Anna Karenina is a classic, and who better to re-invent a classic than the Oscar nominated duo of actress Keira Knightley and director Joe Wright. When making the movie, director Joe Wright had the brilliant idea to set the entire movie on a stage, rather similar to a play. According to reviews (as the film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival), this has resulted in a stronger movie and an incredibly lush backdrop for the story.
When asked about the change in an interview with Moviefone, Knightley says it's owed all to their director Joe Wright. "He demands 110% and that's exactly what we give him and it makes him an extraordinarily magical person to work with, and a frightening person to work with, because it's everything for the time you're making it. And that is why people said let's go with the new concept. Not because we necessarily knew it would work, but we knew this was a team that would give 110 to 150% who will try and make it work. And at least we knew we'd given it our all."
Knightley also talks about how she read Anna Karenina as a teenager, but after she re-read it before prep for the movie began, she had a different take on the character, saying "The dichotomy of Anna is that you're not entirely sure what you should think about her. She is deceitful and manipulative and needy. But she is also wonderful, full of energy and full of love. She is also all of these things and completely culpable for what she does. She is a creature that makes you think of yourself because when you look at our own lives, the people we hurt the most are the people we love the most."
Anna Karenina stars Knightley alongside Jude Law and Aaron Johnson.
