Anna Karenina

I saw this movie almost accidentally and I LOVED it! It made me a fan of Sophie Marceau, a beautiful and talented French actress. To my delight Sophie is starring in some upcoming movies (which I will not miss). I would recommend this movie to anyone looking for a movie with all the components that makes a classic. Too bad it didn't hit the mainstream, it was very under-rated. Bottom line: I loved this movie, and I am usually quite picky about which movies I say that about!

This was surprisingly good. I'm not that much a fan of the Romance genre, if truth be told, but I'll make an exception for this one. The film is carefully crafted. Every emotion, every dialogue enhanced the overall tone of the film, slowly but surely escalating in its momentum up to its tragic climax.

Sophie Marceau was brilliant. As was Sean Bean. I wasn't quite sure if they would be able to possess the kind of chemistry needed to pull this off, if truth be told, considering how they (in my opinion) seem to be of different temperament artistically (Sophie being more sensitive as seen in Braveheart and Marquis, while Bean is more explosive). Nevertheless, it worked out fine although, ironically, their relationship seem to be more believable whenever they fell out of odds with each other. :)

To be honest, I have not read this book. I have heard that it was a classic and all those other things that people say about his book, but really had no idea what the story is about. Actually, the main reason that I watched this movie, was that Sean Bean was in it(I had previously seen him in Lord of the Rings, and really enjoyed him). I was surprised to find this story so engaging. I thought that he was amazing in this movie, very charming. He just has this intangible quality that always has me rooting for him.

This is the first movie that I have ever seen Sophie Marceau in(playing Anna Karenina) and I found that she portrays Anna with a delicate grace, that makes you understand Vronsky's(Bean) dogged pursuit of her.

True, I have to say that I found the end a little disappointing, and heart-wrenching. Sean Bean shines at the end of the movie, I think he really shows well just how much Vronsky finally realizes he has lost.

Of all the versions of the Tolstoy novel which I have seen (two with Greta Garbo, the deplorable one with Vivien Leigh, another with Jacqueline Bisset), this is the one that really reflects the scope and social observation of the book. The careful direction and art direction, the St.Petersburg backgrounds, as well as the exquisite cinematography, make this movie a real feast for the eyes, with magnificent plastic compositions and lighting in every shot. The abused Tchaikovsky music was used discreetly. Sophie Marceau plays a very young Anna, and makes her credible all the time. Sean Bean and James Fox, as Vronsky and Karenin, are admirable. And even if the screen play by director Bernard Rose is a little too literary, the complete story was told, and the result was the best Anna Karenina the screen has offered.

I'm not sure how this movie slipped past me, as I try to stay on top of the period movies that come out. Nonetheless I caught it on one of the Encore channels last night, and I'm glad I did. Visually this movie is incredible! The cinematography could not have been much better, down to small details such as Levin "mowing" in the fields with the scythe in perfect rhythm with the workers.

As much as I like the film, however, I'm disappointed that Sophie Marceau's portrayal of Anna was not more passionate. On the whole I thought her performance was pretty good, but I agree with the comments above that she could have exhibited a much more involved and emotional presence in the face of a love that she could not resist. Ditto for Sean Bean, although he was somewhat better at it than Sophie. It's a situation where one fervently wishes that the actors were better than they were, because you know that it would have made the movie a "10." Both Bean and Marceau did provide some excellent glimpses into the souls of their characters, but only glimpses. One would wish for more intimate looks into their motivations and their respective desolations. I was not at all put off by accents of the actors. So Marceau has a mild French accent...French was the dominant language of the Russian court up to the Revolution, so it would not have been out of place at all.

The story of Levin and Kitty fares better, if only because of the stellar performance of Alfred Molina. Offhand I can't think of a more underrated actor (save perhaps Ron Perlman). Ms. Kirshner was fine as Kitty, although her journey from infatuation with Vronsky to love for Levin was given short shrift.

Overall I loved this movie, but I just wish it had been two marks better.