I know; let's make a movie! Don't go to the theater expecting to see a motion picture about a tragic love affair in Czarist Russia. Also, don't expect to see a movie about Russian society and politics. All these are aspects of the original story written by Tolstoy, but this movie isn't about Tolstoy and his concepts of character and plot. It is about the film makers and how cleaver they are.I went into the theater with a basic understanding of the plot of Anna Karenina, though I have to admit I never read the book. as I watched the opening scene, which portrays the actions as if they were on a stage with a live audience, I thought, "well's that a cleaver prologue, can't wait for the actual story to begin." But then to my horror, they continued this practice throughout the entire movie, causing much confusion on what the hell was actually going on.It got so bad, my reflexes got the better of me and i did what I never do at a movie; I fell fast asleep!When i awoke, the film was a little more comprehensible, but still felt like I was watching the remake of "The Caine Mutiny", where the creators patted themselves on the back for being geniuses, and staging the court room scenes on a basketball court. The final word on this movie. My wife, who normally loves period pieces with their colors and costume design, commented in the middle of the movie that "she hoped Anna would hurry up and jump in front of the train so we could get out of the theater." So if you want to see a movie about Tolstoy's book, try one of the prior films, made in the traditional style.