In honor of Leo Tolstoy‘s 186th Birthday, we want to share clips from two different film adaptations of one of Tolstoy’s most famous works, Anna Karenina. Both clips depict the scene in which Anna and Count Vronsky first dance together, while a jealous Princess Kitty looks on. Here is the scene in the 1997 adaptation:
Now notice some of the differences and similarities between the 1997 version and the 2012 version:
Some of the most striking differences to me are the special effects and lighting used in the 2012 version. The heavy use of spotlight on the couple while Anna and Vronsky dance as well as the effect of freezing the other dancers place a great amount of emphasis on the couple. I also find it interesting that the 1997 scene’s soundtrack is the Swan Lake “Waltz,” while the 2012 scene incorporates the track “Dance with Me” which was composed by Dario Marianelli specifically for this adaptation. What both films do share, however, is the striking difference between Anna’s dark costume and Kitty’s light costume, which really brings out the contrast between these two characters. Both scenes are great displays of how much choreography can communicate in film and other media.
Also be sure to check out the Google home page today, which features illustrations of some of Tolstoy’s best works!