Dream Cast Thursday! Anna Karenina

This week's Dream Cast Thursday is Anna Karenina. It was originally a book by Leo Tolstoy that was first published between 1873 and 1877. I have never read the original novel, but for my remake, I looked at the four film adaptations that were released in 1935, 1948, 1997 and 2000.

The first character that I recast was Anna Karenina. She has been played by Greta Garbo, Vivien Leigh, Sophie Marceau, and Helen McCrory. For my adaptation, I cast Hayley Atwell.

The second character that I recast was Count Vronsky. He has been played by Fredric March, Kieron Moore, Sean Bean, and Kevin McKidd. For my adaptation, I cast Ewan McGregor.

The third character that I recast was Alexei Karenin. He has been played by Basil Rathbone, Ralph Richardson, James Fox, and Stephen Dillane. For my adaptation, I cast Rufus Sewell.

The fourth character that I recast was played by Alfred Molina and Douglas Henshall. For my adaptation, I recast Paul Bettany.

The last character that I recast was Kitty Scherbatsky. She has been played by Maureen O'Sullivan, Sally Ann Howes, Mia Kirshner, and Paloma Baeza. For my adaptation, I cast Natalie Portman.

So what do you all think? What adaptations have you seen? Have you read the original novel? Who would be in your recast?

An Education

I just saw An Education. I have been pretty excited about seeing it ever since I first saw the trailer last year. The film was at the Chicago International Film Festival this past October, but all of the showings were sold out, so I was unable to see it. The film is based on a Memoir by Lynn Barber and is adapted by Nick Hornby. As time has gone by, my expectations have gotten higher and higher. This past month, An Education was nominated for three Academy Awards (Actress in Leading Role, Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay).

I must admit that I was a little disappointed. Part of it may have been how different the film was from what I expected after seeing the trailer. I think that I really just let my expectations get a little too high. The film was great. Everyone was really wonderful. Emma Thompson and Carey Mulligan were both really good, but I think that I was most impressed with Olivia Williams and Alfred Molina. Their characters did not really have to be that believable, but they each really brought something to their roles. I ended up really liking Alfred Molina's character a lot more than I thought. There was something really sweet about him.

The story did not have much going on as far as the story or the screenplay, but I would probably still recommend it. I really enjoyed the costumes and a lot of the music. It's not quite a must-see, but is still worth checking out.