Powerful

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Leave it to Tolstoy's people to get it right !!! Of the three versions I have now seen,and will not see any others till I read the novel,this is by far the best.It plays like a Shakespearian tragedy,but in this case its Imperial Russia instead of England.Ah,all unknown Russians to me but they all fit so very well and truly make the triangle believable.Old rich and powerful husband,middle aged beautiful wife,we would today call a MILF, and dashing young military officer.Bad news for love but great for us.Released in 1967 and running 145 minutes,it may be hard to find this film,in fact,since it was made during our cold war,I don't even remember it from back in the day. Unlike the other versions,1935 and 2012,this one does more then lip service to the other characters.Anna's cheating brother,his wife and younger sister,of which Anna stole the dashing young officer from,and later she fears is trying to steal her now husband. All wounded love affairs that perhaps are metaphors for the brutal future ahead,Set in 1876 they are but under 40 years from the end of Imperial Russia. Anyhow,I now see the selfishness of Anna,but also the child in her.Married to a much older man at 18,she never lived and now is experiencing what men call a midlife crises.The real victim here is her honorable husband that she now hates because he's so perfect.But he did "steal from the cradle"and with all the religious references,for me,he reaped what he sowed.The dashing young officer ?? Hot headed at both ends due to his flaming youth. The only sound couple was the young sister in law,but she suffered her own loss lover and "settled"on a man that she later learned to love,and he??Well he suffered doubt and the pain of rejection but his perseverance finally paid off.Anna's brother and his wife,sadly making the best of a bad situation as most do.Sad,but also sadly true to most of us.I can see the attraction to this story despite it being so aristocratic.Look for it if doomed love is your thing.

I must agree with 'iliawarlock' on Samoylova's performance - but even though this is undoubtedly the weakest link, the film doesn't hold on many stronger points. Samoylova, who is best suited to play Soviet peasant or worker, is only the emanation of the overall psychological flatness, ignorance and self-content, characteristic of many destroyer-of-classic-texts communist era films. Plisetskaya is brilliant, and Lanovoy is also delightful. An interesting fact is that, before a screening which took place in Sofia, Bulgaria, the still magnificent Vasiliy Lanovoy commented that his character Vronsky was incapable of the great love which Karenina had the gift for. From his performance, I got quite the opposite impression of a highly sensitive and devoted Vronsky - but thats the greatness of a complex text. Too bad we cannot witness a complex (if any) psychological interaction with Karenina in this dramatization.

Anna Karenina by Leon Tolstoy is the best novel I have ever read. I have seen a few movies based on it, but the best one on my opinion is that old version with Samoilova, Lanovoy, Vertinskaya and of course the amazing Maya Plissetskaya. What a wonderful cast! For me, Samoilova is the closest physically to Anna's character and for that, I can forgive the gossips about the influence of her father in obtaining this role. The movie is great and until now, 2005, nobody can beat it. Even taking into account the dark ages when this movie was done, it it regretful that it is not known enough throughout the world. I just keep hoping that it will be screened again at least on TV.

This movie was done well. The filming was beautiful and Tolstoy's novel (in so far as it is possible) was presented in a good light. The only spot that marred an otherwise-good film was the performance of the leading actress, Samoilova, playing Anna Karenina herself. So inept, clumsy,, irritatingly false and unconvincing was her performance that my single greatest sentiment throughout the film was: "Come on! Throw yourself on the train-tracks and get it over with!" Sadly, for over two hours my prayers went unanswered. A positive note, however, was struck by the stunning performance of the former legendary ballerina, Maya Plisetskaya in her role as the social lioness, Princess Betsy Tverskaya. Vasilij Lanovoj (memorable as Shervinsky, in 'Dni Turbinykh) was also a pleasure to watch as he made the most out of the relatively small role of Vronsky. In short: This would be a higher-than-average film, but for the tragically poor performance of the single actress that was under particular obligation to play well.