Anna Karenina

Graveyard Poet

21May12

This film has the strengths of Russian cinema (detailed and meticulous eye for interior decor, expressionistic lighting, a rich and sumptuous display of the 70mm format) but it also has the flaws of Russian cinema, which drag it down (overtly slow and stately pace, stodgy characters and sleep-inducing drawing-room dialogue.) Saving grace?: the exquisite faces of Tatyana Samojlova and Anastasiya Vertinskaya.