I admit I am not too fond of romances in general, as I find them incredibly silly and unrealistic at times- this being not too great of an exception, but still, an exception.
The main reason I watched the movie, was because I had been learned briefly about Tolstoy in school, and seeing that the movie was based on one of his books, I desired to watch it purely out of curiosity.
It is possible, that the movie (as is often the case) didn't do the book any justice. The movie begins off in a rather confusing way and takes a while to understand. I couldn't help feeling that some great detail was lacking.
Anyway, now that I am done with mulling over the details involving the direction and the way the film comes across, I'll go to discussing the plot.
I know we were supposed to hate Anna's husband, Alexei, but I felt nothing but pity for him. Here is his wife of several years, leaving him for a brash youth, based entirely on him being "too cold." He did, in truth, love his wife, though he was a little self-righteous. How could we, however, blame him? He could not help his personality, and if perhaps Anna had been a better judge of character she could have seen that the marriage would end in tragedy.
Another reason not to hate Alexei; we see a softer side of him when his wife falls ill after giving birth to a stillborn child. Speaking of which, why didn't we know she was pregnant before then? I doubt we can blame Tolstoy (whose story was doubtless well-detailed) as much as we can blame the director and scriptwriter. Oh well, at least we actually find out.
Count Vronsky, like many men of his kind in romance stories, I found unbearably annoying most of the time. He followed Anna around like a lovesick puppy. If he had had any love or respect for her at all, he would have had the decency to leave her be when she so politely requested him to. Nevertheless, he treats her with kindness and warmth, despite her attitudes toward him later in the story.
Finally, we come to our "tragic Anna." I, for one, was fairly shocked, when after begging her husband's forgiveness for her initial tirade concerning Count Vronsky, that she runs off- leaving the son who she begged him not to take away in the divorce that Alexei originally planned to have.
One unique problem I always have for stories like these, are the distortion of love within them. Count Vronsky didn't love Anna enough to respect her initial requests for friendship, instead of romantic love. Anna didn't love Count Vronsky enough to trust him. Anna also did not love her son enough to stay in a perhaps unhappy (though stable) marriage to stay with him. She ran away from him at the first chance she got to be with Count Vronsky, then accuses Alexei of being cruel by forbidding her to see him. Anna understands this later- that she traded her son for her lover, but, as she said, "It is too late." So who is to blame for Anna's untimely demise? Was it Count Vronsky for snaring her in his web of love? Was it the cruelty of her husband for denying her a divorce, even after she left him (and we was to originally divorce her anyway after seeing she was taken with Count Vronsky)? Was it the fault of the friends and society who shunned her for living in adultery? Or was it Anna's own foolishness? Either way, somehow, in the end, despite all of her mistakes and flaws, I felt pity for her. Seeing her body lying on the train tracks in the snowy night filled me with sadness. In the end, even though she had sacrificed everything she had for love of another, she was too consumed by her own guilt over her life to be able to receive the love from that person in return- a mistake that I can, sadly, relate to.
So thus, despite the flaws, I had to be a little bit more generous to this film that I had originally planned. I would, like to, also, read Tolstoy's book and see how it compares to this version of the movie- as I said again, a movie often doesn't do a book justice, and the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" can be sadly flawed.
Additionally, Vivien Leigh's acting was amazing. I could watch the movie again just to see her performances.
The main reason I watched the movie, was because I had been learned briefly about Tolstoy in school, and seeing that the movie was based on one of his books, I desired to watch it purely out of curiosity.
It is possible, that the movie (as is often the case) didn't do the book any justice. The movie begins off in a rather confusing way and takes a while to understand. I couldn't help feeling that some great detail was lacking.
Anyway, now that I am done with mulling over the details involving the direction and the way the film comes across, I'll go to discussing the plot.
I know we were supposed to hate Anna's husband, Alexei, but I felt nothing but pity for him. Here is his wife of several years, leaving him for a brash youth, based entirely on him being "too cold." He did, in truth, love his wife, though he was a little self-righteous. How could we, however, blame him? He could not help his personality, and if perhaps Anna had been a better judge of character she could have seen that the marriage would end in tragedy.
Another reason not to hate Alexei; we see a softer side of him when his wife falls ill after giving birth to a stillborn child. Speaking of which, why didn't we know she was pregnant before then? I doubt we can blame Tolstoy (whose story was doubtless well-detailed) as much as we can blame the director and scriptwriter. Oh well, at least we actually find out.
Count Vronsky, like many men of his kind in romance stories, I found unbearably annoying most of the time. He followed Anna around like a lovesick puppy. If he had had any love or respect for her at all, he would have had the decency to leave her be when she so politely requested him to. Nevertheless, he treats her with kindness and warmth, despite her attitudes toward him later in the story.
Finally, we come to our "tragic Anna." I, for one, was fairly shocked, when after begging her husband's forgiveness for her initial tirade concerning Count Vronsky, that she runs off- leaving the son who she begged him not to take away in the divorce that Alexei originally planned to have.
One unique problem I always have for stories like these, are the distortion of love within them. Count Vronsky didn't love Anna enough to respect her initial requests for friendship, instead of romantic love. Anna didn't love Count Vronsky enough to trust him. Anna also did not love her son enough to stay in a perhaps unhappy (though stable) marriage to stay with him. She ran away from him at the first chance she got to be with Count Vronsky, then accuses Alexei of being cruel by forbidding her to see him. Anna understands this later- that she traded her son for her lover, but, as she said, "It is too late." So who is to blame for Anna's untimely demise? Was it Count Vronsky for snaring her in his web of love? Was it the cruelty of her husband for denying her a divorce, even after she left him (and we was to originally divorce her anyway after seeing she was taken with Count Vronsky)? Was it the fault of the friends and society who shunned her for living in adultery? Or was it Anna's own foolishness? Either way, somehow, in the end, despite all of her mistakes and flaws, I felt pity for her. Seeing her body lying on the train tracks in the snowy night filled me with sadness. In the end, even though she had sacrificed everything she had for love of another, she was too consumed by her own guilt over her life to be able to receive the love from that person in return- a mistake that I can, sadly, relate to.
So thus, despite the flaws, I had to be a little bit more generous to this film that I had originally planned. I would, like to, also, read Tolstoy's book and see how it compares to this version of the movie- as I said again, a movie often doesn't do a book justice, and the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" can be sadly flawed.
Additionally, Vivien Leigh's acting was amazing. I could watch the movie again just to see her performances.