“Anna Karenina” Getting Critics All Hissy
There’s a major critical contretemps going on between those who think that the new movie version of “Anna Karenina,” scripted by Stoppard and directed by Wright,” is one of the year’s most daring, delicious flicks and those, like Manohla Dargis of the New York Times (or, as she’s called in my house, Manolo Blahniks), who think the film is a “travesty.” Defender Jeffrey Wells writes: ‘Dargis is basically saying that Wright’s decision to present Leo Tolstoy‘s 19th Century tragedy as a “play,” initially set inside a theatre but opening up into sound-stage sets and outdoor backdrops, was a huge mistake. In fact Wright’s decision to pull the plug on historical realism was an act of major artistic courage, especially since he didn’t choose this mad-Stravinski approach until Karenina was a couple of weeks into pre-production.’ I haven’t heard such head-butting about a big movie’s conception since “Moulin Rouge.” I can’t wait to see “Anna,” to be released in the U.S. on November 16th.
