By Ty Hudson
Campus Voice Staff Writer
GALLUP—Tsarist Russia is so high school! In the latest adaptation of the Leo Tolstoy’s 19th Century novel, Keira Knightley stars as the tragic heroine who must help repair her brother’s marriage after his infidelity with the governess of his children.
Married herself, Anna must also maneuver her way through a scandalous love affair with the handsome Russian Count Vronsky.
Meanwhile Russian society observes and overtly judges their actions.
The novel itself is as long as a Russian winter, so adapting the film into two hours is a daunting task in itself.
This adaptation mixes a traditional stage play with the modern surreal aspects of a Michel Gondry film.
The main characters move from one scene to the next by changing the set behind them.
While Anna gets ready to travel in her bedroom, the set behind her morphs into a railway carriage.
Her husband Alexei (played by Jude Law) tears up a love letter and the pieces of paper turn into falling snow as he is along the streets of St. Petersburg.
It is wonderful and efficient way to make a transition from one scene to the next.
The film understandably leaves a lot out a lot of the story, which makes a person unfamiliar with the book raise questions about setting and time line.
The love story between Konstantin Levin and Kitty Scherbatsky is largely left out, which is unfortunate, but the essence of the story remains.
Anna must choose her husband or the Count.
Either way, she will lose her stature among the Russian aristocracy.
Her brother Oblonsky receives the equivalent to a slap on the wrist while Anna is literally ignored by the female elite at an opera house toward the end of the film.
The scene gives proper insight into the way upper-class women were treated if they went against convention in Europe in the late 1800s.
Knightley does an excellent job portraying a woman caught between what her heart wants and what society wants.
The supporting cast plays their roles vividly and they don’t try to ruin the film with an attempt at a Russian accent.
The film however jumps from one scene to next a little much.
It seemed like I was watching a commercial for Chanel or Dior.
I was expecting to see “Murderer! by Calvin Klein” to flash across the screen after one love scene.
The pace of the film is fitting for the Twitter generation, looking for a quick succession of stimulation without processing the repercussions.
The characters are catapulted from one situation to the next until the credits roll at the end.
The viewer is left wondering about the denouement, but then they start checking their cell phones for next thrill.
This is why this version of Anna Karenina works for the 21st Century audience.
Campus Voice 