Anna Karenina (2012 film)
| Anna Karenina | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Joe Wright |
| Screenplay by | Tom Stoppard |
| Produced by | Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Paul Webster |
| Starring | Keira Knightley Jude Law Aaron Taylor-Johnson Kelly Macdonald |
| Cinematography | Seamus McGarvey |
| Edited by | Melanie Ann Oliver |
| Music by | Dario Marianelli |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures (UK) Focus Features (US) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 130 minutes[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £31 million[2] |
| Box office | $49,616,390[3] |
Anna Karenina is a 2012 British drama film directed by Joe Wright and adapted by Tom Stoppard from Leo Tolstoy's 1877 novel of the same name. The film depicts the tragedy of married aristocrat and socialite Anna Karenina and her affair with the affluent Count Vronsky. Keira Knightley stars in the lead role as Karenina, marking her third collaboration with Wright, while Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson appear as Alexei Karenin and Vronsky, respectively. Produced by Working Title Films in association with StudioCanal, the film premiered at the 2012 Toronto Film Festival, and was released on 7 September 2012 in the United Kingdom and Ireland and on 9 November in the United States.
Plot
 | This film's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (January 2013) |
The film begins in Imperial Russia 1874. It starts at house of Prince Stepan "Stiva" Oblonsky (Matthew Macfadyen) in Moscow. His wife, Princess Daria "Dolly" (Kelly Macdonald), catches Stiva and the governess of their five children having sex in a closet, having found the governess' note to her husband. Dolly tearfully banishes Stiva out of the home, forbidding him to ever see her or their children again.
Stiva's sister, Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley), journeys to Moscow. Anna is a wealthy, well-liked socialite who lives in St. Petersburg with her older husband Alexi Karenin (Jude Law), a Russian statesman, and their son Serozha. She has arrived by her brother's request to attempt to convince Dolly to forgive Stiva. Karenin allowed her to leave but warns her about fixing the problems of others. Anna ignores this and went to Moscow anyway, leaving her son Serozha who wants her to stay.
Meanwhile, Stiva meets his old friend Konstatin Dimitrivich Levin (Domhnall Gleeson), a wealthy land owner in the country. Levin is looked down on by most of Moscow's elite society due to his disinterest to live in the city. Levin professes his love to Stiva's sister-in-law, Katerina "Kitty" Alexandrovna Shcherbatsky (Alicia Vikander), and Stiva encourages him to propose to Kitty. However, Kitty declines his offer. It is later implied that she refused Levin's offer because she would rather marry Count Alexi Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a rich and handsome cavalry officer (who is only interested in Kitty due to her status in society matching that of his), as well the fact that marrying Vronsky would make her a wealthy Countess socialite, similar to Anna.
Anna, while on a train to Moscow, meets Vronsky's mother, Countess Vronskaya (Olivia Williams), known throughout Russia as an adulteress. Levin meets up with his elder brother Nikolai (David Wilmot), who, like Levin, is an aristocrat, but has given up his inheritance to live a poor life on vices. Nikolai lives with a prostitute named Masha whom he has taken as his wife and suggests to Levin that he should marry one of his peasants working for him at his estate. Levin then returns to his country estate in Pokrovskoe.
Anna arrives in Moscow and meets Count Vronsky, and they have an immediate and mutual attraction. As they prepare to leave, a railroad worker is caught beneath train tracks and is violently killed. Vronsky, to impress Anna, decides to give money to the deceased man's family.
Anna convinces Dolly to take Stiva back. At a ball that night, Kitty is radiant and dances with many aristocratic men. As Kitty must dance with the officers and gentlemen who have filled her dance card, she attempts to dance with Vronsky, who instead decides to dance with Anna. Their love and passion is noticed by everyone, including an upset Kitty; Anna notices this, and decides to leave the ball, feeling she has upstaged Kitty. Anna boards a train bound back to St. Petersburg, but at a rest stop notices Vronsky, who declares that he must be where she is at every moment. She tells him to go back to Moscow, but he refuses, saying he can not and will follow her anyway.
In St. Petersburg, Vronsky visits his friends along with his cousin Princess Betsy Tverskaya (Ruth Wilson) who is mutual friends with Anna and Karenin. Vronsky begins to show up at all the places Anna and Betsy visit; Anna is clearly amused, but also ashamed because now all of her high society friends are starting to notice their attraction. During a party held by Betsy, Vronsky believes Anna to have not attended due to him and leaves the party, only to have missed Anna, who arrives late. Betsy informs Anna that Vronsky has left, so she need not worry about a scandal. However, Vronsky returns and starts to flirt with Anna openly. The party guests gossip behind their backs, which soon catches Karenin's attention; He suggests they go home at once, but Anna decides to stay. Vronsky threatens to take a promotion in another city but Anna requests that he stay. Anna arrives home and speaks with her husband about Vronsky. She denies there is any attraction and convinces him of her innocence. They go to bed, and the next day Anna and Vronsky meet at a hotel and make love.
Back at Levin's country estate, Stiva visits, where he tells Levin that Kitty and Vronsky are no longer getting married. Still heartbroken, decides to give up on love and instead focuses on living an authentic country life. He plows his fields with his workers and has thoughts of taking one of his workers' daughters as his wife, like his brother had suggested.
Karenin hears word that both his wife and her lover are in the country and decides to surprise her there at his country estate. Anna reveals to Vronsky that she is pregnant and she wishes to be his and only his. While retreating back to her country house she encounters Karenin who suggests he join her for the horse races that evening. All of Russian society is at the races, and Anna sits with the elite. Countress Vronskaya, upon hearing the rumors of her son and Anna, gives Anna a disgusted look and instead gives her attention to the young Princess Sorokina (Cara Delevingne). The races begin and Karenin notices Anna acting oddly whenever Vronsky is racing. Anna unintentionally admits her feelings for Vronsky publicly when his horse collapses and injures Vronsky and she is the only one to scream and look worried. On their way home Anna confesses to Karenin that she is indeed Vronsky's mistress and wishes to divorce him. Because of St. Petersburg's conservative-hypocritical elite, and the fact that divorce in Russia calls for public humiliation for either one of the spouses, he refuses and instead has her confined to their house to keep up appearances. Vronsky demands she gets a divorce from her husband but Anna, knowing the consequences of a divorce (In old Russian tradition, divorces can only occur if one of the spouses disappear for a long time or if either one is cheating; if divorce is for the latter reason, the innocent spouse must show proof of the other spouse's infidelity. The unfaithful spouse, once divorced, will not be allowed to keep custody of any child she/he had had with the first spouse and will not be allowed to marry a second time.) says they will find a way.
As Levin is plowing his field one morning he sees a carriage with Kitty, and returns to Moscow to demand with Stiva that he must marry Kitty. Anna, starting to show her pregnancy, receives Vronsky at her house in St. Petersburg, and berates him and curses him for not coming to her sooner. Vronsky, shocked at this new temper in Anna, replies only that he was doing his duties as an Officer. Soon Karenin comes back home to find out that Vronsky has been visiting Anna though he was forbidden to be in the house or near his wife.
He searches Anna's desk and finds love letters. Now with evidence of Anna's infidelity, he declares that he will divorce her, keep their son, and drive her out into the street. Anna begs for her son to be with her, but Karenin enraged with anger shouts out that he would never have his son be with an adulteress mother. Meanwhile, Levin and Kitty are reunited at the Oblonsky house for dinner. There, Karenin arrives to give news that he is divorcing Anna, much to the dismay of Stiva and Dolly. Anna begs Karenin to forgive her, but Karenin has made up his mind, even though it is obvious that he still loves Anna. After the dinner, Levin and Kitty confess their love to each other and eventually marry.
Karenin gets a note that Anna has gone into premature labor and is dying. Karenin tears the card and returns home. As Anna lies dying, Karenin sees that she has confessed her sins before God and that she was in the wrong. Vronsky is there at her side, and she again berates him and tells him that he could never be the man Karenin is. Karenin feeling ashamed at how he has treated Anna, begs for her forgiveness. Anna forgives him.
The next day Vronsky leaves at the request of Karenin. Karenin forms an attachment to Anna's baby who is called "Anya". He cradles her and watches over as if she was his child. Princess Betsy calls on Anna and discusses with her what will happen to Vronsky now that he has left St. Petersburg and has gone back to Moscow. Anna notices that Karenin is in the doorway and invites him in. She tells Betsy to tell Karenin everything she has told her.
Karenin comes back to see Anna in tears and in rage. Anna tells him that she wished she would have died instead now she has to live with Karenin and still hear about and see Vronsky wherever she goes, and even more so with her bastard daughter from him. Karenin assures her that they will indeed be happy together again, but Anna only wants Vronsky. Karenin still does not agree to a divorce but releases Anna from her confinement. Anna informs Vronsky through a telegraph and the two leave to Italy along with little Anya. Levin and Kitty return to Levin's country estate where all his servants and attendees are enchanted with his new wife.
Levin's maid informs him that Nikolai and his wife Masha are in the country and seek solitude because Nikolai is sick and will probably not live another day or so. Having told Kitty about his brother and the situation with his wife Masha, Levin feels Kitty will be alarmed and outraged. However he is mistaken and Kitty dutifully asks that his brother and wife and join them in their country estate and that she will nurse him. Levin is shocked but he starts to notice that she has indeed grown up and is living for others instead of herself.
Word has gotten to Countess Lydia that Anna and Vronsky have returned to St. Petersburg. Anna writes Countess Lydia to see if she can intervene so that she may see Serozha for his birthday. Anna wakes her son to professes her love for him and that she was wrong to leave him. However, she tells him that he must come to love his Father, for he is good and kind, and is far better than she will ever be. Karenin sees Anna and motions for her to leave. Anna returns to Vronsky's hotel room.
Vronsky arrives late, and Anna starts to believe that he is fooling around. Anna whips up her courage to attend the Opera, proclaiming that she is not ashamed for what she has done, and neither should Vronsky. Anna attends the Opera and the attendees look at her with disgust and amusement. She starts to understand that society is still not accepting of her or Vronsky. One of the other attendees then starts a ruckus and verbally insults Anna. All of the Opera house sees the commotion, including Vronsky. Anna is humiliated, but retains her poise, but cries back at the hotel. Vronsky rushes to her, and she yells at him and asks him why he did not stop her from going. Vronsky tries to settle the situation by giving her laudanum with water. The next day Anna has lunch at a restaurant where the society women there ignore her and go out of their way to avoid her. Dolly grabs a seat next to her and tells Anna that Kitty is pregnant and is in Moscow to have the baby. Dolly explains that Stiva is the same, but that she has come to love him for who he is, and that she misses Anna. As Anna arrives at the Hotel, Vronsky is reading a letter, but then hides it. Anna informs Vronsky that she doesn't want to think about a divorce or anything only that she loves him and that wherever he goes she shall go with him. Vronsky informs her that he must meet with his mother one last time to settle some accounts, but when Anna sees that Princess Sorokina has come by the hotel to pick him up to send him to his mother's, Anna starts to lose her grip on reality. She drinks more laudanum, and asks her maid to dress her. Anna goes by train to see if Vronsky is truly with his mother.
As she stops from station to station she thinks of her son, her daughter, Karenin, and has a hallucination of Vronsky and Princess Sorokina making love, and laughing about her. At the last station, Anna jumps on the tracks into an oncoming train and yelling out "GOD FORGIVE ME."
Levin, still shocked and amazed at Kitty's kind heart and willingness to have helped his brother, realizes that love while immature in the beginning can grow into something more beautiful and more earnest. He also starts to believe that fate is indeed the working of God, and how God truly has blessed him with Kitty and now with a son.
He returns home in the rain to find Kitty giving their newborn son a bath. He tells her that he just realized something. Kitty asks him what is, and Levin cradling his baby boy in his arms looks at her, with tears in his eyes and says that someday he will tell her. Oblonsky and his family eat with Levin and Kitty, and Oblonsky looking weary and sad, goes outside lights a cigarette and seems to be crying. It can be implied that he is mourning his sister, or that he is indeed happy and will give up his old life as an adulterer. Karenin is seen to be happily retired from public duties. We see Serozha and now a toddler Anya playing among the daisies growing in the field.
Cast
- Keira Knightley as Anna Karenina[4]
- Jude Law as Alexei Karenin[5]
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Count Vronsky[5]
- Kelly Macdonald as Dolly[6]
- Matthew Macfadyen as Oblonsky[6]
- Domhnall Gleeson as Konstantin Levin[6]
- Ruth Wilson as Princess Betsy[6]
- Alicia Vikander as Kitty[6]
- Olivia Williams as Countess Vronskaya[6]
- Michelle Dockery as Princess Myagkaya
- Emily Watson as Countess Lydia
- Holliday Grainger as The Baroness
- Shirley Henderson as Meme Kartasov
- Bill Skarsgård as Captain Machouten
- Cara Delevingne as Princess Sorokina
- Alexandra Roach as Countess Nordston
- Hera Hilmar as Varya Vronskaya
Production
Joe Wright was hired to direct an adaptation of the Leo Tolstoy novel Anna Karenina, his fourth collaboration with Working Title Films.[5][7] Wright shot most of his film on a single soundstage at Shepperton Studios in a dilapidated theatre outside London.[8][9] Italian composer Dario Marianelli composed the film score, while Jacqueline Durran served as the costume designer. Sarah Greenwood was in charge of production design. Wright has worked with all three in past productions, including on the 2005 film Pride & Prejudice. Further crew members include cinematographer Seamus McGarvey, editor Melanie Ann Oliver, and choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui.[5]
The cast includes Keira Knightley as Anna, Jude Law as her husband, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as her young love,[4][11] and Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson as Konstantin Levin, as well as Kelly Macdonald, Olivia Williams, Matthew Macfadyen, Michelle Dockery, and Tannishtha Chatterjee.[6][12][13][14] Saoirse Ronan and Andrea Riseborough were initially cast in the film, but dropped out and were replaced by Alicia Vikander and Ruth Wilson, respectively. Ronan, stated that her reasoning behind turning down the role of Kitty was the film's long production schedule. It would have required her to turn down movie roles from Fall 2011 to late Spring 2012, in order to film what would have ended up as a supporting role. By turning down the role, she was able to take the lead roles in Byzantium and The Host.[15] The Borgias star Holliday Grainger had a minor role as Baroness Shilton.
In July 2011, Keira Knightley began rehearsals,[16] in preparation for principal filming which began later in 2011.[17] Filming began in October 2011.[7] The film was distributed by Focus Features in North America and by Universal Pictures International for international markets. The film was released on 7 September 2012 in the United Kingdom and 9 November 2012 in the United States.[8][18][19]
Critical reception
Upon its release, the film received positive reviews from critics, with some praising the cast – particularly Knightley – and the production design but criticizing the script and Wright's apparent preference for style over substance. The film received an average review score of 61 percent according to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. Metacritic reported an average score of 63 out of 100, based on 41 reviews and classified the film as "generally favorable".[20]
Oliver Lyttleton of The Playlist awarded the film a B+ and called the picture a "bold reimagining" of the classic novel, comparing Wright's vision to the films of Powell and Pressburger. He noted how Knightley "continues to go from strength to strength" and also praised Law as "excellent." Even though he speculated that "the film is going to divide people enormously", he concluded it was one to "cherish despite its flaws".[21] Ian Freer of Empire awarded the film four stars out of five and was effervescent in his praise for Wright and the final result: he said "Anna Karenina militantly doesn’t want to be just another costume drama; it attacks the heavyweight concerns of Russian literature (hypocrisy, jealousy, faith, fidelity, the pastoral vs. the urban, huge moustaches) with wit and verve; most exciting of all, it is filmmaking of the highest order, channeling every other art form from painting to ballet to puppetry while remaining completely cinematic". He lauded the entire cast for their work yet concluded that "this is really its director's movie".[22]
In The Observer Jason Solomons also called Knightley "superb", and declared that the film "works beautifully...[it is] elegant and exciting [and] ...incredibly cinematic".[23] Leslie Felperin of Variety was more reserved in her praise for the film, observing that although Wright "knows how to get the best from Knightley" and noting that the film was technically "glorious", it was also "unmistakably chilly" in the storytelling.[24] The Mirror singled out Knightley as "excellent" and lauded Wright for "offer[ing] a fresh vision of the Tolstoy classic", concluding the picture to be "with its beautiful cinematography and costumes... a real success".[25]
Others were less impressed with the film and Wright's take on such a classic text. The Hertfordshire Mercury conceded that "costumes and art direction are ravishing, and Seamus McGarvey's cinematography shimmers with rich colour", but ultimately found there to be "no obvious method behind this production design madness".[26] Stella Papamichael of Digital Spy also awarded the picture only two stars out of five, commenting that "the third time isn't such a charm for director Joe Wright and muse Keira Knightley." Although she found the actress "luminous in the role" she criticised Wright for 'outshining' his star and affecting the narrative momentum by "favouring a glossy look over probing insights into a complicated character".[27] Neil Smith of Total Film also awarded the film two out of five stars, lamenting the fact that Wright's elaborate stage design "pull[s] the attention away from where it should be... [and] keeps [us] at arm's length, forever highlighting the smoke, mirrors and meticulous stage management that have been pressed into service to make his big idea a reality". He also dismissed Knightley's performance as "less involving" than her 'similar' turn in The Duchess.[28] Richard Brody of The New Yorker criticized Wright for diverging from Tolstoy, without adding anything beyond superficialities in return: "Wright, with flat and flavorless images of an utterly impersonal banality, takes Tolstoy’s plot and translates it into a cinematic language that’s the equivalent of, say, Danielle Steel, simultaneously simplistic and overdone."[29]
Accolades
See also
References
- ^ "ANNA KARENINA (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ^ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/starsandstories/9529142/Anna-Karenina-back-from-the-brink.html
- ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=annakarenina2012.htm
- ^ a b c Pulver, Andrew (9 September 2011). "Keira Knightley confirmed for Joe Wright's Anna Karenina". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d Weinstein, Joshua. "Keira Knightley, Jude Law to Star in 'Anna Karenina'". The Wrap. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Lussier, Germain (4 June 2011). "Joe Wright's 'Anna Karenina' Welcomes Saoirse Ronan, Kelly Macdonald, Olivia Williams And More". /Film. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ^ a b "Production Commences on Anna Karenina". Working Title Films (Press release). 3 October 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ a b Jagernauth, Kevin (12 March 2012). "Joe Wright's 'Anna Karenina' Starring Keira Knightley Set For November 9th Release". IndieWIRE. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ Lyttelton, Oliver (25 January 2012). "Joe Wright's 'Anna Karenina' Shot On A Single Location, Promises Experimental Approach To A Familiar Story". IndieWIRE. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ "Production Commences on Anna Karenina". Focus Films (Press release). 3 October 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ "Keira Knightley and Jude Law cast in 'Anna Karenina'". The Independent. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ Bamigboye, Baz (19 November 2010). "Keira Knightley tipped to star in remake of Tolstoy's tearjerker Anna Karenina". Daily Mail. London. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ^ "Domhnall Gleeson Lands Role in Joe Wright's 'Anna Karenina'". IFTN. Retrieved 13 June 2011.
- ^ KJha, Subhash (10 October 2011). "Tannishtha Chatterjee joins Jude Law's film". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 June 2012.
- ^ Shavers Jr., Theron K. "Did You Know?". MovieDispute.com. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ^ Collinson, Patrick (29 July 2011). "Fancy owning a piece of film history?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ^ Smith, Nigel M. (18 August 2011). "Andrea Riseborough Talks Madonna, RADA and 'Brighton Rock': What's Next". IndieWIRE. Retrieved 23 August 2011.
- ^ "Joe Wright To Direct 'Anna Karenina' For Focus With Keira Knightley As Lead". Deadline.com. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ "Joe Wright to start UK shoot on Anna Karenina this month". Screen Daily. 8 September 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
- ^ "Critic Reviews for Anna Karenina". Metacritic. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Review: 'Anna Karenina' Is A Bold Reimagining Of A Classic That's (Mostly) Thrilling & Inventive | The Playlist". Blogs.indiewire.com. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Empire's Anna Karenina Movie Review". Empireonline.com. 5 December 2006. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ Jason Solomons. "Anna Karenina: Joe Wright's coup de théâtre on Tolstoy's doomed heroine | Film | The Observer". Guardian. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ Leslie Felperin. "Anna Karenina". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Anna Karenina film review Mark Adams - mirror Administrator - Mirror Online". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "Hertfordshire Cinemas | Hertfordshire Movies & Reviews | Anna Karenina (12A, 130 mins)". Hertfordshiremercury.co.uk. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "'Anna Karenina' review: Digital Spy verdict - Movies Review". Digital Spy. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ Smith, Neil. "Anna Karenina review". TotalFilm.com. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ^ "'Anna Karenina' review: by Richard Brody". newyorker.com. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ "Nominees for the 85th Academy Awards". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ "EE British Academy Film Awards Nominations in 2013". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ^ "2012 Houston Film Critics Nominees - Winners". Texasartfilm.com. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- ^ "2012 Satellite Awards". Indiewire. Retrieved 3 December 2012.