I saw this movie almost two weeks ago at a special advanced screening and I have had to take some time to think it over before writing anything about it. I wanted to make sure that my initial reaction was accurate. Now I have decided that I was right- This movie DROVE ME CRAZY!!! And not in a good way. I really wanted to love it and I really tried to love it but, like Anna and Vronsky, it was just not meant to be.
The film, directed by Joe Wright (“Atonement”, “Pride & Prejudice”, “Hanna”) is visually indescribable, so I won’t even try. I will say that the costumes and set design should be a lock for the Oscar this year. I will put money on it.
In general, the acting is pretty fantastic, with the high point for me being Jude Law as Anna’s cuckholded husband- he plays strongly against type and as such, this is the first film he has done that makes use of his natural hairline!!
Keira Knightly is a wonderful Anna, although I don’t have any particularly warm and fuzzy feelings about the character (she seems to have some serious depression issues) and that brings me to my major (and I mean MAJOR) issue- the casting of Aaron Taylor- Johnson as Vronsky. He was, in my opinion, completely miscast in the role and it poisoned the entire experience for me. There was no chemistry between the romantic leads, which is a bit of a problem as this is supposed to be one of the greatest love stories in modern literature.
There is also the issue of the choice of the manner of staging. I am not saying any more than that, but it is bound to be polarizing.
Please watch the trailer here and let me know what you think
They have some of the costumes from the film on display at the Varsity theatre right now. This is one of my favorite dresses! Such a cool colour!
Strolling the City in Heels 