Anna Karenina (I) (2012)

Set in late-19th-century Russia high-society, the aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the affluent Count Vronsky.

Director:

Joe Wright

Writers:

Tom Stoppard (screenplay), Leo Tolstoy (novel)

Stars:

Matthew Macfadyen, Keira Knightley, Jude Law

Won 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 31 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matthew Macfadyen	...	Oblonsky
Eric MacLennan	...	Matvey
Kelly Macdonald	...	Dolly
Theo Morrissey	...	Grisha Oblonsky
Cecily Morrissey	...	Lili Oblonsky
Freya Galpin	...	Masha Oblonsky
Octavia Morrissey	...	Tanya Oblonsky
Beatrice Morrissey	...	Vasya Oblonsky
Marine Battier	...	Mlle. Roland
Keira Knightley	...	Anna Karenina
Guro Nagelhus Schia	...	Annushka
Aruhan Galieva	...	Aruhan
Jude Law	...	Karenin
Carl Grose	...	Korney
Bryan Hands	...	Mikhail Slyudin

Storyline

In 1874, in the Imperial Russia, the aristocratic Anna Karenina travels from Saint Petersburg to Moscow to save the marriage of her brother Prince Oblonsky, who had had a love affair with his housemaid. Anna Karenina has a cold marriage with her husband, Count Alexei Karenin, and they have a son. Anna meets the cavalry officer Count Vronsky at the train station and they feel attracted by each other. Soon she learns that Vronsky will propose Kitty, who is the younger sister of her sister-in-law Dolly. Anna satisfactorily resolves the infidelity case of her brother and Kitty invites her to stay for the ball. However, Anna Karenina and Vronsky dance in the ball, calling the attention of the conservative society. Soon they have a love affair that will lead Anna Karenina to a tragic fate.

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Plot Keywords:

marriage | russia | love | saint petersburg | train station | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality and violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 September 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

Ana Karenjina

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$320,690 (USA) (16 November 2012)

Gross:

$12,802,907 (USA) (22 February 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Datasat Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James McAvoy (Levin), Saoirse Ronan (Kitty), Cate Blanchett (Countess Lydia), Benedict Cumberbatch (Nikolai), and Andrea Riseborough (Princess Betsy), all of whom had worked with Joe Wright before, turned down roles in the film. They were replaced, respectively, by Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Emily Watson, David Wilmot and Ruth Wilson.

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Goofs

The label of the bottle of morphine Anna drinks from changes from "la Morphine" to "Morphine" between shots. The only correct French form would be without an article (prescriptions would have been written in Latin in 19th-century Russia anyway).

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Quotes

Alexei Karenin: What did I do to deserve this?

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Crazy Credits

Count Vronsky is misspelled as "Vronksy" in the end credits.

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Connections

Featured in The 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2013)

User Reviews

A complete flop

There is something I just don't understand in the way people here vote for a film and this one is a perfect example of incoherence: 7.2 when so many reviews are negative and I completely agree with this negativeness! I saw the movie yesterday afternoon in Paris and came out of the theater wondering why had I lost my money and time for such a nonsense. There is absolutely nothing in this film worth retaining. The director and his scenery designer took obviously an immense pleasure in presenting the story in a sophisticated setting making all they could to mislead the spectator especially if he has not read the novel! Aestheticism can be interesting to use but in limited amount If I may say so, too much make up on a beautiful face will make of it a horrifying masquerade and this is what happens here.

Everything in this movie seems to come out from the glaciation ages! There is not a single moment when the tragedy which develops before your eyes can move you and make you take pity of any of the protagonists; even the music score is boring and completely misused and not in accordance with the plot.

A total disaster to be forgotten as quickly as possible!