Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina

PG-13

Released Apr 4, 1997

1 hr. 48 min.

Romance

Drama

List

26%

19 Reviews

Tomatometer

66%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Tolstoy's tragic Anna (Sophie Marceau) leaves her old, cold husband for dashing Count Vronsky (Sean Bean) in 19th-century Russia.

Read More

Read Less

Maxens C

Interesting fast-paced version which feels truer to the text than Joe Wright's adaption. However, it lacks overall aesthetic and commentary visions that the 2012 version has, this creates a sometimes confused narrative that lacks emotional weight. Sophie Marceaux is also rather a strange choice, and her acting choices sometimes distract or diminish the importance of certain scenes.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The fact that it was filmed on location in Russia, the gorgeous and intricate costumes, and the intelligent casting (Sean Bean is fantastic as Vronsky) make this the most enjoyable film adaption of Tolstoy's masterpiece. While I believe the script itself could have been more thoughtful, the film captures the essence of the novel and is truly visually brilliant and very true to the novel. I absolutely recommend this version over the 2012 one.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

The best adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel by far.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Exeptional film adaption, with an outstanding Sophie Marceau.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

not the best version of this.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I can't tell you how faithful this opulent version of the classic tragedy is, but it was very highly regarded compared to other film versions according to reviews I read. What I can tell you should come as no surprise - squeezing 600 pages into two hours and change results in much collateral damage to the material. One peerless aspect of the production is the sense of time and place, filmed entirely in Moscow and Saint Petersburg which is where Tolstoy's story unfolds to the stirring swells of Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky on the soundtrack. A very interesting choice involves the language. The actors in all the major roles speak English with their native accent, which is the way to go if you can't get the dialog in the original tongue. Nothing sounds phonier than actors speaking English with a Russian accent to try and convey that they are actually speaking Russian. But to add to the sense of immersion, director Bernard Rose hired many Russians for the minor roles and subtitled their speech. The lead actors even say a couple lines in Russian to add to the authenticity. Overall, I found these tactics unusual but very effective. Nevertheless, while I love Sophie Marceau and feel she has the capacity to successfully play Anna speaking her native tongue, something goes missing in her English interpretation. Obviously the producers felt confident in hiring her to star in this extravagantly expensive venture, which is a testament to the international appeal she showed in her role in Braveheart. There are certainly other problems in evidence - I didn't feel much sympathy towards Anna and the Duke Vronsky, never been a sucker for undying love at first sight, and I felt they rather deserved what they got, Anna's extreme fateful decision notwithstanding. Also the story of Alfred Molina's character Levin must have been important to the social commentary of the book, but his scenes seem completely independent to the events in the rest of this movie, and thus his usual quality performance is rendered inconsequential. On the whole this is a version worth watching for the unprecedented authenticity of the production which helps cover the gaps of emotional resonance.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Bernard Rose

Director

Sophie Marceau

Anna Karenina

Sean Bean

Vronsky

Alfred Molina

Levin

Mia Kirshner

Kitty

James Fox

Karenin

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

63%

58%

Possession

74%

77%

William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

TRAILER

for William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

32%

45%

At First Sight

63%

60%

Madame Bovary

74%

85%

The Painted Veil

TRAILER

for The Painted Veil

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Globe and Mail

Rated: 2/4

Apr 12, 2002

Full Review

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

Only die-hard romantics are likely not to come away disappointed.

Feb 21, 2001

Full Review

Ruthe Stein

San Francisco Chronicle

When [Anna and Vronsky] first lay eyes on each other at the train station in St. Petersburg, the only steam between them comes from the engine.

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 2/5

Jul 12, 2005

Full Review

Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Rated: 3/5

Oct 30, 2002

Full Review

Jeffrey Westhoff

Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

You're better off reading the Cliff's Notes.

Rated: 1/5

Jul 26, 2002

Full Review

Read all reviews

Synopsis

Tolstoy's tragic Anna (Sophie Marceau) leaves her old, cold husband for dashing Count Vronsky (Sean Bean) in 19th-century Russia.

Director: Bernard Rose
Executive Producer: Stephen McEveety
Screenwriter: Leo Tolstoy, Bernard Rose
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers, Icon Entertainment International
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 4, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 21, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $791.8K
Sound Mix: DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital