Reel Motion: Anna Karenina gets the full, glossy MGM treatment
Film complements The Joffrey Ballet's performance
Welcome to Reel Motion, a series of blog posts that examine the Northrop Film Series selections. Find out more about the Anna Karenina screening Wed, Feb 27 (rescheduled from Wed, Feb 20) at 6:30 pm before The Joffrey Ballet’s performance on Sat, Mar 2 and Sun, Mar 3.
There have been approximately 23 film and television adaptations of Leo Tolstoy's classic novel Anna Karenina since 1911. Tolstoy's story of tragic romance has continually struck a chord with readers since 1876 as evidenced by the countless versions of this story adapted not only for film and television but also for the radio, stage, and even as a sci-fi mash-up novel titled Android Karenina.
Each adaptation treats its source material more respectfully than others. Choosing a film version to pair with the world premiere of The Joffrey Ballet's own interpretation of the story proved to be more challenging than merely selecting whatever the most recent film or television adaptation happened to be. Each version of the story emphasizes different aspects of Tolstoy's timeless work. Some capture the sheer scope of the book at the expense of the characters and others merely lift the basic plot and character dynamics from the book, while the rest of the production goes off on a journey that bears little resemblance to its source material. Others simply don't survive in their entirety (or at all) to be dissected by a contemporary audience.
This adaptation of Anna Karenina released by MGM in 1935, though by no means perfect, does succeed in interpreting the scope of the novel for a film without sacrificing the emotional journey of the characters. The complexity and scale of the novel are communicated entirely through stunning cinematography. In perfect contrast to the grand MGM treatment the story's setting gets, the emotional stakes are left in the more-than-capable hands of the top-billed cast, with the incomparable Greta Garbo providing a passionately tortured performance.
Dealing with the social criticism implicit in Tolstoy's original novel while mining the depths of the rich emotional life of his characters, arguably bound by circumstance not entirely of their own choice, is what makes this story so attractive to adaptation. Consider this screening an appetizer for the meal that will be The Joffrey Ballet's own take on this classic work when they perform Yuri Possokhov's version in March.
Shayna Houp is Northrop's Artist Services Manager and curates the Film Series each season.
