Matthew Macfadyen

Some comments about Matthew Macfadyen in Anna Karenina by reviewers

I've compiled some comments made by the current majority of reviews that I could find. These are what the reviewers had to say about Matthew Macfadyen as Stiva Oblonsky in Anna Karenina

Mirror:
Matthew Macfadyen is a comedy delight as plump but philandering Oblonsky

Empire:
stand-outs include Law as Anna’s staid spouse (you’ll shudder at his little box) and a boisterous Macfadyen as Anna’s brother

Indiewire/Telegraph:
In an all-British cast, Matthew MacFadyen stands out as Anna’s horny, insouciant brother Oblonsky, while Jude Law pleasingly reins himself in as her husband Karenin -- a dull, virtuous public man.

The Playlist
Matthew MacFayden is enjoyably broad, a world away from his Mr. Darcy, as Oblonsky, threatening, but never quite managing to, tip into caricature, and his approach pays off beautifully with a single heartbreaking shot near the end.

Screendaily
a terrific performance by Matthew Macfadyen, offering genial comedy to the role

The Upcoming
the film also benefits from supporting roles played by Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, and Emily Watson.

Filmaluation
The supporting acting from Law, Kelly Macdonald, Matthew Macfadyen, Ruth Wilson and Domhnall Gleeson is committed.

Variety
Matthew Macfadyen, offering amusing comic relief

Anna Karenina Reviews

11334 reads

Dancing in Costume comes easily to Matthew in Anna Karenina

In keeping with the fun and frolics of the upper classes at that time, the lead cast were all expected to dance – and we don’t mean throwing some shapes on a Saturday night dancing – we’re talking ball gowns and waltzes and major concentration. Keira found it ‘really, really, really difficult. He [Matthew] actually did find it really easy – it was really depressing. I’m usually quite quick at picking things like that up but actually I found it impossible and he’d just do it in about five seconds.’

Source: Grazia

Anna Karenina Media

7505 reads

Some Early Reviews for Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina is due to be released on September 7th in the UK and here are a few of the early reviews.

The Mirror had glowing comments:

The film is blessed with a terrific cast. Jude Law is impressive as Anna’s proud husband Karenin; Aaron Taylor-Johnson (all blond hair and twirling moustache) is suitably dashing as Vronsky, Matthew Macfadyen is a comedy delight as plump but philandering Oblonsky and Kelly Macdonald sweetly dowdy as his loving but frustrated wife.

With its beautiful cinematography and costumes, bold choreography and perfectly judged performances, it’s a real success.

Digital Spy was a harsher critic:

Bizarrely, there's a chirpy start to this famously tragic tale as brother Stiva (Matthew Macfadyen) anticipates Anna's arrival on a visit to Moscow from St Petersburg, a sequence that's so heavily choreographed you'll expect him to skip forth and burst into song. And yet, there is disharmony in the house thanks to his constant cheating on wife Dolly (Kelly Macdonald).

His [Joe Wright] film does tell a story of great love, but he could have expressed the same sentiment with less smoke and a handheld mirror.

Indie Wire:

Matthew MacFayden is enjoyably broad, a world away from his Mr. Darcy, as Oblonsky, threatening, but never quite managing to, tip into caricature, and his approach pays off beautifully with a single heartbreaking shot near the end.

We suspect, all in all, that the film is going to divide people enormously. There'll be some who get turned off the concept from the start and never get on board. And that's fine, but we hope they don't miss the pleasures the film contains as a result -- McGarvey's spectacular camerawork, Dario Marianelli's handsome score, weaving niftily between being diagetic and non-diagetic and the intelligence and intimacy of the performances. As for ourselves, we found it both fascinatingly theatrical and thrillingly cinematic, a picture that's lingered on our minds more than we expected, and while not quite an unreserved cause for celebration, it's a film that we cherish despite its flaws. [B+]