Anna Karenina

[lonewolf]

Inveigled again.
Suspecting this would be a "film" rather than a movie and never having read the book, I did a fortitous pre-emptive Wiki scan.
I know this is considered Tolstoy's magnm opus but once I marvelled at the lavish trappings of Imperial Russia in 1774 and the beauty of Kiera Knightly, I found it a colossal two hour (seemed longer) bore.
Proving once again that while I am learning to recognize a film, I am not yet qualified to watch and understand them.

[Per Andersen]

Don't worry about film or movie. This one's lame either way. Tom Stoppard has lost his way. The guy who plays Vronsky is absolutely no good, miscast. I like Keira Knightley but there is only one Anna and that's Garbo!!

[Pego]

I know this is considered Tolstoy's magnm opus

Tolstoy's magnum opus is War and peace. Anna Karenina is nowhere close.

[Marlow]

I know this is considered Tolstoy's magnm opus

Tolstoy's magnum opus is War and peace. Anna Karenina is nowhere close.

Used to be. In academic circles AK has surpassed W&P as his greatest achievement.

[dj]

I know this is considered Tolstoy's magnm opus

Tolstoy's magnum opus is War and peace. Anna Karenina is nowhere close.

Used to be. In academic circles AK has surpassed W&P as his greatest achievement.

Besides, as Sam Malone found out about W&P, "there's a movie!"

[catson52]

I know this is considered Tolstoy's magnm opus

Tolstoy's magnum opus is War and peace. Anna Karenina is nowhere close.

Used to be. In academic circles AK has surpassed W&P as his greatest achievement.

Proving nothing except how silly and shallow academia has become. Full agreement with Pego, AK is not in the same league as War and Peace. I would also rate some of Tolstoy's short stories (e.g. What Men Live By) above AK.

[lonewolf]

Hey, its all hearsay for me. You acadamecians/literaturearians can debate the ranking of Tolstoy's works.

[Marlow]

Proving nothing except how silly and shallow academia has become

Academics, with whom I do not associate myself(though I have been teaching AP English forever (and 3 years at the Naval Academy)), live in an intellectual world devoid (mostly) of practical considerations, so calling them shallow and silly is redundant, but . . . dismiss their opinions of what great literature is at your own folly; this is their field of expertise, and they know far more about it than you or I do. We just know what we 'like'.

[bambam]

Isn't Anna Karenina that Russian tennis player who never actually won a tournament?

War & Peace would have been better received under the name Tolstoy wanted to use for it - War - What is It Good For? (For all you Seinfeld fans)