Russian and American Film Versions of the Novel "anna Karenina"

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Incomparable Garbo's decline coincided with ascension in Hollywood of one more outstanding film Anna — Vivien Leigh. The actress who played this role in 1947 gathered, by own recognition, "reflect the strong, violent nature of obsession of Anna, the carnal passion felt by lovers to each other and a physical nature of love"(Maximenko, Anna Karenina). But, aspirations of the actress didn't coincide with plans of the director Julien Duvivie intending to shoot the usual romantic drama. Collision of the free director and performer led to the fact that in Anna the actress managed to disclose really brightly only one, but most Russian line — the warm sincerity which is so often emphasized by Tolstoy. They do Anna – Vivien Leigh so vulnerable in the relations with people around and lead to a gap with them. Unlike Garbo, Vivien Leigh lifted in the Anna Karenina on symbolical height death of classical feminity which is strong in the weakness.

- Russian screen version of 1967

In the year of the death of Vivien Leigh in 1966, at the Studio "Mosfilm" began shooting pictures "Anna Karenina".

The film, shot by the famous film Director Alexander Zarkhi, became the sixteenth world film adaptation of "Anna Karenina", but the first colour, full-length feature film on this work in Russia. Before that, in 1953, the film Director Tatyana Lukashevich was shot the same film-a performance of the Moscow art theatre staged by Nemirovich-Danchenko and V. sakhnovskaya.

The script for "Anna Karenina" was written by Alexander Zarkhi in collaboration with Basil Katanyanom. Operator: Leonid Kalashnikov, the composer Rodion Shchedrin.

The film became a leader in the rental, finishing in 9th place in the ranking of paintings in 1967, and collecting 40.5 million viewers.

Tatiana Samoylova who was in central role in the film had a natural spirituality and intelligence. Obsession feeling, discouraging - frank passion are inherent in all her roles. Unique lines of the actress — organic inability to acting and deep-rooted integrity of nature — were as if are intended for Anna and given to Samoylova to the heroine, but, unfortunately, are washed a little away by the general concept of the movie of the traditionalist Alexander Zarkhi.

Tatyana Samoylova has shown in Anna first of all freedom and force. Actually, the actress has played passion only in one scene: Anna and Vronsky's love explanation in a theatrical box when desire and fear fight in her muffled chest voice , and happiness celebration flickers in the half-closed slanting eyes. She was not afraid to play the female "demonic" temptation and destructive willfulness what is Tolstoy most feared and condemned in Anna. This Anna is led to suicide not by (with) jealousy, not moral repentance and the wounded pride — they are almost not notable in a picture. It is solved to death as quietly as the modern woman would decide on a divorce.

- American screen version of 1997

The last in the XX century, the foreign film version of "Anna Karenina" removed in 1997 the Russian critics amicably have cursed. The director Bernard Rose "has diligently recreated in her the standard style attributed to Russia: semi-Asian splendor of palaces, richness of dresses, charm of winter elements. And among all this is honestly simplified Christian doctrine of Levin and the main Russian "export goods" — the woman ready to live and die for the sake of love"(Butaeva, Women and station). The movie star became Sophie Marceau. As well as it befits Anna, she is natural, charming and impetuous, but no more. Her "almost maiden asymmetric face with a half-open passionate mouth and a passionate re-nourish bang emphasize an image of the young female victim of the old, cruel and lewd husband, and sexy lover"(Butaeva, Women and station). Sophie Marceau perfectly embodies the same relistically and helpless object of men's passions, which began with the interpretation of the novel. Unlike Tolstoy's Anna, she "dies without the slightest glimmer of thought, unconsciously trying to escape from the clutches of circumstances, becoming the victim of its own sensuality, morphine and hysteria."

"And no wonder that Vronsky for her. The aide-de-camp on his shoulders the insignia of captain of the Soviet army, and his face as the officers of anecdotes. Sean Bean walks along the Palace floor as the streets of San Francisco- lacking only jeans and a hamburger"(Saint Petersburg statements, 16.10.97)

- The modern perception of "Anna Karenina"

"Anna Karenina" is the most filmed work of Leo Tolstoy, not only in Russia, but throughout the world. This is not surprising - it is based on romance, a story of love and betrayal, happiness-unhappiness. Although recently, in the absence of only the proposed new version in the interpretation of Sergei Solovyov, it was strange to see that in the notorious so-called "cranberry", composed by the Americans, suddenly burst before unknown motives - Levin it is almost the double of Leo Tolstoy, in any case, the second character and the title character closer to the final detected clear signs of silence of the neurotic and addict, whose death was inevitable.

The stranger now perceived accusations of some critics that even the image created by Tatiana Samoylova in the Soviet film adaptation of "Anna Karenina" felt too nervous, hysterical, where speech could not be about the mental instability of this female character. Ideological socialist aesthetics would not tolerate any breakdown and rips in the feelings of the characters on classic materials, neither in the present nor in the past. Though surprisingly resistant spectator success of the photoplay "Anna Karenina" of 1953 and the option issued in 1968 and a number of screen versions of other works of the Russian literature ("Resurrection ", " The Idiot ", " The Brothers Karamazov ", " The Living Corpse " of 1952, "An Ardent Heart ", "The Garnet Bracelet") testified, after all the desire of the public to perceive a fictional past with "warm heart", at the limit of emotions. In this sense, Tatiana Samoylova with her acting subject "of roughness of the soul" is most definitely suited for the role of Anna Karenina as a loving woman, rebelling against the false morality of society.

- The resonance caused by the American version