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I am under the train!We can't get enough of lavish costumedramas set in a past glimpsed largelythrough rose-tinted spectacles. The appealcomes from a desire to forget thecurrent climate of doom and gloom. Lifecan be considered a stage and we allhave a part to play. The pain of homophobicbullying can perhaps be eased ifwe hide our inner fragility, and dressingup might support the presentation of amore confident exterior to the world. Ourpersonas can be enhanced by elaboratecostumes.Somehow it seems that Russians do suchdramas fabulously well and the latest filmversion of Anna Karenina does not disappoint.The plot is as old as time: a sensualwife is caught in the trap of a lovelessmarriage and falls for a younger, handsomelover. Social conventions make ascandal of this affair. The young lover isbored by the anguish of his mistress havingto decide whether to stay with orleave her husband. In a fit of depression,the mistress feels there is no way out ofher cruel dilemma but suicide.In the original novel, Tolstoy muses onthe nature of true love and links this to tothe belief in the ideal of a rural Russiawhere landowners and peasants live harmoniouslytogether. His character Levin ,an enlightened, liberal landowner marriesa sweet young aristocrat. They are contentwith each other and live a simple life.This version of Anna Karenina has beenadapted by Tom Stoppard, no meanslouch at producing dazzling play scripts.The story is located in a theatrical settingwith the action played on the stage, butit also moves seamlessly into the realworld – on the train and out in the countryside.The photography is brilliant andthe lighting is luminescent. Anna is off toMoscow , ironically to rescue her sister'smarriage. Meeting the dashingly handsomeCount Vronsky is the start of herundoing. This is a world of lavish interiorsin the Russia of the 1870s. Forget any talkof Marxism and a desire to give the workersmore power - Anna's husband,Karenin, is a dessicated politician who justloves committees, report writing and absoluteroutine. Count Vronsky , played byAaron Taylor Johnson, is an achinglypretty boy with white, marbled limbs butwith a silly moustache. He is a dumbblond to a tee. But he offers Keira Knighleythe intensely physical sex that JudeLaw as Karenin is unwilling to provide. StPetersburg society is scandalised whenAnna and Vronsky flaunt themselves asan item at the theatre However, Kareninis unwilling to offer the easy solution ofdivorce. Marriage for him is a sacred vowfor life and a wife must always be subservientto her husband.However for Vronsky, Anna has becometoo clingy and tearful. He is easilytempted by a return to the excitement ofbarrackroom life with his fellow officers;she turns to drink.Keira Knighley is obviously glamorousenough to play the romantic lead and hasplenty of lovely frocks to enhance theproduction values. But perhaps we mightdoubt the black depths of the depressionthat leads her to the railway station andthat instant decision to throw herselfunder the train. She lies on the track, notmuch bloodied, like a pre-Raphelitecorpse. This contrasts with the very mangledbody of a wheel-tapper who fellunder another train, seen at the beginningof the film as a premonition of whatis to come.So the message of the film might be:men are bastards!Karenin is priggish and emotionally dysfunctional.Anna's bother-in-law pursuesau pairs and Vronsky lacks the maturityto have a serious relationship. Anna isuniversally condemned for not followingsociety's rules. Well of course, life doesn'talways imitate art. It would be sexual anarchyif we all behaved like Anna. Butfreedom is important if the bigots are notto dominate. Just look at the debate oversame-sex marriage. However Russianaristocrats had both the time and moneyto make their affairs a way of life. Levin'speasants lacked time, money and energyto be tempted. Marx might argue thatbourgeois sexual repression should beblown away?A recent storyline in The Archers showedAmbridge's most boring gay couple,Adam and Ian being challenged by theyoung Polish strawberry picker, Pawel, tohave some bedroom fun. They both refuseand Middle England can breathe asigh of relief that the rules are beingobeyed. Some listeners might feel asense of disappointment and be sympathetictowards Anna.Which side are you on? Whatever yourchoice why not bring out the vodka orchampagne, dream of cute cavalry officersand practice your dancing? Thoseinto frocks can be turned on by the sightof all the ball gowns. Downtown Abbeydoes seems a tad provincial in contrast.So forget for while the dull world of economicausterity. You might even start toread the novel as the nights draw in.Nick TyldesleyQueer Yorkshire is just aclick away....Browse listings...Read our columnists...Download the latest issues...Find advert prices and sizes...www.shoutweb.co.uk