Sign In / Sign Up

Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina
Release date: 1961-11-03
Rating: 6.5
Votes: 4
Genres: Drama, TV Movie
In Imperial Russia, Anna, wife of the officer Karenin, goes to Moscow to visit her brother. On the way, she meets charming cavalry officer Vronsky, to whom she's immediately attracted. But in St. Petersburg’s high society, a relationship like this could destroy a woman’s reputation.

Reviews

CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

Even at 1¾ hours long, it's still quite tough to enliven the detail from Tolstoy's story into a television drama - and a black and white one, too. This one tries quite hard but falls just a little short on the imagination front. Clare Bloom takes the lead as the lady going through the marital motions with a junior politician then she encounters "Prince Alexei" (Sean Connery). He's more of a princeling, really, but she falls hook line and sinker for him and pretty soon their temptation is arousing the suspicion of her husband (Albert Lievin) who warns her of the dangers of her behaviour - but there's no stopping them. Next thing, they have thrown caution to the wind and are living in sin. Her husband forbids her to see their son and the story follows her pretty torrid time trying to reconcile the troubles of her past and the joys of her future. Bloom shines here and Connery is energised in a fashion I've rarely seen as both deliver lively performances that illustrate well mid 1800s Russian attitudes, society and mores. The standard of production from the BBC is top notch with super attention to the detail of the costumes and the studio sets. Like many of their embryonic television dramas, the corporation managed to recruit an experienced cast adept at stagecraft. That gives us a sense of continuation as the story proceeds without looking too static. There is plenty missing, a few sub-plots ignored completely, but there's still more than enough of the gist to the story to carry this stylish presentation well enough. Many of the more imaginative elements contained in the book will never readily adapt for cinema, but hats off to Rudolph Cartier for giving this a go.

Movie Recommendation

  • The Offence
    The Offence
    1973-01-11
    A burned-out British police detective finally snaps while interrogating a suspected child molester.
    More...
  • Pulp Fiction
    Pulp Fiction
    1994-09-10
    A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster's moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.
    More...
  • 12 Angry Men
    12 Angry Men
    1957-04-10
    The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.
    More...
  • Joker
    Joker
    2019-10-01
    During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.
    More...
  • Oppenheimer
    Oppenheimer
    2023-07-19
    The story of J. Robert Oppenheimer's role in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II.
    More...
  • The Shawshank Redemption
    The Shawshank Redemption
    1994-09-23
    Imprisoned in the 1940s for the double murder of his wife and her lover, upstanding banker Andy Dufresne begins a new life at the Shawshank prison, where he puts his accounting skills to work for an amoral warden. During his long stretch in prison, Dufresne comes to be admired by the other inmates -- including an older prisoner named Red -- for his integrity and unquenchable sense of hope.
    More...
  • Parasite
    Parasite
    2019-05-30
    All unemployed, Ki-taek's family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.
    More...
  • The Godfather
    The Godfather
    1972-03-14
    Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
    More...
  • Gladiator
    Gladiator
    2000-05-04
    After the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, his devious son takes power and demotes Maximus, one of Rome's most capable generals who Marcus preferred. Eventually, Maximus is forced to become a gladiator and battle to the death against other men for the amusement of paying audiences.
    More...
  • Midsommar
    Midsommar
    2019-07-03
    Several friends travel to Sweden to study as anthropologists a summer festival that is held every ninety years in the remote hometown of one of them. What begins as a dream vacation in a place where the sun never sets, gradually turns into a dark nightmare as the mysterious inhabitants invite them to participate in their disturbing festive activities.
    More...
  • The Truman Show
    The Truman Show
    1998-06-04
    An insurance salesman begins to suspect that his whole life is actually some sort of reality TV show.
    More...
  • Tenet
    Tenet
    2020-08-22
    Armed with only one word - Tenet - and fighting for the survival of the entire world, the Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.
    More...
  • Dune
    Dune
    1984-12-14
    In the year 10,191, the most precious substance in the universe is the spice Melange. The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. The spice is vital to space travel. The spice exists on only one planet in the entire universe, the vast desert planet Arrakis, also known as Dune. Its native inhabitants, the Fremen, have long held a prophecy that a man would come, a messiah who would lead them to true freedom.
    More...
  • Bicycle Thieves
    Bicycle Thieves
    1948-07-21
    Unemployed Antonio is elated when he finally finds work hanging posters around war-torn Rome. However on his first day, his bicycle—essential to his work—gets stolen. His job is doomed unless he can find the thief. With the help of his son, Antonio combs the city, becoming desperate for justice.
    More...
  • Rear Window
    Rear Window
    1954-08-01
    A wheelchair-bound photographer spies on his neighbors from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.
    More...
  • Scarface
    Scarface
    1983-12-09
    After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.
    More...
  • Star Wars: The Force Awakens
    Star Wars: The Force Awakens
    2015-12-15
    Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire, Han Solo and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren and his army of Stormtroopers.
    More...
  • The Accountant
    The Accountant
    2016-10-13
    As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities and the body count starts to rise.
    More...
  • The Breakfast Club
    The Breakfast Club
    1985-02-15
    Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.
    More...
  • The Wolf of Wall Street
    The Wolf of Wall Street
    2013-12-25
    A New York stockbroker refuses to cooperate in a large securities fraud case involving corruption on Wall Street, corporate banking world and mob infiltration. Based on Jordan Belfort's autobiography.
    More...

Similar Movies