We Live Again

We Live Again was based on Tolstoy’s Resurrection; the title was changed upon producer Sam Goldwyn’s theory that it meant the same thing as Resurrection and was easier to understand. The film was meant as an introductory showcase for Goldwyn’s latest discovery, Russian actress Anna Sten. The story, much laundered from the Tolstoy original, depicts the downfall of a peasant girl who is seduced by a Russian prince (Fredric March). The once-callous nobleman tries to make amends for the hurt he has inflicted on the girl, who has wound up in prison for solicitation. The first American version of Resurrection, directed by D. W. Griffith, was made in 1909 and lasted ten minutes., A nobleman realizes a peasant girl on trial turned to crime because he himself seduced and abandoned her years ago. Overcome with guilt, he vows to right his wrong.