Anna Karenina

Plot

Stefan and Dolly Oblonsky have had a little spat and Stefan has asked his sister, Anna Karenina, to come down to Moscow to help mend the rift. Anna's companion on the train from St. Petersburg is Countess Vronsky who is met at the Moscow station by her son. Col. Vronsky looks very dashing in his uniform and it's love at first sight when he looks at Anna and their eyes meet. Back in St. Petersburg they keep running into each other at parties. Since she has a husband and small son, they must be very discreet if they are going to see each other alone.

Why watch

Anna arrives in Moscow to mend her brother's marital rift, but her encounter with the dashing Colonel Vronsky ignites a forbidden passion that defies societal norms. Watching this film is like stepping into a world where every glance and whispered word carries the weight of unfulfilled desire, enveloped in the lush aesthetics of a bygone era.

Talking points

• the impact of societal expectations on personal happiness
• the nature of love and fidelity
• the role of women in 19th-century society
• the consequences of passion versus duty

Cultural context

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