Anna Karenina: A Study In Theatrical Cinema

Let me begin by explaining that I am not a big Keira Knightly fan, and yet I seem to LOVE the movies she is in. I get it, she's British, she's gorgeous, she's cheeky... there's just something about her that irritates me. HOWEVER... apparently when paired with a classic storyline, a BRILLIANT director and the most fabulous sets/costumes in... ever... she's a winner!

It's no secret that I am a sucker for great packaging and I will sit through multiple viewings of really tedious films to take a closer look at hairstyles, corsetry and set design. There is no question that Anna Karenina is opulent and extravagant in it's gilded and carved props and backdrops, but since we have now "been there, done that" a few times too many for that to be a draw in 2013, this film relies on an ingenious use of motion through the sets and scenes that is at once fluid and fractured to create a visually innovative masterpiece. Sets are manipulated on screen the way a theatrical play would be on a stage but with the actors moving through the sets as well as through the scenes.

As a Russian socialite in pre-Bolshevik Moscow, Anna travels to visit her philandering brother in an attempt to explain to her sister-in-law that it is in the woman's best interest to let him have his cake and eat it too while she cares for the brood. In one of those cinema norm string of coincidences, she meets the fabulously moustached Count Vronsky, who is near as well dressed as she is and almost as cocky. The two fall head over fur lined boots in love with the first glance and so begins the ruining of Anna.

The IMPORTANT part of this film is the return of the veiled hat, train travel, creative ballroom dancing and blue silk wallpaper. I'm not kidding, the tragedy of the storyline, the intensity of the passion... all well and good, but the choreography! It's gorgeous. And the blue room where Anna eventually loses her sanity, that alone is worth whatever they paid to have the film produced. Also I am taking up Ice Sledging. 

Anna Karenina isn't a new tale, but in the light of our fairly recent fascination of over the top grandeur and bolts of silk a la The Duchess, Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette et al... the way this movie was filmed is what sets it high above the rest of the aristocracy. Joe Wright isn't a name that I am overly familiar with, but surprisingly the man of the house knew immediately who he was, based on his direction of Hannah, which was equally refreshing, albeit a genre as far from opulence as one is likely to get. So I suppose it's fair to say I dig this guy's style. In 2007 he became the youngest director in history to have a film open the Venice Film Festival with Atonement. There also seems to be rather an obvious link between Wright and Knightly... which is sort of ironic.

The Pillow Book.

Ugh.

Favourite book. This is my task. In four hours I am meant to publish a post on my favourite book for the Blog O Sphere project. How... HOW does one choose ONE favourite book? I have sat down to write this post umpteen times, and failed miserably to write even one sentence, let alone paragraph. Not only that, but I have to follow it up with WHY it is my favourite! I mean, it is easy enough to go on about why you like a certain book, but explaining WHY that one is better than ALL the other books? Sheesh! Hmmm...

OK, so I am going to go with movie. Technically, that was an option, but I thought that since the reason I am doing this project is because it challenges me to write about things on a deadline and I don't just get to write about what is hurtling through my brain towards the keyboard automatically. It is harder than you think! For me, movie was easy... book was a challenge. But it is five thirty in the morning and it is getting lighter outside and I want to go back to sleep. Movie it is.

It goes without saying that my favourite movie is The Pillow Book, a 1996 film by UK director Peter Greenaway based around the ancient book of observations of Sei Shonagon. Vivian Wu takes us into the pillow book (diary) of Japanese model Nagiko; a view into the life of a woman literally obsessed with the written word which follows her childhood watching her father's tumultuous life as an aspiring writer. Her fetish is calligraphy, and she is determined to document all that makes the world more beautiful, tangible and most passionate.

What is most appealing to me is that the story is told as if Vivian's character, Nagiko, isn't even aware that she is a drama seeker but has the perspective of the naive girl who begins the pillow book as a child. She is simultaneously treading dark waters and exploring new, uncomfortable territory, but she is so wrapped up in being a princess that she is unaware that she is doing so. By the time the movie wraps, she has destroyed more than one life and never wavers from her quest of both revenge and discovery.

I find every aspect of the story worth watching and never tire of it. From the sets and design, to the layered screenshots, even how the scenes of Nagiko's husband setting her beloved library on fire evoke a protective fury in the viewer that keeps up with the love/hate relationship you develop with her character. Absolutely stunning visually, the addition of Scottish actor Ewan McGregor made this a multi-cultural piece before the cameras were even rolling. I think his talent comes out in off base films.

The Pillow Book is one of those pieces of art that says something about the viewer. If somebody brings it up in conversation, you immediately know something about them. How you relate to a story such as this one is revealing of more than your taste in movies. Your tolerances are challenged and if you can see through the drama to the beauty, it speaks to who you are. I cannot say it is perfection, but what is? Brilliant though, it is that. And it's about a book... so maybe that counts towards my original task too? LOL

(Sidebar: I crashed my computer this morning. Apparently downloading images from the movie is frowned upon because two of them did nasty things and Kaspersky couldn't handle it... sorry it's late.)

As this is a post supporting the Blog O Sphere project, an ongoing (and rather awesome) project to challenge and support bloggers, please take a mo to visit the other writers involved at the following links!

Andes Cruz: http://andescruz.wordpress.com/
Kathleen Krucoff:  http://mysticalmythicalmetalwork.wordpress.com/
Brad Severtson;   http://hammeringoutaliving.blogspot.com/
Beth Cyr: http://bcyrjewelry.blogspot.com/
stephanie clark: http://www.thethinkingsofacoldweathergirl.blogspot.com/
Wendy Kelly: http://www.wendykianakelly.com/
Barbara Donovan: http://barbaradonovan.blogspot.com/
Shaun Young: http://shaunyoung.ca/

Adventures in Alice in Wonderland...

Wow.

Well, it certainly comes as no surprise that the new Alice in Wonderland movie should get such a reaction, with the likes of Tim Burton and his impressively unique cast collaborating to create a new take on one of the oldest and deeply entrenched fairy tales of all time. That re-creation in itself is a dynamic undertaking however, not the least of which is the re-imagining of a costume that has become perhaps the most iconic of any fairy tale character in history.



Typically, the blue pinafore worn by a young Alice changes with her when she transforms from caterpillar size to that of a house, keeping our heroine from needing any costume changes. In this version, award winning costume designer Colleen Atwood reinforces the feeling of Alice's (and sometimes others') discomfort presented by this inconvenient (albeit sometimes more convenient than other times) resizing, by having the clothing stay its own size. In many cases, Alice must reinvent the fabric remnants to keep herself covered and this is done with a surprising grace and style.





The quality of the fabrics and detail in the garment design is immediately apparent and also very fitting of both the period of the movie and Alice's status in society. What impressed me the most was how fine the line was between worlds. Atwood created detail in Alice's blue party dress that made for perhaps the most whimsical elements that would have been allowed in her position. She is as "Alice" as she can be in her sane world. "Contrarlywise", in the realm of Wonderland (or Underland) she sports a variety of Betsy Johnston-like frocks and, in the White Castle, an almost Chanel like attire that look very close to something you could pull off the runway. Very wearable in a fashion forward sense, and belying to the surreality she is surrounded by. In addition to this storytelling through costume, her strength of character is portrayed by the fact that she is without the confinements of her corset and stockings. This alludes to Alice's non-conformist and rebellious nature as well as immediately disregarding the first element that many costumers would have relied upon. All of these aspects are what has won such praise (including her recent Oscar nomination) for the immensely talented Atwood.





In all, my take on the movie was that it actually seemed to steer some reality into the storyline, which was refreshing. In a plotline that most use as a vessel for unleashing the imagination, the creators of this film did a supremely good job of bringing the fantasy closer to home and making it all the more believable. Definitely worth seeing, and while I wasn't able to watch it in 3D, I can only imagine how amazing the experience would be!




This movie, as most movies do that seem to take on popular culture as a whole, has spawned an entire onslaught of Alice "stuff" that span from the mass produced to the couture. Entire lifestyle streams seem to be geared toward the nearly 150 year old tale, each with their own take, from fashion houses to food. It isn't a new phenomenon, but it is perhaps one that is farther reaching than others, as it seems that Wonderland provides an excuse for that which these days everyone wants to attach themselves to- release from the staid and normal. I have enjoyed my ebay obsession all the more recently due to people pulling their nearly forgotten treasures out of the closet to see what they can get if they market them with the Alice tag.

Nifty cross stitch. Wouldn't this be a gorgeous pillow?

Vintage Mme. Alexandre doll sold for $130.


Alice inspired dress by Sue Wong

"Key to the Rabbithole" necklace

Vintage and antique books from $400

Ukranian version of the story with stunning illustrations.

What did you think... and would you spend $9,700 to own a signed 1896 copy of the book that started it all?

At the movies. Many Thumbs UP

I have been bringing in the New Year one movie at a time. Here in Nelson we are lucky enough to have a rather broad range of movies at our local rental shop. It is kind of a pride factor for us that we spend a lot of time rubbing in our city friends' faces with " Oh, you really should try to track this down," knowing full well that Blockbuster or whathaveyou thinks that foreign means something involving Gerard Depardieu or Tom Cruise's Last Samurai. Anyhow, I digress...

I just finished "Roi de la Coeur", or King of Hearts which came out in 1966 and bombed in France. I would suggest perhaps that it wasn't very PC at the time to point out how ludicrous certain behaviors are in wars. (A year later it was released in the US and became an instant cult classic, running for five years.) The war has just ended and the Germans are leaving a "surprise" as they pull out of a small town in France. A local overhears the plan to blow the town sky high come midnight the following day and sends word to the approaching "good guys". The poor soldier chosen to diffuse the situation, Charles Plumpick, accidently leaves the gate to the assylum open when running from the German soldiers and sets the scene for a bit of a walkabout by the colourful inhabitants. As the townspeople have already evacuated themselves, these crazy characters are free to explore their "true" personalities with the "real world's" props and costumes. What a fantastic pageant ensues that truly blurs the lines with regards to what "crazy" really means! See this movie.

"Enlightenment Guaranteed" is the (subtitled) story of two German brothers lost in Tokyo ofter drinking away $600 (or possibly pounds) in a downtown bar. In this case lost refers more to their spiritual state than their geography, although the fact that they can't find their hotel by a longshot leaves them sleeping in cardboard boxes for the night. The one brother has been left by his wife and kids and can't for the life of him figure out why, although it is obvious to everyone else. The other is desperately trying to find a zen way of life by sitting on a meditation cushion daily. They spend some time in a monestary in the end that shows both of them what they have been searching for in a rather refreshing sense. A really beautiful story that has some of the funniest bits I have seen in a long time. (Sidebar: LOVE Ulwe's home, right down to the coathangers!) See this movie.

I don't have time to write about "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" but don't see the movie. Read the book. Then see the movie. It is so beautifully done. I am going to track down the book now online and read it. Then I will write about it next time I can take a computer hostage.