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Anna Karenina

1997, Movie, PG, 108 mins

Anna Karenina: Review

ANNA KARENINA | LEO TOLSTOY'S ANNA KARENINA
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Tolstoy at warp speed. Director Bernard Rose delivers on his promise to serve up the most complete adaptation ever of Count Leo's lengthy masterpiece, and he manages to cram it all in under the two hour mark. Unfortunately, the breakneck pace leaves little room for anything resembling passion: No sooner does Anna (Sophie Marceau) meet Count Vronsky (Sean Bean), it seems, than she's already under that train... and it's anyone's guess as to why. If the brisk pace does a serious injustice to the drop-dead gorgeous production design -- blink and you'll miss some truly exquisite details -- it does help gloss over some serious casting gaffs, not the least of which is the doll-like Marceau as the tormented Anna: One of 19th century lit's premier fallen women, she inexplicably throws it all away -- marriage, family, respectability -- for the mad love of Bean's less than dashing Vronsky. The unabridged approach may be an admirable gesture, but it's not a very good idea. Rose is keen to flesh out the parallel (and arguably more important) storyline involving Levin (Alfred Molina) and Anna's sister-in-law, Kitty (Mia Kirshner) -- generally the first thing to go when screenwriters start paring down the novel -- but the film winds up relying on title cards and voice-over narration to maintain its bearings. The result is a godsend to students who can't make it past the first 50 pages of the book, but others may find themselves gasping for breath. leave a comment --Ken Fox
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