The Kreutzer Sonata

I saw The Kreutzer Sonata at its first showing at the Edinburgh Film Festival and I didn't enjoy it at all. I'm not sure if the dialogue was scripted or improvised but it was rambling and boring. It's not even an original idea to make a film based on the Tolstoy story and the Beethoven sonata which inspired it - when I searched for the title I found 13 previous versions, the first made in 1911. I haven't seen any of them, but some surely must be better than this latest attempt. The music sounded good, but that's the only good point. The acting was wooden, the plot dragged, the voice-overs were very irritating. I advise you to avoid this film.

I've read my share of Tolstoy, but it is hard to envision the novella from this thoroughly modernized version. Nonetheless, this was a very engaging film. Some of the things that were heavily criticized, I found highly effective, such as the voice-over throughout the movie. Danny Huston sort of underplayed the role, letting the narration and plot define the anguish of his character. And I cannot say enough about Elisabeth Rohm, and how she brought her character to life. Her portrayal of Abby did not always leave me liking her (Abby), but it always had me believing her. And this is aside from Miss Rohm's beauty, which was even downplayed a bit. The film's ending was telegraphed from the beginning, so you couldn't call it suspenseful, but it held my interest throughout. Definitely worth checking out.

Beethoven's masterful "Kreutzer" Violin Sonata inspired Tolstoy to write a short story of the same name. Incidentally, the short story inspired Leos Janacek to write a string quartet that is also nicknamed "Kreutzer Sonata." Although the setting of the story has been changed from the 19th century to contemporary time, the essence of Tolstoy remains. The presentation is initially muddled, but turns into a fairly interesting story about jealousy. What keeps this from being a better film is the inept direction. Director Rose did the cinematography as well and he unfortunately chose to use a hand-held camera throughout for no good reason. It is extremely distracting.

This new movie should use another name besides 'The Kreutzer Sonata.' It may be based on the novella by Leo Tolstoy but it is nothing like it. I just read the novella and it was so much more powerful, and emotional. The real Kreutzer Sonata was raw. And it is sad what it has been turned into. The original was real, depicting the true faces of reality. And above all it was used as a tool to spread a philosophy and a message of Tolstoy's which is nowhere to be found in the contemporary defacement of the old classic.

In the original the basic story is about lust, and the problems of the structured institutionalized world we live in. Tolstoy's main points revolve around the idea of marriage and its lost meaning. He also speaks at length about the purpose of sex, of sexual pleasure, and the purpose of life and procreation... ..much of which can not and will not be understood by many.

Listen, I have seen 23 first votes that rank this film as a 3.7

The one negative review I saw was from a fan of the original novella by Leo Tolstoy; they made complaints about major points of the novella, including its philosophies and theories on marriage and sex, not being duly appropriated in this adaptation.

And I have to say that they are plainly insane to "besmirch" this film as to the extent that they have.

What I got out of this film was an originally filmed and paced independent film that wasn't annoyingly experimental. Its voice over made the film into a good unforced narrative with acting that was equally effective.

I loved the story, I loved the acting. The feelings of jealousy, suspicion, anxiety, and suffocation were so absorbing. I felt attached to most of this film. The acting was fluid and perfect chemistry. There are so many ways to act a scene. Danny Huston and Elisabeth Rohm's performances were some of the most realistic and enjoyable I have ever seen. At times the film felt like a documentary between the characters and the hand-held style.

I felt like this was definitely one of the best films I've seen in a long time. This is a wonderful ride with a great efficacy.