Discussion Topic
Differences between the novel "Anna Karenina" and its film adaptations
Summary:
Film adaptations of "Anna Karenina" often condense or omit complex subplots and character development due to time constraints. They may also alter settings, dialogue, and narrative focus to appeal to contemporary audiences, sometimes changing the story's tone or themes. These adaptations frequently emphasize visual storytelling over the novel's intricate psychological and social insights.
What are the differences between the novel and the 1997 film of Anna Karenina?
There are several key differences between Leo Tolstoy's epic novel Anna Karenina and the 1997 film adaptation of the same name by director Bernard Rose.
Most prominently, the characters in the novel are portrayed in a much more sympathetic fashion. Anna, who is in a dry marriage, goes to visit her brother Stiva. While there, she is courted by a slick Casanova-type named Count Vronsky. Their love affair is primarily characterized by its conflict with societal mores and rules. Anna is portrayed as imperfect but empathetic, vulnerable yet defiant. She is a complex figure who slowly becomes paranoid and possessive about Vronsky.
However, in the film, the characters are conceived as much more reckless, imprudent and irrational. Their relationship lacks chemistry. It comes off more melodramatic and sensational, and this is especially later on. It focuses on Anna's foray into drug-induced hysteria and narcissism. She becomes morose and cranky,...
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making for a roundly unsympathetic portrayal of the character.
Tolstoy's novel also boasts a significant B-story following the wealthy landowner Konstantin Levin. He wishes to marry a distant relative of Anna's. While the movie does feature this character, mainly as a counterbalance to the directionality of Anna's story, it's not nearly as prominent as the novel.
Moreover, the film fails to delve into many of the details of the novel, partly due to time and budget constraints and partly due to problems with creative execution and writing. Some issues with the film's internal logic come from a flawed timeline. The film notes scenes occurring in the 1880's even though Tolstoy's novel was completed in 1877.
The scope of the book's 800 pages is able to take the reader to far-reaching parts of Europe: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Peterhof, Vozdvizhenskoe, parts of Germany, Rome, Naples, Venice. The film adaptation, although the first American version to be filmed in Russia, was fairly contained to Moscow and St. Petersburg. The locations, though, were no less beautiful than one might imagine reading the novel.
What are the differences between Anna Karenina in the novel and the 2012 movie?
The novel Anna Karenina is a realistic work. It is presented as if we are watching the real action unfold in real life through a vantage point on the wall that allows us to see and hear what is going on exactly as it happens. Everything that happens is presented as real. Events stick as closely as possible to how things are in real life.
In the 2012 movie version, in contrast, the story is filmed as if everything is taking place in a theater. The actors walk around props, talk in front of painted backdrops, and wander the places behind the stage, such as catwalks.
The main action in the movie takes place on the stage. The affairs and events that are hidden and forbidden take place offstage, behind the scenes. All of this is meant to show how artificial the upper echelon world of Anna and Vronksy is, with people playing highly scripted roles. It is not exactly a filmed play, but a strong sense of theatricality not present in the original novel is imbued throughout the movie. We are left removed from real life.
Levin's part of the novel, with his search for truth and purity on the land, is largely condensed in the movie. Anna and Vronsky's love affair takes center stage. This was perhaps necessary to keep the movie to a reasonable length.