Film Times Fri December 7-Thur December 13 Schedules change often. Call theaters or check rochestercitynewspaper.com for updates.
Film
Brockport Strand 637-3310 89 Main St, Brockport BREAKING DAWN: 7, 9:30; also Sat-Sun 1, 4; FLIGHT: 7, 9:35; also Sat-Sun 1:15, 4; RISE OF THE GUARDIANS: 7, 9; also Sat-Sun 1, 3, 5.
From Russia, with love and tragedy
Canandaigua Theatres 396-0110 Wal-Mart Plaza, Canandaigua BREAKING DAWN: 7, 9:30; also Fri-Sun 4, Sat-Sun 1; END OF WATCH: 9:40; also Fri-Sun 4; FLIGHT: 7; also Sat-Sun 1:15; KILLING THEM SOFTLY: 7:10, 9:10; also Fri-Sun 5:10, Sat-Sun 1:10, 3:10; LIFE OF PI: 3D 7, 9:30; 2D Fri-Sun 4, Sat-Sun 1:15; LINCOLN: 7:15; also Fri-Sun 4:15, Sat-Sun 1:15; PLAYING FOR KEEPS: 7, 9; also Fri-Sun 5, Sat-Sun 1, 3; RED DAWN: 7:10, 9:30; also Fri-Sun 4:10, Sat-Sun 1:10; RISE OF THE GUARDIANS: 7, 9; also Fri-Sun 5; Sat-Sun 1, 3; SKYFALL: 7, 9:40; also Fri-Sun 4; Sat-Sun 1; WRECK-IT RALPH: 7, 9; also Fri-Sun 5, Sat-Sun 1, 3.
[ REVIEW ] by George Grella
“Anna Karenina” (R), directed by Joe Wright Now playing
Leo Tolstoy’s great novel “Anna Karenina,” has been adapted to the screen more than 20 times, a testimony to the power and appeal of its story of a passionate, desperate, and eventually, doomed love. Its extraordinary longevity in media that Tolstoy could not have imagined testifies to an enduring fascination for generations of audiences who would probably never read the very long, very rich, very Russian novel. It has also provided a dramatic vehicle for some of the most stunning
Cinema Theater 271-1785 957 S. Clinton St. PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER: Sat-Sun 4:30; THE SESSIONS: 8:30; TAKEN 2: 7.
Culver Ridge 16 544-1140 2255 Ridge Rd E, Irondequoit ARGO: 1, 4:35, 7:35, 10:30; BREAKING DAWN: 12:40, 1:10, 4:20, 4:50, 7, 7:30, 10, 10:35; THE COLLECTION: 1:30, continues on page 38
and important female stars of their particular times, perhaps most memorably Greta Garbo and Vivien Leigh. Directed by Joe Wright and written by Tom Stoppard, the latest interpretation of the work includes all the familiar characters and of course maintains some fidelity to Tolstoy’s vision. It also, however, translates the story into an unusual and often dazzling visual examination of the behavior of the Russian privileged classes in the late 19th century, an epic love story conducted against a background of aristocratic tradition and a rigid, if tacit, set of rules, something like a tremendously magnified version of a Jane Austen novel. Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley), the beautiful young wife of dull, pious government minister Alexei Karenin (Jude Law), journeys from St. Petersburg to Moscow to help her philandering brother, Oblonsky (Matthew Macfadyen), repair his marriage and convince his wife, Dolly (Kelly Macdonald), to forgive him. While there, she attends a splendid ball, where she meets
Keira Knightley in “Anna Karenina.” PHOTO COURTESY FOCUS FEATURES
the handsome, dashing Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson); they both feel an immediate attraction which quickly grows into passion. Vronsky pursues her back to St. Petersburg and the couple embarks on a torrid love affair that ultimately destroys Anna’s marriage and earns her the obloquy of her social class. The script touches on some of the other characters and actions of the novel, especially Oblonsky’s friend Levin, an enlightened member of the country gentry who repudiates the false manners of Moscow society for the simple goodness of rural life. Levin’s life in effect intersects with Anna’s in another way, since Kitty (Alicia Vikander), the young woman he loves, at first believes that Vronsky will marry her. The film rather obviously contrasts Levin’s values with the behaviors of the aristocracy to provide some kind of counterpart to both Anna’s reckless infatuation and the triviality of her world. But Anna’s grand passion necessarily dominates the story, the love of a kind, intelligent, even noble woman for an essentially shallow young man, a love that exists without need for explanation, consuming her spirit and transforming her life. She abandons her past, her family, all that she knows and holds dear, for the sake of that consummation, becoming in a way greater for her sacrifice and her suffering. Beyond the familiar story, the real joy of “Anna Karenina” derives from its visual conception, which combines a highly mannered
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N O RT H F I E L D
GIFT CARDS available for the Holidays
DESIGNER GOLDSMITHS
Engagement Rings & Redesigns of understated elegance
1290 University Ave near Culver 271-5000 | 3400 Monroe Ave across from Pittsford Plaza 586-7000 Lunch: Mon–Fri 11:30am–3:00pm • Dinner: Mon–Thurs 4:30–10pm, Fri & Sat 4:30–11pm, Sun 4:30–9pm • www.mypomodoro.com
36 City december 5-11, 2012
747 PARK AVENUE, ROCHESTER, NY 585.244.2585 129 S. MAIN STREET, CANANDAIGUA, NY 585.396.2585 154 THE COMMONS, ITHACA, NY 607.273.2585
700 Park Ave. Rochester, NY 14607 Phone: 585.442.2260 Website: Northfieldgoldsmiths.com