Adapting Anna Karenina Online Quiz | TV & Movies Mixture

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Anna Karenina' first appeared on screen in Russia in 1914 and a Danish film came out a year later, but Hollywood didn't take a crack at it until 1927. The actress who starred as Anna appeared in a talkie version of the same story eight years later. Who was the actress?

Answer: Greta Garbo

Greta Garbo as Anna and John Gilbert as Vronsky burned up the screen in 'Love' (MGM) and that version of 'Anna Karenina' had two endings - Anna committed suicide in the European version, but the American one had a happy ending. Originally Ricardo Cortez was cast as Vronsky, but MGM decided the off-screen romance between Garbo and Gilbert might translate into mega-box office onscreen and Gilbert took over the role.

They weren't wrong. The director was Edmund Golding.

2. In 1935 MGM remade 'Anna Karenina' as a talkie. The story bore only a passing resemblance to the novel and in particular, the part of Sergei, Anna's son, was expanded because he was played by a young actor who was becoming one of MGM's biggest stars. Who?

Answer: Freddie Bartholomew

In the 1935 'Anna Karenina', Garbo finally got to throw herself under a train for American audiences. Vronsky was played by Frederic March, as John Gilbert's career largely dried up after talkies came in. Freddie Bartholomew, the 11-year-old child prodigy who shot to stardom in 'David Copperfield' a year before, played Anna's son to great advantage.

This 'Anna' is generally regarded by critics as the definitive on-screen version of the novel in English.

3. The British waited until 1948 to produce their first big-screen version of 'Anna Karenina'. It was pretty highbrow, with music by Constant Lambert, a screenplay by Jean Anouilh and an Academy Award-winning megastar in the title role. Who?

Answer: Vivien Leigh

Although Alexander Korda assembled a first-rate battery of talent, the movie was not a box-office success and was compared unfavorably with the 1935 Garbo version. Julien Duvivier directed, Keiran Moore starred as Vronsky and Ralph Richardson played Karenin. Vivien Leigh's Oscar was for 'Gone With the Wind' (1940).

4. In 1944 'The Screen Guild Theatre' produced a very abridged but beautiful radio version of 'Anna Karenina' starring Gregory Peck as Vronsky. Isabella Rossellini's mom played the title role. Who was she?

Answer: Ingrid Bergman

The Screen Guild Theatre, first on NBC, then on CBS, then back to CBS, produced radio plays that starred Hollywood royalty from 1939 to 1952. The plays were performed in front of a live audience. This one's ravishing, as you can see for yourself because someone kindly uploaded it to YouTube. Bergman also appeared as Anna in a 'Theater Guild on the Air' production with Vladimir Sokoloff in 1948.

5. An A-list femme fatale was 'falling in love again' as Anna Karenina in a 1949 adaptation for radio. Who was she?

Answer: Marlene Dietrich

'MGM Radio Theatre of the Air' (WMGM and Mutual, 1949-52) specialized in radio dramatizations of MGM hits with casts that showcased MGM superstars. Marlene played Anna and Arnold Moss was Vronsky. Thank you to the person who uploaded it to YouTube!

6. The acclaimed actress Faten Hamama starred in an Egyptian version of 'Anna Karenina' called 'Nahr al-Hob' (River of Love) in 1960. Her on-screen lover was played by her off-screen husband, who would hit the big time two years later in 'Lawrence of Arabia'. Who was this fortunate man?

Answer: Omar Sharif

Omar Sharif and his wife Faten were major stars of the Egyptian cinema in the 1950s before he appeared as Sherif Ali opposite Peter O'Toole in 1962 and his international career took off. 'River of Love', directed by Ezzel Dine Zulficar, is an updated version of 'Anna Karenina' with the action shifted to Cairo. Hamama would go on to a brilliant career as producer and actress and was named 'Star of the Century' by Egyptian Writers and Critics Organization in 2000.

7. In 2010 someone at the BBC was going through the vaults and stumbled on a real treasure. It was a two-hour made-for-TV version of 'Anna Karenina' all the way from 1961, starring Claire Bloom in the title role. Vronsky was played by an actor who would soon shoot to international fame in 'Dr. No' in 1962. Who was this Scottish patriot?

Answer: Sean Connery

It's one of those lucky finds because Claire Bloom is luminous and Sean is unbelievably magnetic. No one knows exactly why it got lost, but most people in the know ascribe it to careless filing at the BBC. The black-and-white production was rushed to DVD and is now available.

The British Television made a 10-part miniseries of the novel in 1977 and a four-part miniseries from the BBC came out in 2000.

8. In 1985 'Anna Karenina' appeared as an American made-for-TV movie starring Jacqueline Bisset in the title role. She played opposite an actor who had to learn how to ride a horse for the role of Vronsky. He really enjoyed it and riding became his one of his greatest passions, which would lead to tragic consequences 10 years later. Who was this 'super' man?

Answer: Christopher Reeve

When Reeve told his mentor, Katharine Hepburn, that he was going to play Vronsky, she told him he was making a mistake. She probably meant that the role was wrong for him, but in retrospect it's an interesting comment. Reeve, actor, producer and activist, threw himself into competitive riding and in 1995 he fell and was paralysed from the neck down.

He spent the rest of his life as a very active advocate for stem cell research. The film itself directed by Simon Langton and filmed in Hungary, got good reviews for its lush production values and excellent performances, especially from Paul Schofield as Karenin.

9. The Russians have made four separate film versions of 'Anna Karenina' which is logical because it's their book and because they've got all the locations in their back yard. But in 1997 an international Warner Brothers-Icon production shot entirely in Russia finally made it to the big screen. Sophie Marceau played Anna and Vronsky was played by the dashing actor who made his name as 'Sharpe'. What name is this, exactly?

Answer: Sean Bean

When you've got a big budget and you're shooting in locations like the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, it's pretty hard to cut things short. Director Bernard Rose did not resist temptation and the director's cut came in at 140 minutes. It was cut down drastically for general release with unfortunate results (28% fresh on the Tomatometer) and exists on DVD in various cuts. Sean Bean is as dashing as expected in the role and Sophie Marceau is extremely pretty as Anna. James Fox, playing Karenin, turns in his usual brilliant performance.

10. With a screenplay by Tom Stoppard and direction by Joe Wright, the 2012 version of 'Anna Karenina' is just about as highfalutin' as the 1948 version. Who plays the title role?

Answer: Keira Knightley

The film is very artistic and Stoppard does try to encorporate all the elements of the novel and not just stick to the love story. Joe Wright and Keira Knightley do just the same kind of thing to 'Anna' that they did to 'Pride and Prejudice' (2005). Jude Law is is Karenin (why not Vronsky?) and Aaron Taylor-Johnson is Vronsky.

It was shot entirely at Shepperton Studios and premiered at the Toronto Film Festival.

Source: Author annaheldfan

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
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Adapting Anna Karenina Trivia Quiz

I'm a real fan of Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina' and I love it in the movies too. Here's a quiz about the many stars who shone (or not) in adaptations of this great novel.

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