By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.25 cats
Director: Joe Wright
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson | Alice Vikander | Domhnall Gleeson | Jude Law | Keira Knightly | Kelly Macdonald | Matthew Macfadyen | Olivia Williams
Country: united_kingdom
Year: 2012
Running time: 129
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1781769/
Matt says: “ATONEMENT director Joe Wright’s bold costume drama ANNA KARENINA served as my introduction to Leo Tolstoy’s beloved story of passion and infidelity among aristocrats in 19th century Russia. Despite my lack of familiarity with the novel, Wright’s audacious film is breathtaking in its artistry and emotion. Far from a stiff literary adaptation, it is brought to life with contemporary visual flair and a mesmerizing lead performance, resulting in a film that should please newcomers and
KARENINA devotees alike.
“The titular Anna (Keira Knightley) is a beautiful Russian socialite married to wealthy statesman Alexi (Jude Law), her elder by a considerable number of years and the father of her young son. Her privileged life is thrown into a tailspin by a fateful account with handsome bachelor Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). There is an instant spark between that the two soon blossoms into a passionate affair, threatening to destroy Anna’s life in the process. The story also follows Konstantin (Domhnall Gleeson), a poor farmer with a dream of marrying Kitty (Alicia Vikander), a young woman whose social standing far surpasses his own.
“The most striking of Wright’s stylistic flourishes is the use of an elaborate stage as a motif. The implication that the whole story takes place on this expansive stage is a direct acknowledgment from Wright of the story’s theatrical nature, which he chooses to embrace in a very literal manner ANNA KARENINA is a lavish feast for the eyes, an astonishing feat made all the more impressive for the fact that it was filmed primarily on a London soundstage. The film is richly photographed by Seamus McGarvey, who brings Tsarist Russia’s urban affluence and its vast countryside alike to life with such grand detail that the viewer feels transported to the environment. Jacqueline Durran’s costume design is surely the finest I have seen this year. One
would be hard-pressed to find a film that places its female characters in lovelier, more vivid dresses. ANNA KARENINA bears resemblance to a Baz Luhrmann film, most notably MOULIN ROUGE!, minus the modern pop music and off-kilter comic relief
found in Luhrmann’s work. Wright exercises more restraint, opting to create something more realistic, and this is complemented by Dario Marianelli’s elegant score.
“Much of what makes ANNA KERENINA so captivating comes straight from the story, which wisely refuses to cast a villainous light upon any of its characters. Alexi is a kind and reasonable man who simply cannot give Anna the passion she desires, and Law brings humanity to the role. Anna is not demonized for her choices, nor is adultery promoted. Recognizing that its characters are complex people and not storytelling archetypes, it allows simple human drama to advance the plot. The casting of Wright’s muse and frequent collaborator Knightley is perfection. She soars to new heights as an actress, immersing herself
in the life of a woman in love with one man but forced to be with another due to the social taboos of the time. It is not easy to depict one of literature’s most well known characters, but Knightley is emotionally vulnerable and devastating, her performance here far outshining anything else I have seen from her. For two hours and nine minutes, she becomes Anna Karenina, just as a run-down British soundstage becomes pre-Soviet Russia. 4 cats”
Thom says: “There are more than 30 versions of the famous Leo Tolstoy tragic novel and there really wasn’t a compelling reason to make this version, but with musts-see Henderson, Knightley, & Watson plus his superb track record with period pieces PRIDE & PREJUDICE and ATONEMENT (trying to forget his 2 present day entries THE SOLOIST & HANNA) I took an exciting plunge. What I most loved about the production was the bravura use of stage sets to open scenes that then burst into whole sets. I also was delighted that the film made me think and re-think my position on this ‘classic’ tragedy. In all the other versions I’ve seen I’ve come away devastated by Anna Karenina’s plight and final suicide but here I’d lost all sympathy to the character and I am mystified at my reaction, wondering even if it’s a fault, and if so if the error lies in Knightley ot Wright, or the script (Tom Stoppard), or if perhaps my moral turpitude has been altered with lessons learned and aging. Still. a gorgeous production with many delicious details enriching the period that shows the hypocrisy of society 4.5 cats”