I really wanted to like this movie. This is one of my most favorite books. I’m not entirely sure why since Anna really is a selfish wretch. But I have always loved the drama of this book. Much more than War and Peace or The Brothers Karamazov. Ad I think even more than Wuthering Heights.
For some reason this movie tried for the theater production feel in some ways. Weird set changes caused more distraction and broke up the feel of the scene I think. And the whole feel of the movie was a grand production but not a film. And overly dramaaaaatic *said like Thurston Howell III* (if you don’t know who that is…..well….I can’t help you) without being serious enough considering the book it was drawn from.
Keira Knightley is absolutely gorgeous as usual. Actually more than usual since the costuming in this film was exquisite. But I think she is a bit too young for the role even though in reality she probably is the correct age.
Jude Law actually made Karenin far more likable than he is in the book. And that’s with a receding hairline ;)
But Count Vronsky was so horribly miscast, it was almost comical. He reminded me far too much of Jasper in Twilight. He was so not in any way the object of great desire. Or half of a tragically doomed romantic couple. Or the man a woman might leave her husband, position, child for? He was a goofy fop.
The movie IS very pretty. But it felt like it was desperately wanting to break out in the Baz Luhrmann thing of song/nifty soundtrack riffs at any moment like in Romeo & Juliet or Moulin Rouge. And I liked both of those very much – but I was expecting what I got in them when I sat down to watch them. This film seemed like it wanted to be taken seriously but just quite couldn’t get there. The book is very serious. Very. So it’s unfortunate the movie couldn’t reflect that.
The 1935 Greta Garbo version is pretty good. I never saw the Vivian Leigh version which I should watch. But frankly I like the book and I think it’s best that left way much like most great books. The imagination is a much better movie set :)
