(Warner Bros.) Anna Kareninahas been filmed several times in the past, but this productionis the first Western film to be made entirely in post-Soviet Russia,utilizing the ornate architecture and expansive vistas of oneof the world’s most picturesque and little-seen cities asa natural setting for the action of the story.
“We spent six months in St. Petersburgand the surrounding countryside making Anna Karenina andit was a truly remarkable experience,” says Bernard Rose.“We, as Westerners, know so little of what this country actuallylooks like; during the Cold War all we saw were photos of drabgrey buildings and bundled-up people in lines. It was impossibleto know that some of the world’s most beautiful palaces andpublic spaces can be found in Russia. But once audiences see thismovie, they will certainly know what they’ve been missing.”
Continues Rose, “Imperial Russia wasthe richest empire in the history of the world. It had the wealthof an entire continent flowing into its pockets, because the feudalsystem was still alive in the 19th century there -- the aristocracyactually owned its workers. Like all pre-revolutionary societies,Imperial Russia was lavish and decadent for the few who couldenjoy its riches. But after World War II, the city of St. Petersburg(then called Leningrad), which had suffered heavy damage, wasrebuilt, so the palaces and public buildings are still standingtoday and most of them are in quite beautiful condition.”
Bruce Davey, Bernard Rose and line producerJim Lemley worked in cooperation with the Len Film Studio of St.Petersburg, which provided facilities and helped obtain accessto certain sites.
Among the locations used in the film areCatherine the Great’s lavish Winter Palace; the legendaryart museum The Hermitage; the Peter and Paul Fortress, which actuallypre-dates the construction of St. Petersburg by a year; and severalother historic palaces, including the Marinsky, Marly and WeddingPalaces.
“The scale of this lavishness serveda symbolic purpose for the Russian aristocracy,” says Davey.“It reduced the significance of an ordinary individual toalmost nothing, which further emphasized the power of these inheritedbloodlines. Room after room of gold-encrusted decor, crystal chandeliersand tapestries -- only the enormous, majestic proportions of theserooms saved them from being gaudy. Instead, they’re simplyamazing to look at.”
Bernard Rose acknowledges that filming inRussia during the early days of its post-Communist economy broughtcertain unique aspects into the movie-making process. “Inthe first place, everything had to be done with cash,” helaughs. “Russia is a totally cash-based economy right now,and American cash is much better than Russian. But in general,people were very cooperative, even more than we expected themto be.
“One day we were filming in the CathedralSquare in front of the Kremlin. We had gotten permits to filmthere, but in the middle of the day, Boris Yeltsin himself cameout with some of his aides and asked us to leave because the noisewas disturbing him. Well, you could say this was unfair, but onthe other hand, can you imagine if someone wanted to come fromRussia and shoot a movie in the Rose Garden of the White House?It would be impossible! So I had very few complaints.
“The Russians have a deeply entrenchedfilm culture and the supporting cast were all local talent. Thedancers in our ballroom scenes were actual Russian ballerinas,who showed up in ordinary street clothes and were transformedinto princesses in our lavish ballgowns. I don’t think anyonecan look bad in one of those dresses, and they certainly knewhow to move in them.
“Our horse race was also filmed withRussian riders and their own horses -- they rode at breakneckspeed and actually wanted to stage those falls as a test of theirnerve!”
The legendary Russian weather lived up toits reputation -- St. Petersburg is just at the edge of the ArcticCircle -- but since the production filmed from February throughJuly, the filmmakers also benefitted from the long Arctic summerdays, which often provided up to 20 hours of light.
“The growing season in that part ofthe world is astounding,” says Rose. “They get two cropsin a very short summer, because the light makes everything growso fast. It was perfect for filming, of course!”
One of the scenes that Rose felt was centralto the story of Levin’s evolution is the grass-cutting scenethat occurs on his farmland. Using scythes, a team of men cutsa rhythmic swath through a gorgeous field of golden-green grass,illuminating to Levin the cyclical nature of life and need ofpeople to help one another to survive.
“I think that scene is a moment ofepiphany,” says Rose. “It is the beginning of the changein Levin’s life -- the moment when he goes from being lonelyand unhappy to making the decision to seek happiness with Kitty.And we actually cut all that grass by hand; it’s one of myfavorite scenes.”
In addition to the classic scenery, costumingand language used in Anna Karenina, the Imperial Russianculture was evoked still further with a musical score composedby Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev, conducted by Sir GeorgSolti and performed by the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra.
Concludes Bernard Rose, “This is atimeless story about some of the most universal desires that inspirehuman behavior; it seems appropriate that timeless music, alsocomposed during this romantic and lavish era, should enhance ourfilm.”
Warner Bros. Presents An Icon Productionof A Film by Bernard Rose: Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina,starring Sophie Marceau, Sean Bean, Alfred Molina, Mia Kirshnerand James Fox. The music director is Sir Georg Solti; the filmeditor is Victor Dubois; and the production designer is John Myhre.The director of photography is Daryn Okada and the executive produceris Stephen McEveety. The film has a screenplay by Bernard Rose,based on the novel by Leo Tolstoy. It is produced by Bruce Daveyand directed by Bernard Rose. Distributed by Warner Bros., A TimeWarner Entertainment Company.
