They are not sequel or prequel to each other, they are not directed by the same director, and they are not copying each other. No, they just happen to have some similar elements. I call them "movie siblings".
I like beautiful things. I think everyone does to some degree. But to someone with OCD like me, messiness is just something we can't tolerate. Beautiful movies with lavish production design and fancy costumes, however bad people think they are, automatically rank higher than movies with simple sets and costumes. It isn't fair, some movies just don't require big fat production design; but favoritism is never a fair game and everyone has got their own blind spots. Mine happens to be beauty.
Today we are going to talk about two beauties released in the past 2 years: The Great Gatsby (2013) and Anna Karenina (2012). Both are adaptation of classic novels, and each features one big name as the titular character. Both got nominated in the two beauty categories at the Academy Awards: Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. The Great Gatsby won both while Anna Karenina won in Costume Design. Both have beautiful cinematography and great score, and on top of that, both were set in eras so far away it feels like they can only exist in our dreams.
Directed by Joe Wright who also gave us other beauties like Atonement and Pride and Prejudice, Anna Karenina depicts the tragedy of Russian aristocrat and socialite Anna Karenina, wife of senior statesman Alexei Karenin, and her affair with the affluent officer Count Vronsky which leads to her ultimate demise. The Great Gatsby, directed by another auteur Baz Luhrmann, follows the life and times of millionaire Jay Gatsby and his neighbor Nick, who recounts his encounter with Gatsby at the height of the Roaring Twenties til his ultimate demise.
Both films feature a love triangle of some sort at the center of the stories. To be exact, love triangles that involve extramarital affairs. Anna leaves her husband and her child to be with her young lover, while Daisy plans to leave her husband and her child to be with Gatsby. They are both beautiful love stories recounted in stylish manner, those kind of love stories that are so dreamlike they can only appear in fictions.
Inspired by Orlando Figes' 2002 production of Natasha's Dance, Joe Wright adopted an experimental approach to convey the essence of Anna's story. The majority of the film was shot on a run down theater built from scratch in Shepperton. Locations such as skating rink, train station, horse stables were dressed on top of the theater. To create fluid linearity, doors were used to lead to Russian landscapes or some actors would walk from one set to another set under the stage. For cutaway wide exterior shots, toy trains and doll houses were used for filming. The only main cast member who was allowed to be venture out of the theater is Domhnall Gleeson (Levin) because Wright wanted to amplify the fact that Levin is the only authentic character in the group that reflects with the real world. Though most of the film was shot in a soundstage, you'll never consciously realize it as the sets are more grand and lavish than most of the films shot on locations. I admit at the end of the movie when the camera pulled away and revealed the stage, I was in awe.
As for The Great Gatsby, though they have great set design too (Gatsby's house and the Buchanan's house are both breathtaking), I want to talk about the costumes. Many apparel designers were approached in collaboration of the film's costumes. The Great Gatsby achieves the iconic 1920s look by altering pieces from the Prada and Miu Miu fashion archives. Catherine Martin (the wife of the director who also serves as the film's designer) also collaborated with Brooks Brothers, once a bestower of suits to F. Scott Fitzgerald (author of the novel this film based upon) for the costumes worn by the male cast members and extras. Tiffany and Co. were also involved, helping to bring to life the jewelry, both from Tiffany's archive, as well as original pieces created for the film. Additional support came from Fogal for hosiery and MAC for cosmetics. You see, this film brings alive the aristocratic life at the 1920s, and the costumes play a big part in the success. That party scene features so many guests in astounding attires it reminds me of Martin's previous work Moulin Rouge. If you like that film you will enjoy this one as well.
Both films received mixed to positive reviews upon their release, but overwhelming praise for their production designs and costume designs. And for good reason. I personally find the stories unattainable as they happened so far ago, but boy the beauty is something I can never resist. For this alone I highly recommend the movies for you.
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