Screenwriter Thomas Stoppard says, "Much of the action takes place in a large, derelict 19th century Russian theatre--not in the sense of 'onstage only, but often in different parts of the theatre, e.g, the auditorium, the wings, backstage, the under-stage, the fly-tower, etc. A bold stroke. Perhaps my favorite moment onscreen is when Anna, leaving Oblonsky's house, and Levin, walking away from meeting his brotther in town, cross paths on the stage. The back of the stage opens to reveal the snowy landscape Levin is going home to, and the two worlds elide for a moment before they separate."
The approach is unique and challenging. Anna lives in a world
where everyone assumes roles, as in a theatre, and when she is in that world,
the story is told in a theatrical formal presentation.
All the well-known moments occur in that theatre: Stiva Oblonsky (Matthew Macfadyen) almost
losing his wife; Anna (Knightley)
arriving on the train with Countess Vronsky (Olivia Williams) and meeting her
future lover, Alexei Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), the ball where Anna captures
and is captured by Vronsky, her home in Moscow, the horse-race, the opera where
she is publically embarrassed.
But the story of Anna’s torrid adulterous relationship is
contrasted with the story of 18 year old Kitty Shcherbatsky (Alicia Vikander) who
is devastated by Vronsky’s neglect and eventually finds true love with Tolstoy
stand-in Kostya Levin (Domhnall Gleeson) who deserts the city to live among the
peasants at his estate Pokrobskoe. Only when the actors break free from the
constraints of the city are we given real vistas of the world. The theatre is stifling after awhile; the
country is real freedom we can feel.
Jude Law actually plays a complex Alexei Karenin (Anna’s
husband) who proclaims he is above jealousy but eventually is moved to
indignation and vengence. He allows us to have pity and sympathy for a fairly
unsympathetic character.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Vronsky is called on to be handsome,
which he is. His deep blue eyes offset stunningly his blonde good looks. His
eyes often match the blue of his uniform and Anna’s costume. As Anna sinks
deeper and deeper into the jealousy of her love affair, he begins to allow us
to see a more sympathetic side.
Kiera Knightley is gloriously costumed and looks the part,
but her performance is not as strong as the others. As she sinks deeper into
jealousy and morphine addiction, she becomes more tiresome than tragic.
The script by Tom Stoppard is an
interesting contrast to the 1948 film.
Anna Karenina (2012) ****
The script by French playwright Jean Anouilh (author of such wonderful works as The Lark; Becket, or the Honor of God; Antigone), Guy Morgan, and
Julien Duvivier changes much of Tolstoy’s work. Among other things, Annie
(the love child of Anna and Vronsky) dies with a sense of moral censorship. The film follows the two to Venice. Lavish
and vast sets of Russian palaces loaded with period detail, designed by Andrej
Andrejew, offer the viewer much to concentrate on.
It is interesting to compare the role of
Stefan Oblonsky in these two films. Here Hugh Dempster is pretty much an oaf;
in Wright’s film, Macfadyen, is personable and charming. A very young Sally Ann
Howes plays Kitty. Most of the performances are high film acting without much
attempt at today’s realism.
 |
| Anna with Kitty at the ball. The star jewels in her hair were probably inspired by pictures of Empress Elizabeth of Austria. |
Leigh’s lover, Kieron Moore, fails to move beyond just the
looks of his part. I didn’t really find him particularly charming nor
outstandingly beautiful. Because of the moral nature of the film, the passion
of the two adulterers seemed very chaste and was generally just talked about.
The film ends with Anna’s suicide, one of the most famous of literature, as the
climax.
In all, Leigh is lovely to look at, but the script fails to
ignite.
Anna Karenina (1948) ****
(part of the Criterion Collection on Hulu Plus)
No comments:
Post a Comment