This adaptation of my favourite novel of all-time is the best I've seen yet. That, of course, says nothing, as up to this point I haven't seen one that I would even consider worth watching. Rose's version is a breath of fresh air for those like me, wanting to see Tolstoy's grandest tale brought to life on screen. As flawed as it is under-developed, what makes this version standout is a delightful performance, a title character who is actually beautiful as the story requires, and the inclusion of most of the original story. Previous versions have been left so incomplete that even this dummed down version is comparably full.
Marceau's Anna is beguiling. A fault of some of the earlier adaptations was that their version of Anna was hardly beautiful, an absolute necessity if any of the story is going to be intriguing. In fact, Marceau is so beautiful here that I accepted Vronsky's unwarranted attachment to her as passable. A lot of the sexual tension between these two has been left out however, which underplays the gripping element of their affair.
The story lacks the grand, sweeping cinematography that has been so magnificently penned by Tolstoy. What makes the novel so alluring is the attention-to-detail descriptions of the immediate surroundings: Levin's fields, the ballroom scene, the horse race, have all been vividly sketched by Tolstoy. Everything feels so epic in the novel, but in all the versions I've seen, including this one, it is sadly forgettable. I've yet to see an adaptation that does the novel's beauty justice.
However, this film features a delightful performance by Alfred Molina as Levin. Decent performances are also delivered by Sophie Marceau, Sean Bean, Danny Huston and Mia Kirshner. Everyone else, altho adequate, are hardly memorable. The British accents are also off-putting, as the film is set in 19th century Russia. It was nice to see Levin's story given so much attention, as it has been notably absent or barely mentioned in other sources. This version gives almost equal attention to both Levin and Anna's story, as is in the novel.
Fans of the novel should at least have hope now that a watchable version of the story has been made. One can only hope that in the next few years, another, even better version of the story will be made. And God willing, when I make this movie, there will be no further need to adapt it, as mine will be the quintessential motion picture adaptation. Until then, this one is definitely worth a look.
♥♦♠ 7/10
© 2007 Kim Bartlett
Marceau's Anna is beguiling. A fault of some of the earlier adaptations was that their version of Anna was hardly beautiful, an absolute necessity if any of the story is going to be intriguing. In fact, Marceau is so beautiful here that I accepted Vronsky's unwarranted attachment to her as passable. A lot of the sexual tension between these two has been left out however, which underplays the gripping element of their affair.
The story lacks the grand, sweeping cinematography that has been so magnificently penned by Tolstoy. What makes the novel so alluring is the attention-to-detail descriptions of the immediate surroundings: Levin's fields, the ballroom scene, the horse race, have all been vividly sketched by Tolstoy. Everything feels so epic in the novel, but in all the versions I've seen, including this one, it is sadly forgettable. I've yet to see an adaptation that does the novel's beauty justice.
However, this film features a delightful performance by Alfred Molina as Levin. Decent performances are also delivered by Sophie Marceau, Sean Bean, Danny Huston and Mia Kirshner. Everyone else, altho adequate, are hardly memorable. The British accents are also off-putting, as the film is set in 19th century Russia. It was nice to see Levin's story given so much attention, as it has been notably absent or barely mentioned in other sources. This version gives almost equal attention to both Levin and Anna's story, as is in the novel.
Fans of the novel should at least have hope now that a watchable version of the story has been made. One can only hope that in the next few years, another, even better version of the story will be made. And God willing, when I make this movie, there will be no further need to adapt it, as mine will be the quintessential motion picture adaptation. Until then, this one is definitely worth a look.
♥♦♠ 7/10
© 2007 Kim Bartlett
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