Anna Karenina is absolutely glamorous and striking with its full of over-the-top set pieces from start to finish. Joe Wright took quite a swing here. It's a bold one, and it infuses new verve into an old, familiar story that's been told on screen so many times. It doesn't pay off across the board, but it certainly doesn’t deserve the hate that some people give it. It’s a film about a voyeuristic society that is entirely concerned with reputation and appearance. It creates a portrait of a world that is entirely seductive purely on the surface level that’s represented through some quite extraordinary visuals. It’s masterfully shot, cleverly blocked, with some impeccable costumes, and a lavish score. The film explores the consequences of defying patriarchal societal expectations and the limits placed on women’s desires at that time period. While I didn’t particularly love all of the creative choices, I couldn’t help but appreciate how it starts as a longing desire that eventually builds through the most honest evaluation, from childlike affection to an understanding of what it truly means to exist as a couple in that world, at the face of increasing social and personal consequences, with the two actors hit every beat of that emotional growth without fail. Anna Karenina could have been told as conventionally as many a period tale is, but instead, Joe Wright opted for a boldly imaginative approach that amazes while highlighting the richness of the material that already existed.
Anna Karenina is absolutely glamorous and striking with its full of over-the-top set pieces from start to finish. Joe Wright took quite a swing here. It's a bold one, and it infuses new verve into an old, familiar story that's been told on screen so many times. It doesn't pay off across the board, but it certainly doesn’t deserve the hate that some people give it. It’s a film about a voyeuristic society that is entirely concerned with reputation and appearance. It creates a portrait of a world that is entirely seductive purely on the surface level that’s represented through some quite extraordinary visuals. It’s masterfully shot, cleverly blocked, with some impeccable costumes, and a lavish score. The film explores the consequences of defying patriarchal societal expectations and the limits placed on women’s desires at that time period. While I didn’t particularly love all of the creative choices, I couldn’t help but appreciate how it starts as a longing desire that eventually builds through the most honest evaluation, from childlike affection to an understanding of what it truly means to exist as a couple in that world, at the face of increasing social and personal consequences, with the two actors hit every beat of that emotional growth without fail. Anna Karenina could have been told as conventionally as many a period tale is, but instead, Joe Wright opted for a boldly imaginative approach that amazes while highlighting the richness of the material that already existed.
