Review of Anna Karenina (2012) by Reuben M — 23 Mar 2013

I have never read ANNA KARININA, nor do I expect to. Here's what I knew about the book going into the movie: it was written by Leo Tolstoy and (spoiler ahead) the lead character throws herself under a train. Oh, and it's set in Russia sometime before the fall of the Czars.

So I went into the film with few expectations, and I will be unable to comment on whether this adaptation is faithful or not. But I can opine on if I liked the movie.

It tells the tale of Anna, the wife of an aristocrat/politician. She lives in St. Petersburg, with her husband and young son. But when travelling to Moscow to try to ask her sister-in-law to make up with her womanizing scoundrel of a husband, she meets a dashing young officer and the two launch into a torrid and scandalous affair. Misery ensues.

I know this sounds a bit dismissive, but I don't intend it to be. I think that if you don't know the story, it would be unfair of me to tell you more, as the twists and turns, both romantic & political, are most of the fun in the story.

Director Joe Wright (ATONEMENT) has, in a huge error, tried to stage this movie as though it were an elaborate stage production. The actors move around an enormous theater and various pieces of scenery roll in and out. All parts of the venue become staging areas, including the rafters, the wings and the audience. Sometimes, though, this conceit lapses. This lapse always occurs when there are scenes staged "in the country"...and it occurs to the viewer eventually that much like Tolstoy always did, Wright is trying to convey that city life, politics, petty affairs of the rich, etc. are all transient and theatrical...the only "real" things are of and for the land and thus, Mother Russia. We meet several key characters who achieve a form of salvation through connecting or reconnecting with the land. This is a noble (if grossly oversimplified) idea, and it is in fact these outdoor, on location scenes that perhaps fare the best...they are freed from the staginess of the rest of the film. But Wright spends much of the film, particularly in the early going, letting us see how the scenery rolls in and out and how cleverly he has staged everything that the story itself is practically a distraction. I understand WHAT he is trying to convey...but it is done with such artifice and clumsiness that it fails. I appreciate his efforts, but all his showiness deflates much of the emotion of the film.

Keira Knightley plays Anna, and she gives another solid performance in a "period piece." She looks great in her costumes, moves with regal authority and to her credit, isn't afraid to make her character unlikeable. At times, with side with Anna as she rebels against societal shackles and yearns for passion. At other times though, she flings herself headlong into reckless behavior that threatens her relationship with her children, her standing in society, her husband's career and even her own sanity. Knightley embraces all these sides with gusto. Her performance makes this movie worth seeing.

Jude Law is her husband. It's a little unsettling seeing him playing the older, repressed politician. When did he age? But then I remember that he can still play spry and fun (SHERLOCK HOLMES), and I realize what a terrific, contained performance he's giving. Yes, he's repressed and dreadfully dull. He's also heartbreakingly perplexed when he sees Anna's behavior. He was truly the character I rooted for most consistently, even as I realized he was not exactly great husband and father material.

As the young soldier, Aaron Johnson (KICK ASS, NOWHERE BOY) tries awfully hard. He is not assisted by a costume and hairstyle that make him look like he belongs in the "Rock Me Amadeus" music video...but Johnson is all softness and "baby-like." I can almost see why Anna is initially attracted to him. He is clearly attracted to her, he's somewhat dashing and he's capable of passion. But he's revealed to be selfish, whiney and ultimately more concerned with his happiness than hers. Some of this is the script, but Johnson does little to dig deeper into his character to find something to make us care for him as the events of the story begin to spin out of control.

Overall, this is a film more interesting than compelling. Knightley and Law make it worth seeing, but it also fades quickly from the memory. I would give it 3.3 stars. If Wright had refrained from unneeded theatricality, it would be a 4 star film.