Anna Karenina (1997 film)


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Anna Karenina

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Bernard Rose
Produced by Bruce Davey
Stephen McEveety
Jim Lemley
Written by Leo Tolstoy
Starring Sophie Marceau
Sean Bean
Alfred Molina
Mia Kirshner
James Fox
Music by Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Rachmaninov
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Cinematography Daryn Okada
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date(s) May, 1997
Running time 108 min.
Budget US$20,000,000 (est.)

Anna Karenina is a 1997 film by director Bernard Rose, starring Sophie Marceau and Sean Bean. Based on Bernard Rose's adaptation of the eponymous novel by Leo Tolstoy. It was the first international version to be filmed entirely in Russia, at locations in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Contents

Plot

Countess Anna Karenina is a young and elegant wife of Count Alexei Karenin, a wealthy nobleman twenty years her senior. She is unhappy and lives only for their son, Seriozha. However, during a ball in Moscow, she encounters the handsome Count Alexei Vronsky. Vronsky is instantly smitten and follows her to St. Petersburg, pursuing her shamelessly. Eventually, Anna surrenders to her feelings for him and becomes his mistress. Although, they are happy together, their relationship soon crumbles after she miscarries his child. Count Karenin is deeply touched by her pain and agrees to forgive her. However, Anna remains unhappy and, to the scandal of respectable society, she openly leaves her husband for Count Vronsky.

Using her brother as an intermediary, Anna hopelessly begs her husband for a divorce. Count Karenin indignantly refuses and denies her access to Seriozha. Distraut by the loss of her son, Anna grows severely depressed and self medicates with laudanum. Before long, she is hopelessly addicted. With Vronsky she has another child, but he is also torn between his love to Anna and the temptation of a respectable marriage. Anna becomes certain that Vronsky is about to leave her and marry a younger woman. She travels to the railway station and commits suicide by jumping in front of a train.

Vronsky is emotionally devastated by her death and volunteers for a suicide mission in the Caucasus Mountains. While travelling to join his regiment, he encounters Konstantin Levin, who has married Vronsky's former sweetheart, "Kitty" Shcherbatsky. Levin attempts to persuade Vronsky of the value of life. Vronsky, however, can only speak of how Anna's body looked at the train station. They separate and Levin returns to his family. He writes the events of the film and signs his manuscript, "Leo Tolstoy."

Cast

Crew

Production

The 1997 film "Anna Karenina" is an international project, a joint production by Icon Productions and Warner Bros.. The film has international cast with the participation of Russian cast and additional crew from the Lenfilm Studios in St. Petersburg, Russia. The project was started with the help from Mel Gibson, who was approached by Sophie Marceau, and initiated the main budget of about $20 mil coming from his company Icon Productions. Casting was made by Marion Dougherty, casting diirestor of Warner Bros. Studios. Sreenplay was written by writer/director Bernard Rose. Filming was done entirely in Russia between February and August of 1996. Post-production was made partially in Europe and the final editing was completed by Warner Bros. studios in California.

The original director's cut was not released to public; it was reduced from 140 minutes down to 108 min. The shorter 108 min version of the film was distributed internationally by Warner Bros.. The US theatrical premiere was in April 1997, followed by the European premiere in May 1997.

Locations

Filming was made entirely in Russia. Main filming locations were in St. Petersburg; at several of the palaces of Russian Tsars as well as historic mansions of Russian Nobility, such as The Winter Palace, Peterhof, Menshikov Palace, Yusupov Palace and other locations. Several minor scenes were filmed in Moscow, Russia.

Music

See also: Anna Karenina soundtrack


Music by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, and Prokofiev was recorded in performance by the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Sir Georg Solti. The score was recorded in The St Petersburg Philarmonic Hall, where Tchaikovsky's Sypmhony No. 6, "Pathetique" first premiered. Incidentally, this symphony is played most prominently in key scenes from the film. Director Bernard Rose and Sir Georg Solti both agreed that the Symphony bore parallels with Anna Karenina's story, mainly for the music's excessively tragic tones and Anna's melancholy.[1].

DVD

Several DVD editions were released internationally after 1997. Some DVD editions in Europe are variants of this title: "Tolstoi's Anna Karenina" and "Leo Tolstoi's Anna Karenina" and may vary in film running time from 104 to 108 minutes. The original director's cut was over 140 minutes, but it was not released.

References

  1. ^ Comments by Sir Georg Solti and Bernard Rose in Anna Karenina Soundtrack, on Icon Records

External links

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