ANNA KARENINA 1997
A film review by Timothy Voon
Copyright 1997 Timothy Voon
Cast: Sophie Marceau, Sean Bean, Alfred Molina, Mia Kirshner, James Fox, Fiona Shaw Director: Bernard Rose Screenplay: Bernard Rose based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy
The deranged mind ramblings of a majorly depressed woman.
'God Forgive me... I love my son, but I also love the Count... I like my husband, but its the Count who really counts... My husband won't give me a divorce, damn that Russian house keeper with a great English accent for turning him against me... I need opium to dull this deep, unbearable pain within me... God forgive me... I'm lonely... I'm a fool to think the Count still loves me... Damn his mother.... Why does he get to go to the opera every night and I have to stay at home.... It's not fair! He's having an affair with Princess Georgina, I just know it... I can feel it and see it in his eyes.... Why won't they let me see my son? I need more opium.... I've cheated on my husband, what makes me think that I'm so special that the Count won't also cheat on me... Ooooh look at that pretty train on the tracks.... Reminds me of swimming when I was a kid... Gosh, I really feel like swimming right now.... God forgive meeeeeeeeee!'
Really Anna, pull yourself together. Fast trains and pretty bodies are a no no. 'Arsenic and Old Lace', now that's a more lady like way to go.
Where's the Prozac when you really need it?
On a more serious note. This movie must be commended for its outstanding costumes, sets and cinematography. Sophie Marceau doesn't carry quite the same tense, woman on edge, feel that Vivien Leigh portrayed in the 1948 version of 'Karenina'. But few can, considering the amazing parallel's between Leigh's real life and that of 'Anna Karenina'. Sean Bean is a believable Count Vronsky, and James Fox carries the tortured husband look well. Please get rid of that Russian Countess housekeeper, with an English accent suitable only for 'tea and scones' within the confines of Windsor castle. When she first spoke I broke into fits of laughter in the cinema, and I apologise for my unruly behaviour to anyone who may have witnessed it.
Be swept away by the romance of the Russian country; twirl till midnight to the tune of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov; waltz the evening away in palatial ballrooms draped with silks and satin; and watch the 'dying swan' performed by artists who made the term 'ballet' famous; but above all, keep a weary eye on that damn fast moving train.
Comment: One mind sweeping, breath taking, Russian operatic, Tol story. Feel Scale: 0% Danielle Steel / *TOLSTOY* / The Bible 100%
Timothy Voon e-mail: stirling@netlink.com.au
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