna Ayyoub, a Syrian waitress in Boston who had impressed him with her family life and the customs of her community, and he wanted to write a drama about Syrians, a subject rarely explored on stage. Victor Fleming directed the screen version, with a screenplay by Margaret Turnbull and cinematography by Gilbert Warrenton. Alice Brady reprised on screen the lead role she had played on stage.
Reception and legacy
The film is now largely lost, and only a fragment of about six minutes survives. Its historical interest lies in being an early Hollywood example addressing Syrian immigration to the United States, a presence rarely represented in the cinema of the period.
Stills
Trivia
A real-life inspiration
The character was loosely based on Anna Ayyoub, a Syrian waitress in Boston whom playwright Harry Chapman Ford met. He described being captivated by her.
A surviving fragment
Only a fragment of about six minutes of the film is known to survive, which makes it hard to judge the complete staging.
More films by Victor Fleming
Gone with the Wind
The Wizard of Oz
The Good Earth
Captains Courageous
Joan of Arc
The Way of All FleshOriginal Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.