Anna Karenina (1948): Film vs Book

About the film

A woman in imperial Russia leaves her marriage for a young officer and faces the consequences.

How close is it to the book?

The film follows the main plot of the novel and keeps its sense of tragedy, with a classic, stately look.

Read or watch first?

The novel is deeper and wider, with a second story about a landowner.

What the book gives you

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

A rich, absorbing story with characters so real you feel you have met them. Its portrait of love and daily life in old Russia is vivid, and the story stays with you.

Who will like it: Readers who love big, immersive novels about love, family and society.