Drama

Anna Karenina

Anna, the wife of government minister Alexis Karenin, visits Moscow to help straighten out a family quarrel. There, Count Alexis Vronsky falls in love with her. Television adaptation of a play based on Leo Tolstoy's novel by Marcelle Maurette.

Release Date : 1961-11-03

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : BBC

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Anna Karenina

Original Name : Claire Bloom

Gender : Female

Character Name : Count Alexis Vronsky

Original Name : Sean Connery

Gender : Male

Character Name : Alexis Karenin

Original Name : Albert Lieven

Gender : Male

Character Name : Countess Vronsky

Original Name : Valerie Taylor

Gender : Female

Character Name : Stiva Prince Oblonsky

Original Name : Jack Watling

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dolly

Original Name : Daphne Anderson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Kitty

Original Name : June Thorburn

Gender : Female

Character Name : Korsunsky

Original Name : Frank Williams

Gender : Male

Character Name : Makhotin

Original Name : Alan Tilvern

Gender : Male

Character Name : Yashvin

Original Name : David Lander

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prince Tverskoy

Original Name : Robert Percival

Gender : Male

Character Name : Betsy, Princess Tverskoy

Original Name : Patricia Laffan

Gender : Female

Character Name : The Grand Duke

Original Name : Campbell Cotts

Gender : Male

Character Name : General Prince Serpoukhovskoi

Original Name : Derek Aylward

Gender : Male

Character Name : Sergei

Original Name : Bobby Bannerman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cord

Original Name : John Barrett

Gender : Male

Character Name : Countess Lydia

Original Name : Elaine Inescourt

Gender : Female

Character Name : Princess Miagki

Original Name : Alice Esmie-Bell

Gender : Female

Character Name : Nana

Original Name : Enid Lindsey

Gender : Female

Character Name : Annushka

Original Name : Laurie Leigh

Gender : Female

Character Name : Tania

Original Name : Frances Cohen

Gender : Female

Character Name : Misha

Original Name : Sidney Vivian

Gender : Male

Character Name : Matvey

Original Name : Graham Leaman

Gender : Male

Character Name : Korney

Original Name : Arthur Ridley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Stationmaster

Original Name : Gertan Klauber

Gender : Male

Character Name : Priest

Original Name : Endre Muller

Gender : Male

Character Name : Server

Original Name : Peter Rutter

Gender : Male

Character Name : First Lady

Original Name : Elaine Laniado

Gender : Female

Character Name : Second Lady

Original Name : Joy Shelton

Gender : Female

Character Name : Opera Attendant

Original Name : Peter Augustine

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2025-01-18

Even at 1¾ hours long, it's still quite tough to enliven the detail from Tolstoy's story into a television drama - and a black and white one, too. This one tries quite hard but falls just a little short on the imagination front. Clare Bloom takes the lead as the lady going through the marital motions with a junior politician then she encounters "Prince Alexei" (Sean Connery). He's more of a princeling, really, but she falls hook line and sinker for him and pretty soon their temptation is arousing the suspicion of her husband (Albert Lievin) who warns her of the dangers of her behaviour - but there's no stopping them. Next thing, they have thrown caution to the wind and are living in sin. Her husband forbids her to see their son and the story follows her pretty torrid time trying to reconcile the troubles of her past and the joys of her future. Bloom shines here and Connery is energised in a fashion I've rarely seen as both deliver lively performances that illustrate well mid 1800s Russian attitudes, society and mores. The standard of production from the BBC is top notch with super attention to the detail of the costumes and the studio sets. Like many of their embryonic television dramas, the corporation managed to recruit an experienced cast adept at stagecraft. That gives us a sense of continuation as the story proceeds without looking too static. There is plenty missing, a few sub-plots ignored completely, but there's still more than enough of the gist to the story to carry this stylish presentation well enough. Many of the more imaginative elements contained in the book will never readily adapt for cinema, but hats off to Rudolph Cartier for giving this a go.