• There have been many adaptations of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and a few, including Duvivier’s attempt here, are admirable, but none are transcendent. The most famous adaptation is probably Clarence Brown’s 1935 version with Garbo. Joe Wright did solid work on 2012’s version as well.
  • Duvivier is back in the UK (Panique was at home in France in 1946) here
  • The lyrical camera style of Duvivier’s is actually very similar to Joe Wright’s style
  • Inspired use of train miniature in the opening
  • At the 34-minute mark, just subtle little camera movements like Duvivier pulling back the camera and descending the stairs with Vivien Leigh
  • Duvivier’s trademark frame, move and reframe within the same shot—he’ll start on a close-up and then pull back to survey the room
  • Leigh is excellent here— there is much in common with Scarlett O’Hara of course with her flirtation and scandal—she is 35 here in 1948 and stunning. In just a few short years later for A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) she would look like she’d aged 15-20 years (part of that on purpose of course)
  • Almost a perfect example of the Kuleshov effect with Leigh and Ralph Richardson at the race— it is a series of unspoken close-ups of the two, Leigh is watching her lover (played by Kieron Moore) and Richardson watching her.
  • Nice shot at the 66-minute mark over Moore’s shoulder, using the door frame as well with Leigh in bed and Richardson by her side
  • Michael Gough’s debut film role
  • The camera may not be as fluid here as it is in films like Lydia but Duvivier cares where each character’s head is placed and blocked in the frame
  • Again, the frame and reframe with a tracking shot as a bridge- at 82-minutes Leigh is front-left parallel to the frame with Moore in the deep background
  • Camera sweeping around the train station
  • Recommend but not in the top 10 of 1948