Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Reviews
Product Description
The BBC's triumphant 1961 adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's romantic masterpiece starring Sean Connery and Claire Bloom. When the beautiful young aristocrat Anna Karenina (Claire Bloom) meets the dashing Country Vronsky (Sean Connery) at a Moscow railway station, their first encounter is overshadowed by misfortune. Trapped in a loveless, arranged marriage with the cold Alexei Karenina, Anna tries her best to resist the passionate advances of Vronsky. Eventually succumbing to his allure, Anna grows to be his mistress. Her actions cause outrage in St Petersburg society and her husband not only refuses her the dignity of a divorce but also prevents her from seeing her beloved son unless she agrees to leave Vronsky forever. Shunned, heartbroken and trapped by the very love she'd always sought, Anna's actions become ever more desperate. Anna Karenina is a classic revision adapted by Donald Bull and directed by Rudolph Cartier, who sweeps the film to a shocking conclusion. Made just a year before Sean Connery first starred as James Bond in Dr No, Anna Karenina is a timeless, classic BBC drama to treasure.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By T. Symonds
Format:DVD
The BBC has a well deserved reputation for delivering classic drama and that reputation was earned on the back of productions such as this. Based on the play by Marcelle-Maurette, from the novel by Leo Tolstoy, this tv adaptation from 1961 tells the story of a love affair between Anna (Claire Bloom) the wife of a prominent man who is much older than her, and Count Vronsky, played by Sean Connery just a year before he shot to fame in Dr No.
The BBC production was handled with his usual flair by Rudolph Cartier and at times has the look of a cinema piece, particularly the opening scenes at the railway station. The rest of the cast is largely excellent, but Connery and Bloom take the honours although there's a marvellous performance by Jack Watling as Prince Oblonsky to enjoy too.
The story is well known but if you don't know it, I won't give anything away here. The DVD is a real treat. At the beginning there's a disclaimer often seen on archive material about the quality of materials used, but for a near fifty year old telerecording, this is in excellent condition. It hasn't been vidfired (restored to look like video) in the way old Dr Who is usually released, but the film look is much preferable in my opinion, especially on an historical drama. I have seen many archive DVDs using materials much younger, but in much worse condition, than this. That the programme even exists at all is something of a miracle, bearing in mind the way the BBC destroyed so much of its archive.
There are no extra featurettes or commentary tracks on the disc, but that hardly matters with such a cracking piece of archive television and I was captivated by the whole thing. Even the end credits brought a smile to my face, as they were in a style I've not encountered before.... Read more ›
The BBC production was handled with his usual flair by Rudolph Cartier and at times has the look of a cinema piece, particularly the opening scenes at the railway station. The rest of the cast is largely excellent, but Connery and Bloom take the honours although there's a marvellous performance by Jack Watling as Prince Oblonsky to enjoy too.
The story is well known but if you don't know it, I won't give anything away here. The DVD is a real treat. At the beginning there's a disclaimer often seen on archive material about the quality of materials used, but for a near fifty year old telerecording, this is in excellent condition. It hasn't been vidfired (restored to look like video) in the way old Dr Who is usually released, but the film look is much preferable in my opinion, especially on an historical drama. I have seen many archive DVDs using materials much younger, but in much worse condition, than this. That the programme even exists at all is something of a miracle, bearing in mind the way the BBC destroyed so much of its archive.
There are no extra featurettes or commentary tracks on the disc, but that hardly matters with such a cracking piece of archive television and I was captivated by the whole thing. Even the end credits brought a smile to my face, as they were in a style I've not encountered before.... Read more ›
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By WSH
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a pretty faithful, albeit abridged, treatment of Tolstoy's classic. The production was staged for television fifty years ago - with the emphasis on staged. The cast is excellent, especially Claire Bloom in the title role, and some viewers may be especially interested in seeing a pre-Bond Sean Connery tackle the part of Count Vronsky (and make a pretty good fist of it). This production is superior to most other film and television versions of the story, and rates 4/5 for the acting and scenario writing. However, the DVD appears to me a mechanical transfer (a video image of a telecine projection) and the vision quality is quite poor (2/5). Once or twice lip-sync is lost, then recovered, as the projection bumps over bad splices. If this is all that is available for modern audiences, a pity. It is better than nothing and, for the sake of Bloom's performance at least, worth having in the catalogue. Whether you want to have it in your collection will depend on how much faded, low resolution, black and white television you can put up with.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This BBC adaptation of Tolstoy's masterpiece was assumed to be lost until it was discovered a few years ago in the BBC archives. The picture is quite good considering this is a TV production from 1961 and if the sound is too muffly for you, there are helpfully English subtitles available. There are no special features unfortunately but as this was released for the first time a few years ago, fans will be happy just to have a copy.
The big names in the cast are Claire Bloom as Anna and Sean Connery (AKA the original James Bond) as Vronsky. Connery is suitably charming as Vronsky, who is later proved to be a bit of a sexist, although he seems a little too boorish. Vronsky is not dissimilar to Karenin in the novel, as both ultimately prioritise duty and good form above Anna, but not enough is made of this link in the film. Anna has a complicated relationship with Karenin (here played by Albert Lieven, which is simplified in this film. However, Lieven does give us a glimpse of Karenin's tender feelings towards Anna as well as his disapproving ones.
Anna is most likely the hardest role for any actress to play, as she must command the audience's empathy despite the fact that she is convinced throughout that the whole thing will end miserably. A large part of Anna's character is her beauty, which Claire Bloom has and uses to her best advantage. Her version of Anna is a woman who knows she is beautiful and is aware of her power over Vronsky. She is defiantly passionate but is often petulent and girlish, and Bloom portrays both these sides well.... Read more ›
The big names in the cast are Claire Bloom as Anna and Sean Connery (AKA the original James Bond) as Vronsky. Connery is suitably charming as Vronsky, who is later proved to be a bit of a sexist, although he seems a little too boorish. Vronsky is not dissimilar to Karenin in the novel, as both ultimately prioritise duty and good form above Anna, but not enough is made of this link in the film. Anna has a complicated relationship with Karenin (here played by Albert Lieven, which is simplified in this film. However, Lieven does give us a glimpse of Karenin's tender feelings towards Anna as well as his disapproving ones.
Anna is most likely the hardest role for any actress to play, as she must command the audience's empathy despite the fact that she is convinced throughout that the whole thing will end miserably. A large part of Anna's character is her beauty, which Claire Bloom has and uses to her best advantage. Her version of Anna is a woman who knows she is beautiful and is aware of her power over Vronsky. She is defiantly passionate but is often petulent and girlish, and Bloom portrays both these sides well.... Read more ›
Format:DVD
A very good Film which gives a reasonable interpretation of the lengthy novel by Tolstoy.Some portions of the story are omitted,but this is inevitable in dealing with such a major work in the necessarily limited length of a film.
By Edward
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I recently read Anna Karenina and went to Amazon to look for screen and TV versions of the story. I found this DVD which I thoroughly enjoyed.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By J. Scott-mandeville
VINE™ VOICE
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Having seen Vivien Leigh, Greta Garbo, and Keira Knightley as Anna Karenina, Claire Bloom's Anna is much less convincing, rather more affected, and Sean Connery as her lover is miscast. This sixties, stagey interpretation of the story is not well done. The sets are clumsy, the design contrived and looks as though the whole thing was done on the cheap (which it might well have been!). So a very disappointing production. Having said that, I wasn't too happy with Keira Knightley's film - but for different reasons. The best film version has to be Greta Garbo's, but Vivien Leigh is a only a short length behind.
Claire Bloom is too moody, too self-conscious, too modern, for Anna. The part needs a naivete which Claire Bloom doesn't have. Vivien Leigh captures this with her combination of sophistication and innocent charm (as she did as Scarlett in Gone With The Wind).
So if you're looking for a good film interpretation of this wonderful, amazing book, don't choose this Claire Bloom and Sean Connery version.
Claire Bloom is too moody, too self-conscious, too modern, for Anna. The part needs a naivete which Claire Bloom doesn't have. Vivien Leigh captures this with her combination of sophistication and innocent charm (as she did as Scarlett in Gone With The Wind).
So if you're looking for a good film interpretation of this wonderful, amazing book, don't choose this Claire Bloom and Sean Connery version.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Anna Karenina DVD 1961
If you are a fan of Marius Goring, then you will be extremely disappointed as he is on the cast billing for this DVD as advertised on Amazon. Read more
Published 9 months ago by V. Cross
4.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Tolstoy
This was bought as a present for a parents Birthday. My mother has always been a fan of the Tolstoy works and found this to be rather enjoyable to watch, although she did comment... Read more
Published on 21 April 2011 by J00lst3r
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Film & TV > Drama > Historical
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
