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Anna Karenina

kdk December 1, 2012
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Read Time:2 Minute, 27 Second

As Shakespeare once wrote, “All the world’s a stage.” And director Joe Wright definitely took Shakespeare’s words to heart when it came to adapting Leo Tolstoy’s, Anna Karenina, into a grand, theatrical production that might just ignite your curiosity in the epic novel.



Keira Knightley reunites with her Pride & Prejudice and Atonement director to play the title character, a wealthy Russian wife and mother who finds herself in a tricky situation. On a trip to Moscow to help patch things up between her womanizing brother (Matthew Macfadyen) and his heartbroken wife (Kelly Macdonald), Anna meets Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a handsome young cavalry officer who’s already linked to young Kitty (Alicia Vikander).



Though Anna tries to deny her attraction to the persistent Vronsky, she finally gives in to her feelings. But while she finds a kind of happiness with Vronsky that she never had with her husband, Alexei (Jude Law), their relationship leads to a multitude of problems.



Adapting this epic novel was no small feat: condensing a thousand pages or so of drama, romance, and politics into a script of maybe 150 pages. But while Oscar-winning screen writer Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love) did an impressive job of summing it all up, Anna Karenina is still sometimes a bit of a challenge to follow. There are so many interconnected characters involved in so many tangled storylines—most of which don’t get the development that they deserve. So it takes some work to keep track of them all.



While some of the storylines have been significantly trimmed back, though—and the whole thing sometimes feels a bit rushed—the main themes are still evident, along with the passion and the conflict and the tragedy of it all. Even if you’ve never read the novel, you’ll find that Anna’s story is all too familiar: a woman gives up everything for love, only to find that her sacrifice eventually leads to her undoing. And while Knightley wouldn’t have been my first choice to play this tragic figure, she still does a respectable job of portraying the character’s wildly-swinging emotions throughout the journey.



Meanwhile, Wright gives the film an intriguing twist by giving it a theatrical backdrop—as if the whole thing were playing out on a massive stage. Granted, it’s a little gimmicky—and it comes and goes whenever it’s convenient for the storytelling—but the moving sets and clever transitions give the film a mesmerizing rhythm that’s all its own.



Of course, it’s hard to say whether Tolstoy himself would approve of this artistic adaptation of his classic work of realist fiction. After all, it’s anything but simple and ordinary. But, as a film, it’s elegant and sensual, literate and lyrical—and beautifully dreary. And that makes it worth watching on a chilly winter afternoon.





Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:

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About Post Author

kdk

Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it. Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course. As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com). Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
kdk@nightsandweekends.com
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kdk

Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.

Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.

As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).

Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.

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