First Anna Karenina trailer looks lush but underwhelming

Based on Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel, the upcoming version of Anna Karenina (due out this November) stars Keira Knightley as Anna, Jude Law as her husband Alexei, and Aaron Johnson as her lover Count Vronsky.

Anna Karenina is no stranger to the big screen, though. It has gone through several film incarnations, my favourite being the 1997 version with Sophie Marceau as Anna and Sean Bean as Count Vronsky. In the upcoming iteration, though, there looks to be none of the passion, pathos, and immediacy one would expect from people trapped within their societal roles as their empire slowly crumbles around them.

Instead, I was left with the feeling that the production, while certainly lush and historically accurate in terms of costume and sets, was essentially hollow in terms of emotions and issues. Although, when you come to think of it, perhaps that’s a fitting impression of the late 19th century Russian aristocracy after all.

Watch the trailer for Anna Karenina.

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