Anna Karenina (2012)

In late-19th-century Russian high society, St. Petersburg aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the dashing Count Alexei Vronsky.

Director:

Joe Wright

Writers:

Tom Stoppard (screenplay), Lev Tolstoy (novel) (as Leo Tolstoy)

Stars:

Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Won 1 Oscar. Another 31 wins & 53 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 to 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

dance | imperial russia | character name as title | anna karenina character | saint petersburg russia | 

---

Taglines:

You can't ask Why about love

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality and violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joe Wright briefly considered having the actors use Russian accents but later decided against it, fearing it would be hard for him to assess their performances.

---

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).

---

Quotes

Levin: You are on the wrong side of history. Not because privilege is immoral,
[spits]
Levin: but because it's irrational.

---

Connections

Version of Anna Karenina (1948)

---

Soundtracks

Song for a New Life (Masha's Song)
(uncredited)
Written by Anoushka Shankar
Performed by Tannishtha Chatterjee

User Reviews

Irritating Format and Serious Miscasting

If your prime reaction to a film is one of disappointment there are usually some good reasons. My principal response to this version of a great and well-known story is one of irritation. The overblown theatrical format of the film gets in the way of character and dramatic development, to the point where you're aware of a director proclaiming "aren't we clever with the way we're staging this?" instead of admiring the straightforward and competent telling of a story. I'm not saying all films have to be constructed in a conventional manner, but when the form overtakes the substance something has gone wrong.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Count Vronsky is a piece of serious miscasting. Instead of looking like a great lover and sure temptation for wavering Anna,he looks like some feeble dandy with his foppish shock of dyed curly blonde hair which makes him look quite ridiculous. How on earth Anna could fall for such a creepy-looking guy is beyond most viewers I would submit.

Keira Knightley does the best she can, despite looking most of the time like she's attending a fashion shoot. The character of Anna requires portrayal of a tragic life which she doesn't quite achieve. However, the whole film fails to convey the grandeur of Tolstoy's vision, so she's let off the hook by the film's general levity and lack of substance.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 September 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

Anna Karenina

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$40,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$320,690, 18 November 2012

Gross USA:

$12,816,367

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$68,929,150

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