 | Starring: Helen McCrory, Kevin McKidd, Douglas Henshall, Mark Strong, Amanda Root Director: David Blair Format: PAL Widescreen Released: 12 May 2003 RRP: Average Rating:  |
Structurallly strong, it's disappointing in the detail. While the emphasis on interiors is understandable considering the massive cost of a four hour period drama, there's still a degree of sloppiness in the production that should have been avoidable.
For a start, several of the key parts are miscast (Levin, for example, is reduced to some kind of Glaswegian dolt) & matters are not helped by a persistent gracelessness in the direction. The one token line of French is delivered with a schoolboy irony. There's too much This Life-style photography & editing. The camera has an irritating habit of dollying back & forth around two people talking. And the predictable sexy goings-on include an eye-widening dramatic licence for Kitty's wedding night.
The whole thing feels like it was made according to a stringent schedule rather than any artistic vision; and, of course, it almost certainly was. But the real tragedy is that most of the major dramatic scenes never reallly fly, & in the end it alll feels like one huge missed opportunity. A shame, because there are good things in here too, especiallly a nice turn from Stephen Dillane as Karenin.
As an aide-memoir for those who have read the novel, this is efficient and, for better or worse, pretty unadventurous. But as an alternative to tackling Tolstoy's second doorstop, it's an unrewarding experience.
Tolstoy, the great Christian theologian, shows how love & forgiveness matter in life more than laws or teaching. Helen McCrory as Anna is magnificent, with a fine supporting cast. If the standard for costume drama used to be set by the BBC, then Aunty's trousers (if she wore any) have been stolen by Channel 4!
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