Wednesday 30 January 2013

Out with the Old, In with the New by Laura Besley



Not a massive fan of old-and-in-need-of-a-good-edit literature, my heart sank when last summer my book group voted to read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. The reasoning was that the film would be coming out soon and usually it’s better to read the book before watching the film. In this instance I was more than happy to skip reading the book, but never one to shy away from a reading challenge, I downloaded a version and took it on holiday to Bali.

For those of you who don’t know what it’s about, here’s a brief synopsis:
Anna Karenina, a Russian lady moving in elite circles, embarks on a self-destructive path after her encounter with the gregarious Count Vronsky. The other main character, wealthy landowner Levin, struggles with his feelings towards women, society and religion. 

It will come as no surprise that Bali is beautiful. Four days by the beach in a luxurious hotel was just the ticket. What did come as a surprise, for me at least, was that Anna Karenina was enjoyable. Despite its hefty 940 pages, the nineteenth century novel was fairly light and easy to read, with a good amount of humour as well as passages on society and humanity at large.
Having heard mixed reviews about the film, my book club decided we needed an outing to the cinema: to find out for ourselves what the latest adaptation of Anna Karenina was like. Personally I thought it was more than enjoyable - I was blown away. Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement, Hanna) and with a screenplay by Tom Stoppard (known for such classics as Shakespeare in Love and Empire of the Sun), I shouldn’t have expected any less. Cleverly, most of the film takes place in a theatre; either on stage or backstage, and the props and set designs are constantly being changed before our eyes. On the flip side, most of Levin’s story takes place in the vast countryside, highlighting how different his life is to that of the bourgeoisie.

The film should also be applauded for the costumes. Period dramas are popular at the moment and we’ve been somewhat spoilt by the costumes in Downton Abbey. However, the glitz and glamour of the post-Edwardian Crawley family pales in comparison to the high society set in nineteenth century Russia. Also, good use has been made of rhythm, music and contrasts between colour and black and white.
This is not a conventional adaptation and it’s possible you won’t enjoy it, but why not find out for yourself?  

Laura Besley

For a full book review of Anna Karenina, click here.
If you want to read more about my holiday to Bali, click here

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