PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON LAVISH RUSSIAN TV SERIES 'ANNA KARENINA' AND MOVIE 'ANNA KARENINA: VRONSKY'S STORY' ON TOLSTOY'S EPIC SAGA

'ANNA KARENINA'  

NEW TELEVISION SERIES & FILM

Now here's something exquisitely lavish for your delight today coming straight from the good old Imperial Russia! Earlier this month Russian national broadcaster has started airing their new historical mini series ANNA KARENINA! The story of the eight episodes is based on the legendary literary classic by one of world's greatest writers Leo Tolstoy, his story "On the Japanese War" and the cycle "Stories about the Japanese War" by V. V. Veresaev. In the new television production, director Karen Shakhnazarov presents viewers with a new look at the great novel.

 COUNT VRON- SKY'S STORY
1904 year. The Russo Japanese War. Manchuria. Together with the army, the hospital train departs. Doctor Sergei Karenin takes over the management of the hospital as the senior resident. The hospital is located and settled in a semi abandoned Chinese village. Karenin operates on a wounded colonel. Hearing the name of his surgeon, the colonel shudders, he knows him. The wounded colonel is Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky. At night Sergey Karenin comes to the ward to Vronsky and asks him to tell him why his mother, ANNA KARENINA, whom the Count knew thirty years ago, rushed under thetrain. Count Vronsky, in turn, learns that the doctor is the very Sergei Karenin. After some doubts, the count agrees to tell the story of his tragic love with Anna Karenina, noting that people remember only what they are comfortable remembering. Vronsky begins the story ...

SERIES CROWNED WITH A MOVIE

 In a tradition characteristic for many Slavic countries, the end of the airing of the television series on the small screens will be marked by the cinematic release of a movie version of the same story. The big screen version titled ANNA KARENINA: VRONSKY'S STORY should arrive into Russian theatres this summer June 8th and the producers will start seeking foreign distributors after the domestic release! The movie and the eight part series were shot and produced at the very same time. The movie wasn't cut from the series material, it was rather shot following a separate script written for the big screen version. If I got it right and if my Russian serves me right, the story of Levin, which makes a huge part of the novel, has been omitted in the series to give more space and focus on the love story between Anna, Vronsky and Karenin. The lead actress Elizaveta Boyarskaya has admitted that it took her about half a year to prepare for the role and study the script and the backstory. Most of the movie, which is considered one of the most lavish ones in the post Soviet Era, was shot under natural lighting including the famous scene of the legendary ball with the biggest number of props and decorative items in any Russian television project in history. Candles that burn for more than eight hours have been produced specially for the shooting and it took about 45 minutes to light them all on the ballroom chandeliers. 

STARS IN THE CAST
Elizaveta Boyarskaya plays Anna Karenina, Maxim Matveyev is Aleksey Vronsky, Vitaliy Kishenko is Aleksey Karenin, Kiril Grebenshchikov plays their grown up son Sergey Karenin thirty years older than in Tolstoy's saga.Tatiana Lutaeva is Countess Vronskaya, Ivan Kolesnikov is Stiva Oblonskiy while Victoria Isakova is Dolli Oblonskaya. Anastasia Makeyeva is Princess Tverskaya, with Alexander Gorbatov as Prince Yashvin. Yuriy Beleyev plays emperor Alexander II of all Russia! Above is the series trailer, below the movie one!