Great Anna Karenina Two Disc Combo Pack
This is one of those films that defy explanation in words. It is very rare for me to be glued to my seat for every second of a two hour film but that is exactly what happened. It takes perhaps ten minutes into the film to grasp not just the story--which is well known and been done countless times--but the way the story is being told and how. It is a daring and contemporary move giving this old classic fresh new life.
Everything about the film from the costume s, sets and cinematography was breathtakingly stunning almost to the point of removing it totally from reality. You almost cannot believe what you are watching and experiencing.
Kiera Knightly, multi-layered and as beautiful as ever as Anna pulls you in with her right up to the shattering climax. I will watch it again and again and be as riveted as I was the first time.
A work of art . don't miss it.
To say that this is a fresh adaptation is an understatement. It's not about shortcuts or whether it's loyal to the text; this is about a film that took a lot of guts to make. Shakespeare wrote: "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players..." Joe Wright explores this concept wonderfully within this film. It requires a serious amount of imagination. The world that has been created for this film doesn't hand you everything, you have to make some of it up on your own. Furthermore it definitely serves to show how fake everyone in the high social classes was at the time. The world is full of rich detail and, at the same time, you feel the imprisonment of the social norms people had to follow. The costumes are drop dead gorgeous and the score really sets the tone for the whole film. Keira Knightley did a credible job as Anna, displaying complexity and portraying a complete downward spiral. I believed her. However, I definitely think this isn't a movie for everyone considering it's creative concept for story telling.
ReplyDeleteI was hesitant about going to this movie because the coming attractions looked so gaudy and overblown. Then we got to the movie at a four o'clock show and to our surprise it was sold out and the only seats we could find were in the second row. I was ready to just pick up and leave. But this movie just blew us away. The staging (which actually was "staging", using a theatre stage blended into various scenes), the acting, the production, the filming, the costumes, the settings, it was all spectacular. All beautiful. We walked out feeling we were granted the opportunity to witness a masterpiece. This is truly an incredible movie. Go and see it on the big screen if you can (and sit closer than you usually do to immerse yourself in the film, it worked for us), but if not, don't miss it on DVD.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the 2012 film remake of Leo Tolstoy's classic epic novel Anna Karenina, who can deny quoting within the lines and words of William Shakespeare, "all the world's a stage, and all the men and women are merely players: they have exits and their entrances; and man in his time plays many parts." Indeed, that is certainly what may cross one's mind while watching the work of Director Joe Wright and Screenplay Writer Tom Stoppard as well as from the cinematography and choreography to the elegant costumes that comprise of the entire production of the film. The film's theatrical touch is greatly emphasized within a theater stage backdrop that interchanges with different scenes from ballroom dances to a dramatic horse race to actual outside scenes of the constant train that appears in out of the film as a toy and a real-life locomotive; suggesting a sense of departure but not quite leaving the station.
ReplyDeleteFor viewers that are familiar with Tolstoy's classic tale of intrigue and the whirlwind of affairs that center upon the life of Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley), the film may not be much of a surprise. However, what may be amazing to this version is the pure imagination of all aspects of the film from the actors to the dramatics may provide a great amount of artistry like a music box or a snow globe. And the praises do not end there but continue with the cinematography and the costume department because the story and the actors that are displayed in the film look much like an impressionistic painting by Renoir or Seurat but within the geographic setting of late nineteenth century Russia and its recognizable cold barren wintry and pastoral landscape. But of course, the story cannot be left unmentioned and is identifiable in the film and is twofold. First, the major dilemmas that Anna experiences within her traditional marriage to Alexei Karenin (Jude Law) and son Serhoza (Oskar McNamara) that she constantly dotes on, and the love triangle that emerges between she and Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) that causes her marriage and world to crumble. The cold and constricted elements are truly shown. Second, pocketed within Knightley's most dramatic role, other major characters show a glimmer of light in Anna's dark world. There exists within the story between Levin (Domhnall Gleeson) and Kitty (Alicia Vikander) that show that life is not at all abysmal and that through patience, time, and work, a happy ending may just come true. And their story shows a display of freedom and less retrained qualities. And also individuals in Anna's life that add a bit of comic relief within each situation, such as her brother Oblonsky (Matthew MacFadyen) and support Princess Myagkaya (Michelle Dockery) and Countess Lydia Ivanova (Emily Watson).
Overall, Anna Karenina is an eye-opening film that may leave an impression on the viewer because of the theatrical display that is unforgettable.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those films that defy explanation in words. It is very rare for me to be glued to my seat for every second of a two hour film but that is exactly what happened. It takes perhaps ten minutes into the film to grasp not just the story--which is well known and been done countless times--but the way the story is being told and how. It is a daring and contemporary move giving this old classic fresh new life.
ReplyDeleteEverything about the film from the costumes, sets and cinematography was breathtakingly stunning almost to the point of removing it totally from reality. You almost cannot believe what you are watching and experiencing.
Kiera Knightly, multi-layered and as beautiful as ever as Anna pulls you in with her right up to the shattering climax. I will watch it again and again and be as riveted as I was the first time.
A work of art. don't miss it.
There have been many cinematic versions of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel ANNA KARENINA but for this viewer none matches the creative excellence and power of this very different version. Tom Stoppard wrote the screenplay for this adaptation and the work was directed with eye toward timeless artistry by Joe Wright. There will be some detractors who feel that cinema is cinema and stage plays are stage plays, but Wright's decision to combine the two works extraordinarily well. The flavor of Tolstoy's story and mood are maintained and yet made somehow more vital by Wright's electing to place this story as though it were happening on a theater stage (including catwalks, backstage, audience and theater boxes etc.) The story is theatrical and Wright embellishes the last of the Czarist days with great aplomb.
ReplyDeleteThe story needs no summary: Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley more beautiful to behold and brilliant in acting than ever) is married to Alexei Karenin (Jude Law in a tour de force acting role) and is happy in her station with her slightly cool husband but very warm young son. Then quite unexpectedly her eyes meet those of the wealthy Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson in a career making turn) and their love is immediate. The flirtation is enhanced by some of the most beautiful waltzing choreography on film. We are in St. Petersburg, Russia and divorce is something only a man /husband can initiate so as the love affair reaches a point of no return Anna must decide whether to bear the shame of a divorced woman or just be the mistress of the incredibly handsome Count and remain married. In contrast to the Anna/Vronsky duet is the passion of the country lad Levin (Domhnall Gleeson) for the aristocratic Kitty (Alicia Vikander) and throughout the story the two forms of love are paralleled. Anna becomes pregnant with Vronsky's child, an act that quietly infuriates Karenin as it makes Anna's affair public - a condition no one can tolerate in that society - and subsequently results in Anna's leaving her beloved son after she gives birth to the daughter belonging to Vronsky: Karenin will care for the child. The climax comes with Anna's infamous suicide and the story ends with all loose ends tied.
The exceptionally strong supporting cast includes such fine actors as Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Olivia Williams, Ruth Wilson, Emily Watson, Michelle Dockery, and Shirley Henderson. The luxuriant costumes are by Jacqueline Durran, the cinematography is by Seamus McGarvey, and the glorious musical score is by Dario Marianelli. A Stunning Film. Grady Harp, December 12
To date, I have seen this movie three times, and cannot wait to finally own this DVD. Though many didn't like the way this movie was done, I thought it was inventive, and certainly held my attention. The characterisations from the book to the movie are spot on, especially Matthew MacFayden's Stepan Oblonsky and Jude Law's Alexei Karenin. Beautiful masterpiece of a movie if I've ever seen one.
ReplyDeleteSaw this film in theaters and this is where it should always be. But take it as you can--as large a screen as possible however.
ReplyDeleteThere was not a single point whereupon I was not 100% engrossed in the film. Even if you know the ending, you cannot help but fall in love with each of the characters as they are portrayed. The choice to make it a stage play of sorts was risky, but worth it--I, the viewer, put more into the film than I would have had he gone a more traditional route.
So rich and colorful, passionate, bright, and dizzying--I cannot sing its praises enough. See it!