Saturday 15 February 2014

Anna Karenina

Now to continue film catch up and first the period dramatization of the novel by Leo Tolstoy Anna Karenina and her adulterous affair in pre revolution Russia, Anna who is married to an influential elder statesman who is much older travels to Moscow to convince Prince Oblonsky to take back her husband and father of their five children after he had an affair with the governess. While Anna is successful in her mission she becomes quickly infatuated with a rogue about town Count Vronsky and which is main subject of the film.



There is one important sub plot concerning the sister of Princess Oblonsky, Kitty, who at first turns down the offer of marriage from Constantin Levin a wealthy estate owner who manages alongside his tenants and as no inter in the social life of Moscow and St Petersburg. The sister is hoping to marry Constantine Vronsky and where she is successful as a family attempt to break his relationship with Anna..



The affairs between Anna and Vronsky develops and at first the husband refuses a divorce but then anger at the situation take hold refuses to allow Anne to have any contact with their son. Anna nearly dies giving birth to the child of Vronsky and later when he abandons her throw herself under a train. Her husband returns from country life and brings up the Vronsky child has part of his household,



Meanwhile Levin remeets Kitty whose marriage to Vronsky has also ended and they not only marry but she willingly rejects the social life of cities and takes to the country life working alongside her husband on the estate. She also shows understanding towards the brother of Levin who has commenced an affair with a prostitute and becomes dangerously ill. He is brought back to the estate with his woman living separately on the estate, However after nursing the brother back to good health Kitty also invites the woman into the household and she, her husband and gamily become the moral force in the tale and symbol of the Russia of the future. The story as the novel is a great one but I was put off from seeing the film in cinema theatre because of the production which places the story in the form of a traditional theatre setting although it is expanded at times but misses out on the grandeur and splendour of Russian cities and landscape as in Dr Zhivago.



 

 

 

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