(This was supposed to go up on Saturday while I'm out of town but apparently you can't schedule a post for the future if you've already posted it, so do me a favor and don't read it until then, k?)
I know I said I wasn't going to watch it again, but there it was on my server. I had forgotten how incredible the production design was. I was less invested this time and was able to appreciate it much more as an art piece than an adaptation of a novel. I still think the blond hair on ATJ is awful but the costumes and jewelry are a nice distraction from it.
If you are a fan of Pining and Forbidden Love, this is probably right up there for you. If you are a fan of shiny things and gilded trappings, congratulations on also being a magpie. Originally posted 18 Feb 2013.
This was an incredibly beautiful-looking film. From opening credits to close, there was not a single frame that was not gorgeous. It probably deserves every Oscar it's nominated for. I read the book a long time ago, back when I was going through my Russian novelist phase, and did not care for it. This is actually what broke the phase if you want honesty. Mild spoilers ahead.
Anna (Keira Knightley) is a Russian noblewoman who lives a life of luxury. She gets called from St. Petersburg to Moscow by her brother (Matthew MacFadyen) after his affair with a governess. He wants Anna to get his wife (Kelly Macdonald) to forgive him. She is also happy to see her childhood friend Kitty (Alicia Vikander) who is about to be engaged to a young cavalry officer named Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). Unfortunately, the moment Vronsky sees Anna, all thoughts of Kitty are gone. They have a torrid affair, bringing shame to Anna's straitlaced husband Karenin (Jude Law) and causing the lovers to be ostracized by polite society.
Drama, drama, drama. This was like the trashiest soap opera of the 19th century. It doesn't read as well today with the change in social mores on divorce, and Anna comes across more bi-polar than torn apart by love. I felt like it was weird to see Aaron Taylor-Johnson as a love interest after Kick Ass and that blond hair was awful on him. This was probably Jude Law's most unattractive movie as well, with the glasses and receding hairline, but he carried it better than his younger rival. Christy said she found the movie hard to process as "Russian" since the entire cast was British, but that didn't bother me so much. How many Russian actors can you name after all?
Almost the entire production is set as though it was on a stage, which was a bold choice but an elegant one. It really carries the feel of a Moulin Rouge! type of spectacle, minus the singing. I don't think I could watch it again because it's depressing as hell, but Christy said she'd most likely end up buying it because it's so beautifully shot.
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