Film Title: Anna Karenina
Director: Joe Wright
Country of Origin: US/UK
Year of Production: 2012
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*THIS FILM REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*
The 2012 adaptation of Anna Karenina, directed by Joe Wright – also known for Pride and Prejudice (2005) and Darkest Hour (2017) – is a stunning retelling of Leo Tolstoy’s 1878 literary masterpiece. The film is set on the stage of a theater, and Wright artfully uses this to the advantage of his storytelling. We see two stories play out – Anna Karenina’s (Keira Knightley) and Konstantin Levin’s (Domhnall Gleeson). We see Anna’s fatal love affair with Alexei Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) almost exclusively on stage, while the development of Levin’s romantic relationship and involvement with Kitty is mainly set outdoors in the country. This contrast solidifies the difference between the two stories. Anna is under near-constant scrutiny from her peers in society (her audience), and Levin spends as much time apart from society as he can.
The connection between Anna and Vronsky is immediately apparent from their first meeting on the train, as Anna arrives in Moscow. As they pass each other, they pause for a moment, sharing a brief connection before moving on. From that moment, we see that this connection has made an impression on Anna – for better or for worse, it is difficult to say. Their next moment of connection, however, happens in the wings of the stage. By placing this moment away from the main performance space, we see that their connection is not meant to be public. Similarly, their initial interactions at the ball are brief, distant, and concealed. As soon as Vronsky brings Anna onto the dance floor, we see the immediate reactions of all those around them. At first, everyone is frozen, but as the two characters of interest pass by, they begin to move again. In the middle of their dance, all others disappear and Anna and Vronsky are the only two left. This symbolizes them passing the point of no return – their connection is unbreakable from that moment on.
Towards the end of the film, while at an opera Vronsky is attempting to protect Anna’s long-abandoned honor by asking his friends and acquaintances to come and call on her. One friend replies to his plea by saying, “I’d call on her if she’d only broken the law – but she broke the rules.” Anna is not the first woman – nor the last – to break the marriage laws by committing adultery. In fact, in the novel Tolstoy provides examples of other high-ranking women who participate in thinly veiled affairs. What sets Anna’s affair apart is that rather than pretending that everything is normal, like everyone else would do, she abandons her lawful husband to become her lover’s mistress. Thus, rather than simply breaking the written laws, she breaks the societal rules.
One design choice that Wright and the production team used to their advantage is mirrors. Throughout the film, we see many mirrors or other reflections. In an interview published by the “Set Decorators Society of America,” Wright explains that the mirrors are meant to emphasize the scrutiny, self-observation, and performativity of upper-class society. He states, “the idea of using the mirrors came from that, really…this idea of a sort of self-reflection of their performances…and also the kind of splintering of persona” (SDSA, 2012). During one scene of the film, Anna – who has already become involved with Vronsky – looks through a small hand mirror to see her husband, Alexei Karenin, watching her every move.
Finally, the acting in this film is nothing groundbreaking, but it is beautiful. True to the novel, the actors sincerely strive to portray the Realism of the story. They show audience members their true emotions and experiences as they grapple with difficult questions and situations. Seeing the actors’ interpretations caused me to view the characters differently. After reading the novel, my understanding was that Anna was a sort of social pariah and should be pitied. However, Knightley’s portrayal seems to create a very different character – Anna comes across as much more arrogant, selfish, and manipulative, which almost turns her into the villain of the story. During a scene between Karenin and Anna, after she gives birth to Vronsky’s child, Karenin asks “What about Seryozha?” to which Anna replies “I would die for him – but I won’t live like this for him.” This line drives home the point that Anna is pursuing Vronsky largely out of self-interest, and it is pulling her away from her family.
Overall, this is an extremely well-done film. The staging and design both contribute to and support the overall storyline, and the acting fosters a connection between the audience and the characters. In closing, I’d just like to add that although Wright did a fantastic job of adapting Tolstoy’s masterpiece to the screen, and although it may be a bit cliché, nothing can compare to reading the novel itself and appreciating Tolstoy’s story of family, love, and consequences.
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