Anna Karenina

[Robert Whittaker]

Sad to report, the Warner Brothers version of AK is awful.  Don't know where
to begin -- from the scene showing ul. Rossi and subtitled "Moscow, 1882"?
Or the suspenseful moment, after Anna has made her confession to Karenin
that she loves Vronsky, when Karenin grabs Anna, throws her on the bed and
nearly rapes her?  Or the walzing to the music of Swan Lake? Or the scene on
the grass at Gatchina described as Italy?  Or the ending, when Levin arrives
at a train station named Yasnaya Polyana, and his summary reflections on
life are signed 'Leo Tolstoy'?  The movie covers the novel in 5-minute
snippits, thus maintaining a hectic pace which seemed to keep the attention
of the packed house on Sunday in Manhattan. Pivotal scenes are cropped to
accomodate the limited time, but they loose much significance (Anna doesn't
react to the cold window in the carriage, Vronsky doesn't kick the horse,
etc.).  The hero, Vronsky, seemed little changed from when I last saw the
actor (Sean Bean) playing an Irish terrorist in the movie Patriot Games (he
was better cast there).  Anna would have looked better in black leather than
black velvet.  In short, Tolstoy looses quite badly in the bargain.  The
only challenge for students of Tolstoy and the novel would seem to be in a
detailed post mortem.

        Regards, Robert W.

At 04:48 PM 4/8/97 -0500, you wrote:

>I teach Tolstoy, and my students "endure" a four version Anna
>Karenina movie marathon every year (Greta Garbo version, Vivien
>Leigh, Jacqueline Bisset/Christopher Reeve, and the most recent
>Russian version - by far the best!). They are now absolutely psyched
>to see this version.
>
>Has anyone seen it yet?????  If you do, please please give me some
>reviews of it! Your own personal bias is perfectly acceptable!
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