Anna Karinina 2000-2001

     The setting of this film is 1874 in the Russian Empire and it is based on a book by Leo Tolstoy first published in 1878.  Anna Karenina is the young wife of an older husband and she has an 8-year-old son.  She has a rebellious nature and she begins an affair with the handsome and dashing officer Count Vronsky.  After making this decision, everything about her life becomes very complicated.  In this time period, she is struggling against the pressures of Russian social norms and the moral laws of the Russian Orthodox Church.  She is also insecure and indecisive.  Society begins to shun her and this increases her isolation and anxiety.  Count Vronsky faces none of these consequences for his actions.   

     This mini-series is very good and it is filled with the aspects of the constraints of this society.  Prominent themes are hypocrisy, jealousy, faith, fidelity, family, marriage, society, progress, desire and passion.  Also shown are the contrasts between the farmers connection to land compared to the lifestyles of the city.  This was a time of rapid transformations in judicial reform, the jury system, military reforms and introduction of elected local governments.  There was also the development of railroads, banks, industry telegraph, the rise of new business elites and the decline of the old landed aristocracy.  Plus allowing the press to have more freedom of information and the awakening of public opinion.  4 ½* (I really liked this series)  

    

6 hours, four part miniseries, Drama PBS Masterpiece Theater Presentation with Douglas Henshall, Helen McCory, Stephen Dillane, Paloma Baeza, Mark Strong, Kevin McKidd, Jackson Leach, Kazimiera Utrata, Amanda Root, Gillian Barge, Malcolm Sinclair.

Note:  Imdb 6.4 out of 10, Amazon 4* out of 5* with 293 reviews, Amazon gives the book 4.1* out of 5* with 2934 reviews.

Special Note:  Filmed in Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland and Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.  The characters in this film wearing a wedding band are shown with the ring on their left hand.  In Slavic countries such as Russia, Ukraine and Poland, the wedding band is worn on the ring finger of the right hand.  A wedding band on the left hand often indicates that the wearer is widowed.  William Faulkner describes this book as the best novel ever written and flawless.  The book was initially released in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger.