ANNA KARENINA
(2012, Blu-ray released February 19, 2013 – MSRP CDN $39.99)
THE FILM:
- “An epic love story, Anna Karenina is an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel from acclaimed director Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice) and Academy Award®-winning writer Tom Stoppard (1998, Shakespeare in Love). At the twilight of an empire, Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley, Atonement), the beautiful wife of one of Russia’s most esteemed men (Jude Law, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), has it all. But when she meets the dashing Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Savages), there is a mutual spark of instant attraction that cannot be ignored. Anna is swept up in a passionate affair that will shock a nation and change the lives of everyone around her.“
WHO SHOULD BUY:
I think director Joe Wright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard were more interested in the trappings of the story of Anna Karenina and playing around with its characters than in getting to the heart of them. This is a film the likes of which I’ve never seen before – something dancing between a lavish, energetic stage production and a movie musical without songs – that works profoundly on a superficial level but ultimately fails to move the audience.
You can’t escape what the film does best, nor would you want to. It’s a feast for the eyes. It’s rhythmic in it’s dialogue and pacing, feeling like music has taken hold of every scene, even when there’s none to overtly be heard. While this make the potentially dry 18th Century drama light on it’s tippy toes, it renders the characters as dancers, caught up in a melody they have little choice but to sing. Their anguish is just a part of the tune, and not something that actually deeply effects them to the core. But that’s not for lack of trying. The cast of Anna Karenina is superb! In fact, every single aspect of the film is just about perfect – the rich score, the lavish production design, lush costumes, action, direction, everything. It’s just missing that critical human heartbeat to bring it life.
THE BLU-RAY DISC:
Anna Karenina is absolutely stunning on Blu-ray. Encoded at a continuously high bitrate and transfered without apparent flaw, I can’t imagine this film looking any better on home video. This is a gorgeous disc to look at. It’s also a treat for the ears. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is stellar, lifint the presentation to even greater heights with it’s dynamic range and clarity. Fantastic!
The collection of special features gets the job done but lacks the razzle and dazzle of the production. All of the featurettes clock in at around the 5-minute mark and, at that, are far too short to get excited about. Wright’s feature-length commentary is filled with production related information but is ultimately fairly dry. Those in love with the film will appreciate it. You might also appreciate the nearly 15-minutes worth of deleted scenes included on the disc. None of these features takes the place of a good, feature-length “making of” doc in my eyes but there’s enough here to cover a lot of ground.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Audio Commentary with director Joe Wright
- Deleted Scenes
- Adapting Tolstoy
- On Set with Director Joe Wright
- Anna Karenina: An Epic Story About Love
- Keira as Anna
- Dressing Anna
- Anna Karenina: Time-Lapse Photography
