Adapting classic literature to the screen has been a pre-occupation of the film industry since the silent-era. However, while some works are relatively easy to transfer to screen, others are not. Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina' falls into the second category. The sprawling Russian epic filled with politics, social drama and passion has been notoriously difficult to put on screen.
In this version, Vivien Leigh (following on from the great Greta Garbo, a hard task) gives a very good performance as the love-torn Anna. Travelling by train to Moscow from St Petersburg, her visit is primarily to smooth over things between her brother Stefan Oblonsky and his wife Dolly. It seems Stefan has been rather 'naughty' with the children's governess. Of course, he can't see what he has done wrong (just one of the double standards relating to men and women running through the narrative): his wife is worn-out and unattractive, and he is an important man of the State. Anna, in a fateful encounter that will determine the course of her future life, meets Countess Vronsky on the train. Both are proud mothers, an it is discovered that the Countess is in fact meeting her son, Count Alexei Vronsky, at the train station in Moscow. Cue a breathtaking first meeting between Anna and Vronsky, instant attraction and all that jazz.
However, there is so much more to Tolsoy's multi-layered masterpiece than the Anna-Vronsky affair. Vronsky is expected to marry sweet young Kitty Scherbatsky (the pretty yet wooden Sally Ann Howes) until Anna comes into the picture. Konstantin Levin, an older, decidedly less attractive yet kind suitor also vies for Kitty's dainty little hand. Anna is caught between the passion of true, physical love and her position in society. It all seems like a turgid soap opera, doesn't it? Well, Tolstoy meant more in his epic novel, making sly social comments at every turn. Unfortunately, these moments are missing from the film, which focuses on the more romantic aspects of the novel. In fact, the film completely cuts out or skips over interesting sub-plots (e.g. the Kitty-Levin romance) in favour of focusing on Anna and her love.
Of course, the focus on Anna is not all bad. Leigh is at the forefront of most scenes and she (along with a suitably cuckolded Ralph Richardson as her bureaucrat husband) gives the best performance of the various players here. Leigh's unique capacity to convey complex emotions through a single glance set her apart from other actresses, and her gifts as an actress are on display throughout. She is noticeably flat in a couple of scenes, yet the final scene she plays and the one where she is on her sick bed rank alongside her best work in 'Streetcar' or 'GWTW'. Leigh is so beautifully sad in this one.
Kieron Moore is a let-down as Count Vronsky. He is handsome, yet there is no chemistry between him and Leigh (in fact, there is decidedly more between Richardson and Leigh!). He just isn't the passionate, impulsive figure Tolstoy gave us. His acting is wooden at best, and Vivien absolutely dominates him in every scene that they are together.
The whole production looks nice, with lovely costumes by Cecil Beaton (Leigh looks terrific!) and an effective score by Lambert. It certainly isn't Leigh's best film, yet fans should have a look.
6/10
In this version, Vivien Leigh (following on from the great Greta Garbo, a hard task) gives a very good performance as the love-torn Anna. Travelling by train to Moscow from St Petersburg, her visit is primarily to smooth over things between her brother Stefan Oblonsky and his wife Dolly. It seems Stefan has been rather 'naughty' with the children's governess. Of course, he can't see what he has done wrong (just one of the double standards relating to men and women running through the narrative): his wife is worn-out and unattractive, and he is an important man of the State. Anna, in a fateful encounter that will determine the course of her future life, meets Countess Vronsky on the train. Both are proud mothers, an it is discovered that the Countess is in fact meeting her son, Count Alexei Vronsky, at the train station in Moscow. Cue a breathtaking first meeting between Anna and Vronsky, instant attraction and all that jazz.
However, there is so much more to Tolsoy's multi-layered masterpiece than the Anna-Vronsky affair. Vronsky is expected to marry sweet young Kitty Scherbatsky (the pretty yet wooden Sally Ann Howes) until Anna comes into the picture. Konstantin Levin, an older, decidedly less attractive yet kind suitor also vies for Kitty's dainty little hand. Anna is caught between the passion of true, physical love and her position in society. It all seems like a turgid soap opera, doesn't it? Well, Tolstoy meant more in his epic novel, making sly social comments at every turn. Unfortunately, these moments are missing from the film, which focuses on the more romantic aspects of the novel. In fact, the film completely cuts out or skips over interesting sub-plots (e.g. the Kitty-Levin romance) in favour of focusing on Anna and her love.
Of course, the focus on Anna is not all bad. Leigh is at the forefront of most scenes and she (along with a suitably cuckolded Ralph Richardson as her bureaucrat husband) gives the best performance of the various players here. Leigh's unique capacity to convey complex emotions through a single glance set her apart from other actresses, and her gifts as an actress are on display throughout. She is noticeably flat in a couple of scenes, yet the final scene she plays and the one where she is on her sick bed rank alongside her best work in 'Streetcar' or 'GWTW'. Leigh is so beautifully sad in this one.
Kieron Moore is a let-down as Count Vronsky. He is handsome, yet there is no chemistry between him and Leigh (in fact, there is decidedly more between Richardson and Leigh!). He just isn't the passionate, impulsive figure Tolstoy gave us. His acting is wooden at best, and Vivien absolutely dominates him in every scene that they are together.
The whole production looks nice, with lovely costumes by Cecil Beaton (Leigh looks terrific!) and an effective score by Lambert. It certainly isn't Leigh's best film, yet fans should have a look.
6/10