Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- theatrical
- passionate
- classic film night
- literary adaptation evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a respectful but emotionally powerful Tolstoy adaptation elevated by Greta Garbo's commanding performance and its tragic depth.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Greta Garbo's performance and the lovers' doomed affair give the adaptation an elevated, intensely expressive emotional register.
Anna's infidelity and marital estrangement unfold within rigid Russian high society, where reputation and convention govern intimate life.
The glittering period milieu contrasts with the characters' anguish and the story's movement toward an inevitable tragic climax.
Kitty's disappointed hopes for Vronsky and later attention to another suitor receive notable emphasis alongside Anna and Vronsky's affair.
Films like Anna Karenina, and why
Madame Bovary
tragic literary romance, social constraint, and heightened period melodrama
The Age of Innocence
classic romantic tragedy shaped by forbidden desire and rigid social codes
The Earrings of Madame de...
opulent historical romance centered on infidelity, marriage, and social judgment
Camille
literary period romance with theatrical performances and devastating emotional consequences
Movie Details
- Director
- Clarence Brown
- Release Date
- 1935-08-30
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (103)
Cast
- Greta Garbo
- Fredric March
- Freddie Bartholomew
- Maureen O'Sullivan
- May Robson
- Basil Rathbone
- Reginald Owen
- Phoebe Foster
- Reginald Denny
- Gyles Isham
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Anna Karenina about?
- Greta Garbo gives monumental force to a doomed love affair trapped inside the glittering social codes of nineteenth-century Russia.
- 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?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Anna Karenina.
- What did critics think of Anna Karenina?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a respectful but emotionally powerful Tolstoy adaptation elevated by Greta Garbo's commanding performance and its tragic depth.
- Which films are like Anna Karenina?
- Films with a similar feel include Madame Bovary, The Age of Innocence, The Earrings of Madame de..., and Camille.
- How long is Anna Karenina?
- Anna Karenina runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch Anna Karenina?
- In United States, Anna Karenina is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
