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
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