Anna Karenina

Tatiana Samoilova is obviously not Garbo, whose two excellent versions of Karenina are her patent, but she acts better than she did a decade ago in The Cranes Are Flying. This two-part treatment surprised me personally with its vivacity, drama, and indulgence. There's a lot to like about this color widescreen film, which makes a much better name for Soviet cinema than today's viewers might hope. (2011.02.10)