Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- passionate
- oppressive
- literary adaptation night
- period drama evening
What critics said
Critics broadly found the adaptation handsome and lavishly staged but emotionally shallow, dramatically inert, and too compressed to capture Tolstoy's psychological depth.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Anna and Vronsky's relationship is increasingly constrained by divorce, motherhood, status, and Petersburg society's judgment.
The film emphasizes lavish costumes, elegant settings, and the matchless locations around St. Petersburg.
The story condenses Tolstoy's expansive novel into a 108-minute account focused on Anna's affair, divorce struggle, and psychological collapse.
Anna's happiness with Vronsky deteriorates under social pressure, painful reality, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
Films like Anna Karenina, and why
Madame Bovary
period romance centered on forbidden desire, social constraint, and emotional tragedy
The Age of Innocence
opulent literary romance examining adultery, reputation, and restrictive social codes
Tess
tragic nineteenth-century romance driven by class expectations and impossible desire
Movie Details
- Director
- Bernard Rose
- Release Date
- 1997-04-04
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (168)
Cast
- Sophie Marceau
- Sean Bean
- Alfred Molina
- Mia Kirshner
- James Fox
- Fiona Shaw
- Danny Huston
- Phyllida Law
- David Schofield
- Saskia Wickham
Common questions
- What is Anna Karenina about?
- A lavish yet tragic imperial Russian romance follows Anna Karenina as forbidden passion collides with marriage, motherhood, and unforgiving social judgment.
- What is Anna Karenina like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Anna Karenina as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Anna Karenina violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Anna Karenina as mild.
- What did critics think of Anna Karenina?
- Critics broadly found the adaptation handsome and lavishly staged but emotionally shallow, dramatically inert, and too compressed to capture Tolstoy's psychological depth.
- Which films are like Anna Karenina?
- Films with a similar feel include Madame Bovary, The Age of Innocence, and Tess.
- How long is Anna Karenina?
- Anna Karenina runs 108 minutes.
