Also of note is Mark Strong as Anna's bon vivant brother, Stiva, who, as in the book, remains likable despite being irresponsible and faithless to his wife, Dolly. In the novel Karenin is a homely man in his fifties, but here he is far handsomer and about 10 years younger which is helpful because it prevents viewers from believing that Anna deserts old, ugly husband simply because he is old and ugly. A man who believes in keeping his emotions in check, Dillane's Karenin is a man who's suffering his wife's betrayal and is conflicted between the desire to punish her and his love for her. The best performance comes from Stephen Dillane as Anna's dour, principled husband. However, as with any adaptation of Anna Karenina, much of Levin struggles with his own conflicted personal morality and faith are left out. His Scottish accent, beard, and awkward manners lend to his rusticism. Douglas Hensall plays Levin with gentleness as a sensitive, conflicted man plagued by doubt and his own inadequacies.He romance with Kitty is sweet and understated. Helen McCrory's is believable as a mature woman who is seemingly very comfortable in her skin and has the grace and power to make men fall easily in love with her. Helen McCrory is not an obvious choice for Anna but the character has suffered from being played by picture perfect actresses who have trouble conveying Anna's passion. Tolstoy co-protagonists, Anna Karenina and Constantine Levin are both idealists searching for love and meaning. That being said, the cast in this adaptation do a marvelous job in conveying their character's profound and often misguided humanity. It's a formidable task considering that Tolstoy was often a deeply psychological writer and spent hours probing the souls of his characters. This Masterpiece Theatre production gives life to Tolstoy vast and ambitious masterpiece.
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