Anna Karénina (1935)

 Second viewing; previously viewed on September 10, 2000.

In 19th century Russia, a married woman with a young son meets an officer and starts an affair with him. Since her husband will not give her a divorce, she faces a difficult decision.

The novel -- or its plot anyway -- is so well-known that it is perhaps futile to dwell on it; this concise adaptation is very well-filmed -- the ball sequence is a particularly remarkable highlight. One curious aspect is that with every passing day this story becomes more dated, and yet interest from audiences lingers on, as successive adaptations attest to.

Rating: 64 (unchanged)