A tale of adulterous and tragic passion, ANNA KARENINA uses an intimate documentary style coupled with luxurious period costumes and sets to convey the drama of Leo Tolstoy's greatest novel. Beautiful, compassionate Anna (Helen McCrory) is the wife of Alexey Karenin (Stephen Dillane), a... [More]

A tale of adulterous and tragic passion, ANNA KARENINA uses an intimate documentary style coupled with luxurious period costumes and sets to convey the drama of Leo Tolstoy's greatest novel. Beautiful, compassionate Anna (Helen McCrory) is the wife of Alexey Karenin (Stephen Dillane), a high-ranking government official. Her stable but loveless life changes drastically when she leaves her beloved son, Seriozha (Jackson Leach), for the first time to journey to Moscow where her philandering brother, Stepan Oblonsky (Mark Strong), has betrayed his long-suffering but loyal wife, Dolly (Amanda Root). While there, Anna meets Count Alexey Vronsky (Kevin McKidd), who relentlessly pursues her from the moment they meet and quite easily succeeds in seducing her. Anna and Vronsky try to do the right thing--they want to get married and are desperate for Anna's divorce from her unfeeling husband, especially when they learn Anna is pregnant. Her husband, Karenin, however, is obsessed with appearances, and would rather keep Anna a prisoner of their marriage--and an outcast from society--than set her free. ANNA KARENINA expertly conveys the messages that Tolstoy intended to communicate, creating a gripping, dramatic, and timeless story. As seen on Masterpiece Theater. [Less]