Anna Karenina | Page to Screen Comparisons

[@sonitagovan]

I have just finished reading anna karenina for the first time ever. Its left me with so many thoughts in my head. When I read a book i sometimes get so immersed in it that I have to know everything about it. I watch reviews and uni lectures watch all the movies...I am at that stage now. I watched the 2000 mini series version so far with Helen McCrory as Anna. I thought she was a bit old for anna but she had great chemistry with the guy playing vronsky. I am watching the keira Knightley one...tbh I am not feeling the passion or chemistry between anna and vronsky in this version... but jude law really is excellent. Thanks for this video.... going to keep watching till I burn anna karenina out of my system.

[@aenglish8615]

I hear you! Have you seen this version:

[@nellekeoepkes6231]

She talks soo much that it rather overwhelms the films. And you get only stills and tiny bits. Yyyaaaaawwwwwnnnnn!!

[@LaurenAndTheBooks]

I absolutely love your page to screen series, I always get so happy when I see one appear on my timeline and snuggle down with a nice cup of tea. Looking forward to A Christmas Carol next month! X

[@brandyloutherback9288]

There was an adaptation starring Nicola Pagett who was in Upstairs Downstairs as Elizabeth Bellamy the eldest daughter, it was the more popular version of Downton Abbey in the 70's.

[@AthenaMatisseLit]

Ah i'm so happy you made this video since I really love Anna Karenina and am intrigued by adaptations of it. I'm currently watching an Australian tv adaptation (set in my cityyy) and I really love it.

[@heatherhattle4893]

I love these videos. I am really excited for the next two. They are both books I have read and seen at least a couple of adaptations. My favorite A Christmas Carol adaptation is the Mickey's Christmas carol.

[@LaurenWade]

+Heather Hattle I've never seen it! I'm looking forward to it :) My favourite's The Muppets :D

[@nualafaolin7129]

Thnx for another page to screen! Absolutely love these, as well as your usual reviews. Looking forward to Sense & Sensibility!

[@mollypaterson204]

I love the 2012 adaptation, I love the opera house setting and the music and the costume design, its all just beautiful to me :) I will admit I am a major Kiera Knightly fan so that also helped :)

[@katiejlumsden]

I've literally just finished reading Anna Karenina and have not yet seen any adaptations - so this has given me some ideas of where to start :)

[@emmacarwardine6440]

'The Beautiful Lie' is definitely worth trying to find! It's a modern day retelling set in Melbourne. It's super recent though - the final of the 6 episodes was only last week.

[@laviniagheorghita1206]

Loved the video, Lauren, I think you did a terrific job. I only saw the Garbo version (which I found incredibly short for such a long book) and the one with Sophie Marceau (which I barely remeber); both long before reading the novel. Now I'm actually quite curious about this new adaptation, sounds really interesting. Can you please put the other links to Page to screen adaptations you've done in the description box, I'd really like to watch them. Thanks a lot!

[@LaurenWade]

They are all on a playlist on my channel page, but that's a good idea - I'll leave the link to it in the description box in future :)

[@tlacoyo1000]

I love this Page to Screen!!

[@richardbarnes5976]

Hi Lauren I agree with you that the Jacqueline Bisset version is very good. There is a psychological realism and depth about it in that it shows that none of the 3 main characters Anna, Karenin or Vronsky are black or white but full of shades of grey. It is fair to all 3 of them. I haven't read the book so I don't know if Tolstoy is equally fair. The Sophie Marceau version ‐ although it has beautiful Russian locations ‐ treats Karenin virtually as if he is Anna's jailer.

[@saytanabooks9704]

These are some of my favorite booktube videos. :) Edit: Guh, I love Tom Stoppard's work, yes. Edit edit: OMG SENSE AND SENSIBILITY. OMG. OMGOMG. :D

[@LaurenWade]

Haha, yay I'm glad you're excited! :D

[@KiwifruitFig]

Love this series of videos!

[@AdirondackRuby]

The latest one sounds so amazing, from a cinematic viewpoint, but I have an aversion to Aaron like you do to Kiera, so I think I might just have to pass. LOL! SO looking forward to the up coming videos!

[@pollypolygraph]

Thanks to you, I watched the 2012 film, and really enjoyed it. I've now started on the book!

[@HipHop226]

How was the book

[@totallyuninspired1]

I love the 2012 version too :) But yes, it's definitely very theatrical but it just looks beautiful and I think Jude Law is just great in it; I don't mind Keira Knightley-I think Joe Wright is a director that gets good performances out of her (especially in Atonement). I haven't seen any other adaptations of it though, so might have to try some others out :)

[@LaurenWade]

+ascatterofthoughts Yeah definitely, the only films I can watch her in are Atonement and Pride and Prejudice! (I had a whole section of this video where I ranted about Joe Wright putting her in all his films, which I had to cut out hahaha!) It's bizarre though that he must really enjoy working with her when I don't like her in most other films! :S

[@lafemmegvantsa8154]

There's one very interesting, modern take on Ana Karenina, it's an Australian tv series called "The Beautiful Lie". Would recommend!

[@Dashakochetova]

Incredible job done! Thank you! And yes, (I am Russian) and that boy did sound weird hahahaha Absolutely agree with you on 2012 (about actors too) though all of the lectures at uni say 'this is not Tolstoy, don't talk about it (because they made a love/sinful story...) but it does feel great, the film itself and it's worth talking about but I get that it's opposite to the book and moral which Tolstoy always has. P.S. Not sure that the conversation (you described) between Anna and Karenin was not in the book (1985) or my mind made them up so I NEED to reread. Tnx for that!

[@lucycliffe8008]

I just finished watching The Beautiful Lie, the Australian modern retelling that just aired and I absolutely loved it. They did some really interesting things with it and I thought it translated so beautifully to modern times. I would highly recommend it if you can find a copy.

[@CarolynsReadingRamblings]

I wish very much that I had read the book before I saw a film adaptation because if I had read it w/o knowing anything about it I may have loved it. However, I saw the Sophie Marceau/Sean Bean adaptation and I like both actors but I just couldn't connect with any of the characters and only felt bad for Anna at the very end so then that made me not want to read the book :( but I had the opposite happen with War and Peace (which I am reading now and loving!). I love this series you do so this was a great surprise for Thanksgiving :)

[@LaurenWade]

+BBCgirl520 Yeah it's a shame because that film is ok, but I certainly didn't have any real connection with the characters. You should try reading the book! It's so different. Hope you had a great thanksgiving! :) x

[@chboskyy]

That's interesting that you liked the latest adaptation - I found the way it was filmed like a play very unsettling and distracting. I did really enjoy Jude Law though 😊 maybe I should re-watch it after I finish reading, hmm... Would love to check out the 40s adaptation definitely!

[@VanessaButtino]

+chboskyy The version starring Vivien Leigh is my favourite one.

[@LaurenWade]

+chboskyy Yeah, I can see how it could be a really off-putting style, but that was the thing I loved about it, haha! watch it again once you've finished it as you may be able to see the story develop a bit better perhaps? I certainly don't tihnk I would have enjoyed it as much if I didn't already know the story so well xx

[@Ostkupa]

+chboskyy I found it distracting as well, I liked the idea of it being on a stage, but it was a bit on the nose, like the whole cinematography was screaming "Look at me! LOOK AT ME! I am so brilliant, LOOOOK AAAAT MEEEE!"

[@JescGirl]

I totally agree with you about the newest movie, except I don't really have problem with Keira Kinghtley, instead I thought Vronsky was very miscast. The only other adaptation I have seen is the 2000 mini series, I enjoyed it a lot but that was before I read the book.

[@BohoBookworm]

I've never read Anna Karenina but I have wanted to for ages - next year my goodreads goal is to read at least 5 classic books - I haven't even seen the movie of this which I also can't believe because I love Kiera Knightly - but going to wait until I have read the book :)

[@eunahkim8102]

Love this video! Please please do Madame Bovary, there are plenty adaptations you can watch. I liked the one starring Mia Wasikowska as Emma Bovary. Want to hear your thoughts :)

[@LaurenWade]

+Chloe K Thanks, I'll put it on the list!

[@Maikenkb1]

I love the book, but the only adaptation I have seen is the 2012. I think I'm going to try a few more during christmas. Since I haven't seen it, I can't say for sure, but I don't think Greta Garbo tried to have a Russian accent in the 1935 film. She was Swedish, so she always had an accent.

[@LaurenWade]

+Maikenkb1 Haha, ahhh right, that could be it! It did sound like a Russian-esque lilt to me rather than someone with an accent, but I don't think I've seen her in anything else, so I was probably making wild conclusions!

[@BaileeWalsh]

Also LOVE Anna Karenina! Such an amazing book, and I like how you say you don't find Anna more important than any of the other characters! I'm pretty sure that's just the way Greta Garbo talks when she speaks English. I totally agree with you about Sophie Marceau! Not much expression, and I feel like she seemed too young. I think that the 2012 version is interesting and I liked it but I also thought it would have extravagant sets and scenery so I didn't like it as much as I wanted to/thought I would. Like they filmed it in Russia but it's not like it was filmed in Russian palaces, if you get what I'm saying.I think it's NOT a good introduction to the story!! Too fast and confusing. My mom watched it with me and she did not like the film. Although she watches a lot of movies that she thinks looks good and she doesn't like them. I'm a big Keira Knightley fan! I like the period pieces, literary adaptations, and indie-type films she does! All of them- I mean I haven't seen them all but like Seeking A Friend For The End of the World and Begin Again are a couple of my favorite movies! I think it's so weird that so many people either love her or hate her. I can see why people wouldn't like her, but I think because I liked her from a young age, since like Pirates of the Caribbean when I was 8, I continue to like her. And I don't know many British people who like her- maybe that's it. (I'm American, by the way.) What am I even saying...anyway, it was interesting to see her as Anna- I feel like Anna is hard to pin down so I don't even know who would be another obvious/good choice to play her. (I'd like to hear your thoughts on that... I'm going to try to think of someone else.) And I love Alicia Vikander, who plays Kitty, I feel like I'm a bit biased because I thought so highly of her before I even saw this film! A Royal Affair is another movie she is in and it's just so good! I also like Domhnall Gleeson as an actor and thought he was a good Levin. I think both of them were really good choices for the role. (I imagined Levin like that.) Levin and Kitty are my favorite characters in the book and when the movies focus on Anna and Vronsky's affair... gosh it just makes me a bit upset because there's SO MUCH MORE to the story!

[@BetweenStories]

How funny that you liked the newest adaptation. I didn't liked it at all :D I think it's super excited to see how different people look at the movies :) but I do love Anna Karenina and I think I'm going to check out some of the adaptations you mentioned.

[@LaurenWade]

Haha, I reckon it's a very love/hate film so I was expecting a lot of people to disagree with me! It's so interesting how people take away different things from the same piece of art :)

[@beatapogorzelska1241]

I like your film even though I beg to differ. A Russian adaptation from 1967 is for me the best ever. Incomparable.You will appreciate it with time, I'm sure.

[@itsorwellian]

I liked Helen McCrory as Anna in the C4 mini-series, but I don't know how accurate an adaptation it is, as I've never read the book. www.channel4.com/programmes/anna-karenina/episode-guide

[@watsup47able]

I thought that Aaron Taylor Johnson was worse then Keira Knightley. I just couldn't imagine why Anna would want to leave Karenin for him. I thought he was too young, in all honesty. But that's just me.

[@LaurenWade]

+Claudia Bunce Yeah, I didn't get time to much talk about the Vronskys, but I didn't think he was that great. I guess I don't mind the fact that he's so much younger because I think he's pretty naive getting involved with Anna in the first place? But by the end of the film I liked him more than I did to begin with x

[@watsup47able]

Fair enough. I wish I had your experience! By the end, I just found him annoying.

[@KnowledgelostOrgOnline]

I hated the Keira Knightly adaptation, I felt like it did not capture the book at all. I don't think Keira Knightly played a good Anna Karenina, so much so I was happy to know her fate. I am glad you talk about some of the Russian adaptations as well as the older movies. Australia just did a modern adaptation of the book as a six part mini series (called A Beautiful Lie), which is worth checking out if you ever get a chance to see it.

[@LaurenWade]

+Knowledge Lost Haha, it's a very love/hate film I should think as it's so different. But I know, I was like 'Die already, Anna, you're so annoying!!' I thought the rest of the film was so good though! x

[@Cristina-vb8dl]

There's also an old black and white Italian adaptation of it. It's a series. It's so faithful to the book that's basically a video Audio book. It's however very well played, and well done. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmq4e62Xm7x8e7c

[@ladyenaira9726]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6q1hIxuramhd9k That's my favorite adaptation with my favorite Anna in it. There's one great romance in the book - Kitty and Kostya. It's beautifully done here.

[@aenglish8615]

Loved your comparisons! Didn't even know there was a Christopher Reeves version. Now I have to find it. Hey, this is one of the most recent adaptations, mini-series style. Would you feel inclined to review it? I found it was well done. What are your thoughts on this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5SpnZd3fr6tY68

[@michellemcconnell8154]

I LOVE this mini series!! Very faithful to Tolstoy except for Kitty's trip abroad.

[@ladyenaira9726]

It's my favourite, too. The parallelism and mirroring between the two main plotlines are well done. I don't mind changes as long as the book essence is captured. Kitty's trip to Germany to a military hospital shows her character growth, so I'm fine with it. A lot of people I know went to buy (and read) the book after watching this adaptation. That's what I call a success ☺️

[@LadyofLetters]

I saw the 2012 Anna Karenina not having read the book and found it completely unintelligible and kind of silly. The production design was fantastic, and Jude Law (Levin) and Alicia Vikander (Kitty) gave great performances as you'd expect, but I can't stand Keira Knightly and how she sticks her chin out everywhere. I don't understand why she's considered a good actress. I did try to read the book earlier this year, but I just couldn't get into it. I felt for a character-driven book the characters were very shallow and not particularly interesting, and because it's so close to "Madame Bovary", I kept comparing the two, which didn't work out in AK's favour. xoxo

[@LaurenWade]

Haha, yes - that chin! Also what is her accent? So annoying lol. That's so interesting as I read AK before Madame Bovary and really preferred it! I wonder whether seeing the film before reading it made a difference to your enjoyment of the book? We'll never know! Maybe I'd have preferred MB if I'd read that one first xx

[@LadyofLetters]

Keira Knightley sounds like a non-British person whose only contact with England is reruns of "Downton Abbey" doing a fake 'posh British accent'. I prefer MB because it's much more focused on her and her world/imagination. Well, that's my fake intellectual reason. It's really because I completely relate to Emma Bovary. I just love her!

[@carfonju1018]

love is blind, remember, and Keira's movie isn't good