Anna Karenina is an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s brilliant novel about a doomed romance and the affect said romance has on the people surrounding the couple.
I read Anna Karenina last fall, and it’s absolutely one of my favorite books. It’s amazing. It’s also long and has a number of side stories which might make it difficult to film. The primary story is of Anna and Vronsky, but there is also a love story between Kitty and Levin. The two stories mirror each other and I don’t think a proper version of the book can be made that doesn’t show both relationships. I watched the second version with Greta Garbo, and while I thought it was really well done, it essentially ignored the Kitty/Levin relationship. There’s a lot of story, and the characters have true depth, so it’s an interesting proposition for a film, but it might prove difficult.
Anna Karenina
Joe Wright is in the director’s chair, with his muse Keira Knightley playing Anna. This gives me a lot of hope. He did an amazing job with Pride and Prejudice and Atonement, and this looks to be a similarly challenging role, but one that is right up his alley. If he finds a way to tell the complexities of the tale in the visually beautiful style he’s known for, then we might have an Oscar contender on our hands.
Anna Karenina Trailer
Movie Release Date
TBA 2012.
Pictures
Who’s In It?
Keira Knightley… Anna Karenina
Aaron Johnson
Jude Law
What’s Good About It?
I loved both Pride and Prejudice and Atonement. I really love Keira Knightley, and while he isn’t officially announced, the prospect of seeing Jude Law playing Vronsky is almost too good to be true.
What’s Bad About It?
I really love the book, but it’s long and may prove to be too challenging to do justice.
Our Clever Prediction
I see Oscars in Anna Karenina’s future. Keira and Jude both have a decent chance, since they’re both crazy talented and seem perfect for the parts. Keira may be a bit young, but otherwise she should prove perfect. I will definitely be keeping my eye on this one.
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I have been teaching ANNA KARENINA for 20 years, and always tell my students that NO GOOD movie version exists! I’ve watched (and own) ALL (7 in English) of the versions from Vivien Leigh, Greta Garbo, Claire Bloom and Sean Connery (! made in 1961 but only made public last year!) – through Jacqueline Bisset (and Christopher Reeve!), Nicole Piaget (the 12 hour PBS Version),Sophie Morceau (the worst AK ever!), and Helen McCrory. This new version has such potential!!! I am so excited …can hardly wait!
(I’ve also seen all the Russian versions, and although they are good, they are not palatable to American audiences.)
My views on Keira Knightly and Pride & Prejudice are opposite of yours. I thought Wright’s P&P was one of the worst renditions I’ve ever seen, entirely too much of the story was cut out, and there was not enough vibrancy and energy in Knightly’s Eliza Bennett. (Not to mention that Knightly was so thin in that picture that Elizabeth probably would have died in childhood.) However, I enjoy good literary adaptations and good period pieces, so it will be interesting to see.
For a better screen version of AK, try the Masterpiece Classics version starring Helen McCrory, 2000.
Watch out for the scenes of Levin scything with miasta recruited through the UK scythe festivals. More info at scytherspace.wordpress.com.