Note: The movie strictly observed the one strap-rule. Each dress
of Anna's ending up with one or more exposed shoulder.
Cast: You know how in high school, there's always those people who aren't in any classes with you, who you maybe see once or twice, but really, you have no idea who they are? A lot of that going on in this one. There were a couple I knew. Obviously Keira Knightly. While I'm not her biggest fan, I'll admit that if she wasn't in this I never would've considered seeing it. And, she was solid as a woman frustrating both for her stupidity and the way society pigeon-holes her. Jude Law is very reserved but effective. Aaron Taylor-Johnson had a great, albeit diminutive mustache (and acted fine). After that, the cast is pretty new to me. I spent half the movie convincing myself that Matthew Macfadyen was related to Kevin Kline. Domhnall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander both worked well as the optimistic heart of it all.
Plot: I have not read the book before, nor did I know anything about it before seeing the movie, but I can safely say the movie was a re-imagining of it, taking the "All the world's a stage" saying literally. It's a little distracting at first, but it ends up being really cool. This screenplay has Tom Stoppard's finger-prints all over it. If you don't know what that means, see anything of his and it will make sense. The story itself is a pretty standard: three love stories, one happy, one sad, one bittersweet. It does drag at times as well. The interesting thing about the movie is really in how they do it all since it has such a unique look and method to it.
Elephant in the Room: Isn't Russian literature kind of long...and dense...and covered in snow? It sure is. There were several times I couldn't help but think back to Love and Death. The movie has the feel of a long book too. There are times when important character moments happen, that in a mini-series would be heart-breaking and, in a two hour movie, come across as pretty minor, which I think is why the movie doesn't work as well as you wish classic literature would. Believe it or not, what works in a book is not always what works in a movie, no matter what studio adaptations try to tell you.
To Sum Things Up:
I like this and am certainly glad I saw it. This sure felt like an experiment in a style than a fully realized movie though; the kind of project that a film-maker needs to get out of his system before taking on another job. I'm not sure I see any awards players in this beyond some technical awards. Then again, I'd've told you the same thing about The Artist last year, so what do I know.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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