Anna Kareninaa

                            Anna Karenina(2012)

General Information                                                                                              

Country: UK

Directed by: Joe Wright

Based on: Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoy

Produced by: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster

Cinematography: Seamus Mcgarvey

Music by: Dario Marianelly

Editing by: Melanie Ann Oliver

Starring:  Keira Knightley

•                  Jude Law
•                  Aaron Johnson
•                  Kelly Macdonald
•                  Matthew Macfadyen
•                  Domhnall Gleeson
•                  Ruth Wilson
•                  Alicia Vikander  
•                  Olivia Williams
•                  Emily Watson

Budget: $ 31 million

Box Office:  $ 68,929,150

Duration: 130 minutes

Anna Karenina is one of the most illustrious novel of my favorite Russian author,Lev Tolstoy.This book i recommend to read everyone,because it is a classics of Russian literature.In my point a view,if a person has a wish to learn mentality of Russian people and our culture the best commencement will be with reading of classical books.Unfortunately,it can be back-braking because of the ignorance of the language.Hence the solution is to watch film based on books.Luckily there are lots of film versions of Anna Karenina. Now i want to discuss the last version of Anna Karenina(2012).Let's start with

The acting of protagonists and other actors

Keira Knightley as Anna Karenina

 First of all i want to mention the efforts of this actress.I think that she was trying  to do everything in order to play this role as colorauble as she could.As a result she showed complexity of this character.On one hand, Anna wanted to be a faithful wife and loving mother.Her son was the most important person in her life.She lived for him. On the other hand,Anna felt lack of love and attention although her husband was reliable man,who had never betrayed her.For her feminine essence it was unbearable to exist without real love. For first time it seemed that stability would be enough but everyday she was slowly dying.But once she met Vronsky,cavalry officer, and understood that he is a sweetheart of all her life.At first she was trying to true to herself and her principles bur then realized that for him she is ready to desert her family,social status and even her dear son .And Keira was brilliant in this part. But in my opinion she couldn't play this role completely.I consider that Anna Karenina committed suicide not only because of the fact that Vronsky's feelings were fading away(in film it was shown in that way),but the most decisive factor was her sense of guilt.Such is a character(moral principles and purity of soul are the most important) of the most favorite Russian prototype of woman written by Tolstoy(another example is Natasha Rostova in his epic novel 'War and the peace',but the difference of these characters that Natasha was stronger and could manage with this sense and try to improve all her mistakes. Therefore Keira has showed intricacy of this character,but she couldn't fully reproduce the soul of Tolstoy's female character.

Aaron Johnson as Alexei Vronsky

In fact, i couldn't enjoy his acting so much. His character seemed too lifeless and inanimate.It was a feeling that Vronsky wasn't interested in what had happened not only with Anna's but also in his own life.Although Vronsky was polite and gallant man,but he was also strong and determined,what Aaron couldn't play.Moreover, if i saw Anna i could believe that she really fell in love with Vronsky, when i had a look at him,i couldn't find neither love nor passion.He couldn't express his emotions deeply.So i think that he should be more heartfelt.

Jude Law as Alexei Karenin

Naturally,in my opinion, he was one of the most conniving protagonists in this film.He got used to role of discreet, reserved senior statesman, who despite this estimated highly family values. Though his wife was unfaithful he didn't divorce and brake her life,what showed us moral and spiritual values of this character.Moreover,he could forgive her and give her opportunity to stay with him and their son .I can say that Jude Law played so naturally that it was impossible not to believe and sympathize his character.

Domhnall Gleeson as Konstantin Levin

The last protagonist about whom i want to write is Konstantin Levin.I couldn't express how enjoyable       

Domhnall Gleeson played his role.Konstantin was a pattern of human kindness and beautiful purity.In spite of his money and status,he worked with peasants. Moreover,he thought that only working people could find happiness.Their relationship and love with Kiti Shcherbatskaya were absolutely opposite to  affair of Anna and Vronsy. I think he was practically the one who could show Russian soul so completely.I was unexpectedly that foreigner could play so credibly.

                                                          

Costumes,decorations and music

What i found the best things in this film are costumes and decorations. Women in a long medieval dresses with tight stays,bright expensive jewellery and intricate coiffure and portly men in tail-coats and special hats remember about this simultaneously beautiful and sorrowful epoch. Besides, i think that music was absolutely amazing.It shows the best correlation with each situation. Even if nothing just happened due to music i could feel pressure and tension,which message me that soon something would occur.

Technical side of the film

It seems to me that the way in which this film was recorded is quite original and gripping.The opening scene starts with long shot of slips.With the slow opening of slips steadicam moved in tracking way on eye-level.It gives a feeling that you are in theatre and first action is taking place.Although in next several minutes there is a selective focus with normal lens on 2 man a watcher can see painted decoration,what makes this film perceive like performance in theatre.

                            Waltz of Anna Karenina and Alexei Vronsky

The most unforgettable and intense moment in the film was,certainly, waltz of Anna Karenina and Alexsei Vronsky. This scene starts with two shot of telephoto lens on Anna and Vronsky,who is behind her. Due to close up shots with selective focus on Anna, spectator can mention that the corners of her month are a little raising,what mean that despite her initial denial she enjoys Alexei's presence. In next few seconds she nevertheless is ready to dance with him and steadicam fixes a couple of medium shots , that show a hall with a great number of dancing pairs. Horizontal tracking movement reveals that during the dance of this couple other people are standing motionlessly.This fact suggests that Karenina and Vronsky are so allured that they can't see anybody except each other. After moment when Alexsei lifted Anna in dancing a wacher could see a light,directed on them and pitch darkness of another space. However,in several minutes because of the slow motion with close up and medium shots of other people, reactions of guests of this celebration can be appraised: they disapprove this frank behavior of married woman.Close up of Anna shows that she realized what she has just done and so is in a shook and ashamed of her conduct. After that she can just leave this place.

Media Critical thinking

How does Fritz Lang use the devices of the MISE EN SCENE to develop the character's themes and narrative at the beginning of Metropolis?

Location 1

Settings

The film stars with the scene of ticking cloak.After several minutes we can see factory with lots of funnels, that begins functioning and a watcher can listen to shrill sound of its work. A great number of multistage buildings,different kind of transport,such as cars,trains and planes illustrate Metropolis like developed urbanized city.However, actions occur in two opposite parts of the city:in underground and overground Metropolis.

Characters
First time when we saw workers they were in the

identical uniform and were moving in the same lines,that made them like robots.I noticed that when they were walking none of them held their back erect,what could be associated with absence of prospect or broken souls.

Light
The light in the underground was made in black-and-white colors that creates a feeling that the life of workers is always the same and nothing can be changed.

Frame
The frame of this shot is so small and watcher cannot see any space.Moreover,the play of lines is quite significant here.This door look like cage.With their uniform,movements and body language it originates perception that these workers live like prisoners and didn't have any freedom.   


 Location 2

Settings and light

The settings take place now in Metropolis.On the first picture a huge stadium can be shown. It looks like there should be a running competition between teenagers.In fact,this place is really beautiful(a lot of exquisite statues,construction in ancient style).The light is absolutely different.If in underground there is only black and white colors,here i can see slightly orange and yellow tones,which make this place so alive.It seems that people enjoy their life here.



                                                

On the second picture in Metropolis,there is a fantastic garden with luxurious fountain,green trees and flowers,uncommon birds,such as peacock.








Characters
  It can be seen group of quite young men and women.They play with each other in different games.The main character in this scene is in classical white outfit,what indicates his social and financial status(he should be very wealthy)A young woman with him look very eccentrically and frank(many parts of her body can be seen by anybody and her hat is too big and decorated with many elements).I suppose that they have a romantic relationship because they are embracing and flirting with each other. But in the next moment he fall in love with another female(daughter of one of the worker).It san be suggested by the fact that he left hands from that woman and began staring on daughter of one of the worker.Moreover,he put his hand to his heart.In order to express feelings of this character light technician had worked with light.This woman(Mary) is in focus,if all children are dark,she looks like angel in the warm orange light.

Two different worlds
Although Underground is a part of Metropolis,these places are absolutely opposite.I can say that they are different because Metropolis gets all benefits from Underground,citizens of that city live sumptuously thanks to workers,however most of them don't suspect of it.Citizens think that it should be so and hence workers are nonentity for them,like slaves.

The main protagonists

-Freder

-Daughter of one of the workers

First of all,i think that Freder and his sweetheart are the main protagonists because their names were pronounced at first,although from the beginning there was no voice at all,except some music. If Freder,because of his status, represents young light-hearted man ,who doesn't face any difficulties in life and who can think only about his amusement, his beloved wants to aid other people(children) and her past wasn't so carefree.

Establishing the narrative

We appear in a developed city of future.For the first minutes,it looks absolutely gorgeous and incredible.City of luxury high-rises buildings,new technological devices and transports.It seems that all people in Metropolis are fond of their lives(they spend time doing sports,walking around the garden,communicating with each other)But indeed,this city is so developed thanks to workers,that are exploited for necessities of citizens.But once main character,Freder,saw daughter of one worker and fall in love with her.He decided to have a look at workers life on factory and there he understood the injustice of life and Metropolis.

Development

The set of shots also was made in underground,but in a particular place of work. This pictures suggest that for working men the most important thing in life is to cope with their work even if they can die.

This picture was made after death of many workers because of the accidents.The most interesting thing that for the first time the light in underground became a mixture of red and purple.The impression was like due to change in color producer wanted to show that these workers sacrificed themselves in order to people in Metropolis became wealthier and Metropolis developed.After this changes in color we could see that now workers just shadows,they dead and left this world,but it looks like that they are still not real people,the are machine for progress .

Settings

The new settings show us place where people from high class live or work.I think the fact that all workers spend practically all their time underground and people from high class in this skyscrapers is highly important.It creates a feeling,that people from high class like God tower above workers.Its like symbol they always dominate over others.

                                                                    Atonement(2007)

The picture below is from the film "Atonement".It can be suggested that this man and woman are the main characters of the film as they occupy practically all foreground.I consider that they are in a restaurant since they are lots of people sitting on the table with some food and covers on it .It can supposed that the action takes place in 1940-50th because of the costumes of personages both on fore-and-background.Moreover blue dress with symbol of cross on the right corner of white apron mean that female is a nurse while man near her is a soldier.It can be concluded by his khaki uniform and service cap near his left hand.I realize that they are from middle class because of their  present status,but the are not from low class because they are sitting in a quite decent restaurant.It looks like the have intimate and romantic relationship  because they are sitting in a short distance to each other.Besides, this female is putting her hand on man's one.However, the mournful expression of their faces suggest that they have some problems.Maybe they are obliged to leave each other.Due to some decoration,costumes of the characters,their emotions i can say that this film is a historical romance with elements of drama.