Ranking Every Version of Anna Karenina (EPISODE 03) *Anna Karenina (1948)*

Welcome back to my Anna Karenina adaptation series! In this episode, I dive into the 1948 film starring Vivien Leigh as Anna, Ralph Richardson as Karenin, and Kieron Moore as Vronsky.
The film's produced by Korda's London Films, and directed by Julien Duvivier.
Thank you for watching and and stay tuned for more exciting adaptations in our Anna Karenina series!

[@SannaJankarin]

I deeply appreciate your work and this hard task of analysing so many movies in such a meticulous manner. Thank you.

[@1923hl]

The first three episodes in this series have been superlative. The commentary is intelligent and shows a deep knowledge of Anglo American film history. Nowadays, I'm not sure we can fully appreciate the degree of veneration Greta Garbo enjoyed during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. To say she was viewed as iconic would be an understatement. For the leading film critics and historians of that time, Garbo WAS cinema--the supreme artist. As we moved into the 60s, a new generation of cinephiles arose with a more modernist sensibility. Garbo was still respected but some of her contemporaries were being rediscovered and generating greater interest (Louise Brooks comes immediately to mind in this regard). In any event, the Garbo mystique was still at its zenith when the 1948 version was released, which partially explains the chilly critical reception it received. Additionally, movie audiences in the years immediately following WW2 were trying to forget the recent horrors. The dark and tragic elements of Tolstoy's story would have been considered too depressing for a public then craving lighter entertainment. It's gratifying to learn this film is starting to receive a more positive evaluation. No disrespect to Jane Wyman, but I would have given Vivien Leigh a third Oscar.

[@BookmarkedCinema]

Thank you so much!

[@nicolettapasquini6614]

Film splendido dove Vivien Leigh con il suo tormento d amore rende il film molto drammatico e più bello in Anna Karenina,nel ponte di Waterloo è brava con Robert Taylor non è da prendere in giro perché ognuno di noi ha la sua emotività d amore ❤❤❤❤❤

[@58christiansful]

This version is superb. Leigh conveys sweetness, passion, brittleness, obsession and hysteria superbly. Better than Garbo whom I found wooden.

[@troublesomecorsair]

Looking forward to the next episode!

[@NovelasDoMundo]

It's Still My Favorite Version Though!

[@thewanksta36]

No one I've ever met, or any review I've read, has considered Leigh's acting or mannerisms to be artificial or affected. She was one of the few Old Hollywood performers who brought an inner truth to her performances. I did personally find her slightly unnatural at times in That Hamilton Woman, but I believe that had to do with silly dialogue and Korda's hamfisted directing style.