Director Joe Wright’s adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s 1877 novel
Anna Karenina is one of the most
visually stunning and artistically bold films I’ve seen in quite some time.
Wright places most of his plot within the confines of a dilapidated theatre and
has his actors make use of the stage, stalls and behind the scenes areas when
forming the sets of late Tsarist Saint Petersburg. Actors will walk from one
part of the theatre to another with sets and costumes changing around them, all
with the hustle and bustle of both a real theatre and lively city. It’s a
stylistic decision which was probably met with scepticism by studio bosses and
the like but works incredibly well to bring to life the characters which
themselves are so wonderfully written by Tolstoy.
Anna Karenina (Keira Knightly) is married with a son to senior
statesman and a man who is greatly admired and respected in society, Count Alexei
Karenin (Jude Law). Their marriage is typical of the society in which they live
in that it was not for love and he is much older than she is. On a trip to
visit her brother Prince Stepan (Matthew Macfadyen) in Moscow she attracts the attention of a young,
rich and handsome cavalry officer called Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).
After an infatuation the two fall madly in love but in a closely nit society in
which infidelity is ‘against the rules’, Anna must decide which is more
important? Her standing, child and image or true love.
Joe Wright was lucky in a way in that he started off with a
fantastic story, written by Tolstoy. This was then adapted by Oscar winning
screenwriter Tom Stoppard who handed Wright and his cast a beautifully well
crafted script which despite its complexities, rolls of the tongues of the
talented cast. I have never read the source novel and have in fact never
managed to finish any of the great works of Russian literature (the names don’t
help) so the plot was new to me. The themes of love, infidelity, trust and city
vs countryside-life charge out of the screen and most are tackled very well.
One area which I thought was slightly forgotten was the fascinating part of the
plot regarding Levin (Domhnall Gleeson). Levin is in love with an attractive and
highly sought after young Princess, Kitty (Alicia Vikander). His tale of love,
family, hardship and politics feels slightly brushed to one side which is a
shame as his arc also points towards the social upheaval which would greet Russia in the
coming decades.
The first half of this film was probably my favourite half
of any I’ve seen in the cinema this year. It whizzed along thanks to the dialogue,
plot and interesting design. The problems that I have with some period dramas
such as dull ideas and duller characters felt a million miles away as I
watched, transfixed with a smile on my face. The highlight of the entire film
for me was a ball in which some of the central characters danced. This was a
scene full of careful manoeuvring, examination and lust as the two lovers
become intimate for the first time. Onlookers watch on as Anna and Count Vronsky
dance a waltz to an ever quickening pace. Kitty watches with horror as she sees
the man she thought was hers slip away. The dancing itself is beautifully
choreographed and came as close to art as I’ve seen dance be. Due in part to
the nature of the story, the second half of the film doesn’t quite live up to
the pace or intensity of the opening half but is nonetheless interesting, dark
and impressive.
There are three things which make Anna Karenina one of my
favourite films of 2012 so far. The first is the story, the second is the
direction and the third is the acting. Every single member of the cast dazzles
here with not one actor giving a misjudged or poor performance. The standout
for me is Jude Law whose mild mannered and restrained performance is simply
incredible. He maintains grace and dignity despite having a terrible spell thanks
to Anna and Law manages to convey all of his emotions in a similar understated
way to Gary Oldman did with Smiley in Tinker,
Tailor, Soldier, Spy. He also makes the audience feel incredibly empathetic
towards his character. For an actress I’m not particularly fond of, Keira
Knightly has somehow found herself with two excellent central performances in
two of my favourite films of the year; this and A Dangerous Method. She feels like the go-to-girl for this type of
role and is excellent although my girlfriend rightly points out that when she
smiles, she looks like she’s about to cry. Aaron Taylor-Johnson also gives a
good performance, despite comedy moustache, as the dashing lover. He is
believable as the swarve and arrogant cavalryman but is outplayed by Law in
later scenes. It’s funny to think that ten years ago it would probably have
been Jude Law in the Vronsky role but he has matured as an actor in recent
years and can carry off a character like Karenin with aplomb. Another standout
is Matthew Macfadyen who plays more of a comedy character but plays it gracefully.
Domhnall Gleeson is also superb as Levin.
Despite the great acting this is the director’s film. The
style is so bold that at first I was worried that it wouldn’t work but to keep
a city as vast as Saint Petersburg
inside one theatre then having the rest of the world to play with outside the
city was a fantastic idea which was pulled off with pinpoint precision. There
are flaws, for instance it felt slightly too long and some areas weren’t given
as much attention as I’d have liked (two contradictory statements I know) but
overall Anna Karenina is a enchanting
film and one of the best I’ve seen so far this year.
9/10
I must admit that I wasn't particularly interested having seen the trailer; to me it looked like it was trying to be like A Royal Affair (fabulous btw) but not as interesting. Your review makes me want to see it though, it sounds far more interesting than it looks at first glance. I'm assuming that the dance scene is the obligatory Joe Wright long steady-cam shot? It sounds ready made for it.
ReplyDeleteI think the dance is actually quite a fast cut, multiple camera kind of thing. The whole film feels faster paced than similar films. I missed A Royal Affair but really want to see it. I would recommend this but have seen more reviews that were less favourable than mine.
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