Anna Karenina (DVD REVIEW)
Anna Karenina
DVD Review
by Kam Williams
Knightley and Law
Co-Star in Daring Adaptation of Tolstoy Classic
First published in a literary
magazine between 1873 and 1877 in a series of installments, Anna Karenina is a
1000+ page opus which chronicles the ill-fated affair between a St. Petersburg socialite
and a strapping, young soldier. Despite the salacious soap opera at the heart
of the story, the dense novel is actually much deeper, as it explores myriad
motifs, ranging from feminism to family to forgiveness to fate.
Leo Tolstoy’s tawdry tale of
forbidden love has been brought to the screen over 20 times, most notably starring
Greta Garbo (1935) and Vivien Leigh (1948) in the title role. Here, Academy
Award-nominee Keira Knightley (for
Pride & Prejudice) delivers a fresh interpretation of the flawed heroine in
a bold adaptation directed by Joe Wright.
The movie marks the pair’s third
collaboration, along with the critically-acclaimed costume dramas Pride &
Prejudice (2005) and Atonement (2007). This daring and dazzling reimagining of
the Russian classic features a very powerful performance by Ms. Knightley.
The highly-stylized production has a
stagy feel to it rather reminiscent of Moulin Rouge! (2001). In fact, most of
the film unfolds in a dingy, dilapidated theater, which might sound at first
blush like a disappointing downsizing of the sweeping source material. But this
surreal treatment, replete with stampeding horses and a host of other surprises
lying in wait in the wings and up in the rafters, proves nothing short of magical
without diminishing the Tolstoy epic one iota.
At the point of departure, we find miserably-married
Anna selfishly falling in love at first sight with dashing Count Vronsky (Aaron
Taylor-Johnson), a bachelor serving in the cavalry. The two proceed to carry on
shamelessly, much to the chagrin of her cuckolded, considerably older hubby,
Alexei Karenin (Jude Law), a boring government bureaucrat.
Besides that awkward triangle, the
picture devotes its attention to a couple of lesser-developed subplots. One
involves Anna’s brother (Matthew Macfadyen), a womanizer who has been cheating
on his wife, Dolly (Kelly Macdonald). The other revolves around wealthy Konstantin
Levin’s (Domhnall Gleeson) pursuit of Dolly’s teenage sister Kitty (Alicia
Vikander), a debutante who harbors hopes of being courted by Vronsky.
Ultimately,
Anna’s mind gradually unravels, being tragically undone by a mix of jealousy,
bitterness and assorted social pressures. All of the above transpires against an
audacious, visually-arresting backdrop as envisioned and brilliantly executed by
the gifted Wright.
A sumptuous cinematic feast!
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated R for sexuality and violence
Running time: 130 minutes
Distributor: Universal
Studios Home Entertainment
Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack
Extras: Deleted scenes; Anna Karenina: An Epic Story of Love; Adapting Tolstoy;
Keira as Anna; On the Set with Joe Wright; Dressing Anna; Anna Karenina:
Time-Lapse Photography; and feature commentary with the director.
To see a trailer for Anna
Karenina, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3gXCTJEjYc
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