Anna Karenina (1997)

Anna (Marceau) is a wife and mother who has an affair with the handsome Count Vronsky (Bean). Based on the novel by Tolstoy.

Director:

Bernard Rose

Writers:

Leo Tolstoy (novel), Bernard Rose (screenplay)

Stars:

Sophie Marceau, Sean Bean, Alfred Molina

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sophie Marceau	...	Anna Karenina
Sean Bean	...	Vronsky
Alfred Molina	...	Levin
Mia Kirshner	...	Kitty
James Fox	...	Karenin
Fiona Shaw	...	Lydia
Danny Huston	...	Stiva
Phyllida Law	...	Vronskaya
David Schofield	...	Nikolai
Saskia Wickham	...	Dolly
Jennifer Hall	...	Betsy
Anna Calder-Marshall	...	Princess Schcherbatksy
Valerie Braddell	...	Ambassador's Wife
Petr Shelokhonov	...	Kapitonich (as Pyotr Sholokhov)
Niall Buggy	...	Doctor

Storyline

Anna is a young and elegant wife of Mr. Karenin, who is wealthy and old. She meets the handsome Count Vronsky. Anna and Vronsky fall in love with each other, and he comes to be with her in St. Petersburg. They are very happy together and make a great looking couple, but soon their happiness gets under social pressures. Anna is hopelessly begging Mr. Karenin for a divorce, but he wants to keep the mother of their child. She has another baby born from her lover Vronsky. Conflict between her untamed desires and painful reality causes her a depression and suicidal thoughts.

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Plot Keywords:

count | divorce | love | madness | imperial russia | 

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Taglines:

In a world of power and privilege, one woman dared to obey her heart.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements and some sensuality/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros.

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

4 April 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina

Filming Locations:

Menshikov Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$75,268, 6 April 1997, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$791,830, 1 June 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Icon Entertainment International, Icon Productions, Studio Trite

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sean Bean and James Fox previously starred together in Patriot Games, 1992.

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Goofs

Although the film claims to be set in the 1880s, the book must be set earlier than that because it was published in 1875.

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Quotes

Anna Karenina: What are you doing here?
Vronsky: You know that I have come to be where you are. I cannot help myself.

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Connections

Version of Anna Karenina (1985)

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Soundtracks

Song About Alexander Nevsky
Written by Sergei Prokofiev
Performed by The St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra amd The St. Petersburg Chamber Choir
Conducted by Georg Solti (as Sir Georg Solti)
Courtesy of Icon Records and London Records

User Reviews

Half the material

While the production design, photography costumes etc are all quite spectacular this is only half the book. That it is not really the book which may seem a normal quibble, but all the other details which are so rich in the original, is lost here and what is left is a melodrama.

One reason is that the length of a great novel cannot ever be crammed into a film of normal endurance. The problem then becomes one of audience engagement and also character motivation because the characters are so attenuated in the film. The rich back histories and the social settings and discussion of current ideas is also fundamental to a Tolstoy novel and here it is only hinted at in parts.

Some level of implication is good in a film, unlike a novel, but in this case it is reduces a novel to a text message.

The result is not a bad film, but is unfortunately superficial. The task the filmmakers set is enormous - too big for what is accomplished. It's solution is not in this medium and at this length: a multi-part TV series would be have been better.