Anna Karenina Script - Dialogue Transcript

Voila! Finally, the Anna Karenina script is here for all you quotes spouting fans of the movie based on the Leo Tolstoy book starring Sophie Marceau, Sean Penn, Alfred Molina, etc.  This script is a transcript that was painstakingly transcribed using the screenplay and/or viewings of Anna Karenina. I know, I know, I still need to get the cast names in there and I'll be eternally tweaking it, so if you have any corrections, feel free to drop me a line. You won't hurt my feelings. Honest.

Swing on back to Drew's Script-O-Rama afterwards for more free movie scripts!

Anna Karenina Script


   

                   

Always in my dream,



 

                   

I'm clinging to a branch,



 

                   

Knowing full well that

death inevitably awaits me.



 

                   

The fear of dying without ever having

Known love was greater than the fear



 

                   

of death itself I know now I was not alone

in the horror of this darkness.



 

                   

So, too, was the fear

of Anna Karenina.



 

                   

It was then that a drop of honey

sweet enough to divert my eyes



 

                   

from the cruel truth

came into my llfe.



 

                   

She was the princess



  

                   

Ekaterina Scherbatsky.



  

                   

Thank you, Constantine Dmitrich.



  

                   

I didn't know that

you were in Moscow.



  

                   

I arrived yesterday.



  

                   

I mean, today.



  

                   

I was going

to come to see you.



  

                   

I didn't know

you could skate so well.



  

                   

I'm awful.



  

                   

But the rumor is that



  

                   

you are a superlative skater.



  

                   

Oh, years ago. lt used to be

my passion.



  

                   

Skate with me.



  

                   

Must be dull in the country

in the winter.



  

                   

Not at all. I'm very busy.



  

                   

Mama said that you live

like a barbarian out there



  

                   

and wear peasant clothes.



  

                   

There's a lot more to it

than you think.



  

                   

It's very scientific.



  

                   

Are you here for long?



  

                   

I don't know.

That depends on you.



  

                   

Mama's waiting for me.



  

                   

-May I call on you?

-We're at home on Thursday as usual.



  

                   

Today, then.



  

                   

Au revoir!



  

                   

You said you wanted my advice

on a delicate matter?



  

                   

Yes, Stiva.



  

                   

I think I'm in love...



  

                   

but I'm plain and too old.



  

                   

She may be able to love me as a friend,

but I would've to be handsome



  

                   

and more remarkable to make

her love me as a husband.



  

                   

Who is the lucky girl?



  

                   

Can't you guess?



  

                   

I'd be your brother-in-law.



  

                   

Kitty.



  

                   

Do you think there's

any possibility?



  

                   

Oh, why shouldn't

there be?



  

                   

For God's sake, be absolutely

frank with me.



  

                   

I'll tell you something.



  

                   

My wife Dolly is a most

wonderful woman.



  

                   

-She can see through people.

-What do you mean?



  

                   

Well, I mean, not only that

she likes you,



  

                   

but she says Kitty is certain

to be your wife.



  

                   

They are sisters,

after all.



  

                   

She... she said that?



  

                   

Constantine Dmitrich Levin.



  

                   

Oh, God.



  

                   

He's come early.



  

                   

I don't think I've come

at the right time.



  

                   

-I'm too early.

-Oh, no.



  

                   

This is what I wanted...



  

                   

to find you alone.



  

                   

The guests should be

here in a moment.



  

                   

I told you that I didn't know

whether I would be here long...



  

                   

that it depended on you.



  

                   

I meant...



  

                   

I meant do say...



  

                   

be my wife.



  

                   

I cannot be.



  

                   

Forgive me.



  

                   

It was not meant to be.



  

                   

Why, Constantine Dmitrich.



  

                   

Do stay. Have some tea.



  

                   

Ah, Constantine Dmitrich.



  

                   

Back in our corrupt Babylon.



  

                   

Well, is Babylon reformed,

or have you been corrupted?



  

                   

That you remembered my words so well.

They must have made an impression on you.



  

                   

Of course. I note down

everything you say.



  

                   

What's the matter with Levin today? Why

doesn't he launch into one of his tirades?



  

                   

Please.



  

                   

Constantine Dmitrich.



  

                   

How's it that at home in our village of

Kaluga, the peasants have spent their all



  

                   

on drink and now pay us nothing?



  

                   

What is the meaning of that?



  

                   

You're always so full of praise

for peasants.



  

                   

Do let me introduce you.



  

                   

Constantine Dmitrich Levin,



  

                   

Count Alexei Kirillovich

Vronsky.



  

                   

Constantine Dmitrich despises

and hates town and us townspeople.



  

                   

Do you live in the country

all year round?



  

                   

I should think it must be

rather dull in winter.



  

                   

Not at all if one has work

to do. Besides, you can't...



  

                   

-be dull in your own company.

-l like the country.



  

                   

I'd be bored to tears.



  

                   

One simply can't live without

sophisticated conversation.



  

                   

Countess Nordston was telling me



  

                   

about a demonstration of table

rapping and spiritualism she attended.



  

                   

Oh, that would be fascinating.



  

                   

I've never seen anything

supernatural.



  

                   

Do you believe in spirits,

Constantine Dmitrich?



  

                   

Why'd you ask me that? You know

perfectly well what my answer will be.



   

                   

But I want to hear you opinion.



   

                   

My opinion's that table rapping

merely proves



   

                   

that the so-called educated classes

are no better than the peasants.



   

                   

They, too, believe in the evil eyes

and spirits.



   

                   

But I've witnessed it myself.



   

                   

But don't you think

there's something in it?



   

                   

If we admit to the existence

of electricity



   

                   

of which we know nothing,



   

                   

Why shouldn't there exist

some new forces yet unknown to us?



   

                   

Because with electricity when

you rub wool and resin together,



   

                   

you invariably produce a

recognizable phenomenon.



   

                   

But with this hocus-pocus...



   

                   

Suppose we try now.



   

                   

Do let us try,

Princess Kitty.



   

                   

Ah, Stiva.



   

                   

Who are you meeting?



   

                   

My mother.



   

                   

-You were missed last night.

-Where?



   

                   

The Chateau des Fleurs,

of course.



   

                   

My God, there was this wonderful

little girl doing the cancan.



   

                   

I went home. I felt in such an agreeable

frame of mind when I left the Scherbatskys',



   

                   

I didn't want to go

anywhere else.



   

                   

"By the mark of your steed, I can

tell your fine breed



   

                   

and a young man

in love by his eyes."



   

                   

-And who are you meeting?

-I've come to meet a pretty woman.



   

                   

-Oh, indeed.

-Shame on you.



   

                   

My sister Anna.



   

                   

Karenin's wife?



   

                   

Yes, well, you must know her.



   

                   

I don't think so. I know Karenin

by sight and by repute.



   

                   

You've a very illustrious brother-in-law.

Very high up in the Ministry.



   

                   

Yes, a remarkable man.



   

                   

But not our kind.



   

                   

Like your friend Levin. I met him last

night, an insufferable fellow.



   

                   

Oh, you don't appreciate my Levin.



   

                   

But yesterday there was a reason

for him being out of sorts.



   

                   

You don't mean he, uh...



   

                   

Levin has been in love with

Kitty for so long,



   

                   

and I feel so very sorry

for him.



   

                   

So that's it.



   

                   

Excuse me.



   

                   

You got my telegram?



   

                   

How are you? Well?



   

                   

-Have a good journey, mama?

-Anna Arkadyevna!



   

                   

Can't you find your brother?



   

                   

Stiva, here!



   

                   

She's very charming, isn't she?



   

                   

Poor girl. Her husband refuses

to travel with her. He says he's too busy.



   

                   

Well, Countess, you've met

your son, I've met my brother.



   

                   

Pardon me for not recognizing you,

but I don't think we've ever met before.



   

                   

Anna Arkadyevna



   

                   

has a little boy of   Seriozha.



   

                   

They've never been

parted before, and she's fretting



   

                   

at having left him behind. Really,

Anna, you can't expect never to leave him.



   

                   

Well, good-bye, countess.



   

                   

Good-bye, my dear.



   

                   

Very charming.



   

                   

Horrible.



   

                   

He's dead.



   

                   

It is a bad omen.



   

                   

Nonsense. You've come.



   

                   

That is the chief thing.



   

                   

You cannot imagine how much

I'm counting on you.



   

                   

Stiva, I know you're to blame.

Don't deny it.



   

                   

  years... my children...



   

                   

all to be thrown away

because of a...



   

                   

momentary lapse.



   

                   

True. lt was not nice



   

                   

that she was the

children's governess.



   

                   

What can I do?



   

                   

Drop me at your house and

go back to the court.



   

                   

ls this Grisha?



   

                   

How he's grown!



   

                   

How happy and well

you look.



   

                   

He told me.



   

                   

He met me at

the station.



   

                   

Grisha, go and find Tanya.



   

                   

of course she's young,



   

                   

and she's pretty.



   

                   

My youth and looks are gone,



   

                   

taken by him and

his children.



   

                   

I hate him.



   

                   

I don't want to speak up

for him,



   

                   

but what is the best thing to do

in this dreadful situation, Dolly?



   

                   

Stiva is ashamed.



   

                   

But he made love to her.



   

                   

I don't excuse him, but...



   

                   

that's how it is.



   

                   

Anna's mission to heal the rift

in her brother's family



   

                   

was not unlike my own desire

to restore the ties with my brother,



   

                   

so desperate were we both

to feel love.



   

                   

Good evening.



   

                   

Excuse me. ls Nikolai Levin here?



   

                   

There is a gentleman here,

Nikolai Dmitrich.



   

                   

Nikolai.



   

                   

Kostya.



   

                   

What is it?

What do you want?



   

                   

I don't want anything.



   

                   

I came to see you.



   

                   

You're my brother.



   

                   

This woman is my life's

companion.



   

                   

Maria Nikolayevna.



   

                   

I took her out of a brothel.



   

                   

But anyone who wants

to know me must respect her, too.



   

                   

All right, then, Masha,



   

                   

supper for   then.



   

                   

with vodka and wine.



   

                   

Your brother drinks too much.



   

                   

Take no notice of her.

She's a whore.



   

                   

You are a gentleman.



   

                   

Nikolai, don't drink.



   

                   

Leave me a...

Leave me alone.



   

                   

I'll beat you.



   

                   

How about supper, then?



   

                   

Have a drink.



   

                   

Tell me how you do it.



   

                   

Why aren't you married yet?



   

                   

Oh, no luck.



   

                   

I think there must be something

about me that repels people.



   

                   

Why?



   

                   

For me, everything's over.



   

                   

For you...



   

                   

Come back with me...



   

                   

to the country.



   

                   

For the sake of your health.



   

                   

No. Too much to do.

I've become a communist.



   

                   

Nikolai, the police.



   

                   

They'll persecute me like they do

anyone who's not a scoundrel.



   

                   

Here.



   

                   

You want to fell

magnanimous...



   

                   

feel righteous.



   

                   

I'll let you have that

satisfaction.



   

                   

Don' t think too badly

of me, Kostya.



   

                   

Mama, please.



   

                   

Princess Kitty, may I ask you

for the quadrille?



   

                   

I'm sorry, but I'm promised

to count Vronsky,



   

                   

but you may have

the second quadrille.



   

                   

An honor, princess.



   

                   

The master of ceremonies

can never be refused.



   

                   

It was nice of you

to come in good time.



   

                   

Such a bad habit to be late.



   

                   

-Where may I take you?

-Madame Karenina's over there, I think.



   

                   

Will you take me to her, please?



   

                   

Pardon, mesdames,

monsieurs, pardon.



   

                   

You even dance into the room.



   

                   

Princess Kitty's one of my

most faithful helpers.



   

                   

She adorns the ballroom and

makes the ball gay.



   

                   

-May I have the pleasure?

-No. I never dance if I can help it.



   

                   

Oh, but you must tonight.



   

                   

Well, but if it's impossible

not to dance, let us dance, then.



   

                   

Well?



   

                   

Nothing.



   

                   

Princess, you are such

a delight.



   

                   

ls your card free

for the mazurka?



   

                   

I should withdraw.



   

                   

This is turning out

absurdly.



   

                   

Will you stay to supper? I have a

wonderful cotillion in mind.



   

                   

No, I won't stay. I've danced

more at this ball



   

                   

than I have in a whole winter

in Petersburg.



   

                   

These few brief moments

intoxicated Anna



   

                   

like a light pouring into

the dark room that was her llfe.



   

                   

We've stopped, mistress.



   

                   

I want a breath of air.



   

                   

What are you

doing here?



   

                   

You know that I have come

to be where you are.



   

                   

I cannot help myself.



   

                   

Forgive me if what

I say offends you.



   

                   

You shouldn't say that.



   

                   

And I beg you, if you're a gentleman,

to forget this as I will forget it.



   

                   

Not one word...



   

                   

not one gesture of yours...



   

                   

Shall l...



   

                   

could I ever forget.



   

                   

Stop it.



   

                   

Yes, as you see, here is

your devoted husband



   

                   

burning with impatience

to see you.



   

                   

ls Seriozha all right?



   

                   

ls that all the reward

I get for my ardor?



   

                   

Yes, he's quite all right.



   

                   

Did you have

a good night?



   

                   

Excellent. Thank you.



   

                   

Ah, we've met before, I believe.

Count Vronsky.



   

                   

You set off with the mother and return

with the son. Back from furlough, I presume.



   

                   

So, my dear, how was Moscow?



   

                   

I hope I may have the honor

of calling on you.



   

                   

Delighted. We're at home

on Mondays.



   

                   

I told you it was mama!

I knew!



   

                   

Oh, my pet.



   

                   

Gifts from Tanya

and Grisha.



   

                   

Tanya can read now, you know?

She's even teaching Grisha.



   

                   

ls she nicer than me?



   

                   

To me you're nicer than anyone

else in the world.



   

                   

I know I am.



   

                   

On the whole, then, your

visit was a success?



   

                   

I cannot see how a man

like that can be exonerated,



   

                   

even if he is your brother.



   

                   

But I'm glad it all ended satisfactorily

and that you're back again.



   

                   

You wouldn't believe how

irksome it is to dine alone.



   

                   

I missed you, too.



   

                   

Time for bed.



   

                   

Betsy,



   

                   

-I'm beginning to lose hope.

-Whatever hope could you have?



   

                   

None.



   

                   

Excuse me. I'm afraid

I've become ridiculous.



   

                   

Oh, my dear, you're in

no danger of that.



   

                   

A man pursuing a young girl

might be ridiculous,



   

                   

but a man in love

with a married woman,



   

                   

that has something fine

and grand about it.



   

                   

It could never be ridiculous.

Next you'll be telling me



   

                   

that young girls should be

virtuous, women chaste,



   

                   

men virile, and children should be

brought up



   

                   

to pay their debts and earn their

bread and all the other nonsense.



   

                   

But look at them...



   

                   

Karenin,



   

                   

that awful Lydia lvanovna.



   

                   

So old-fashioned,



   

                   

so stuffy.

They surround her.



   

                   

When I am old and ugly,



   

                   

I'll become like them.



   

                   

For a beautiful woman

like Anna, it is too soon



   

                   

for her spirit to be crushed

by such boredom.



   

                   

We must rescue her



   

                   

before it is too late.



   

                   

Come to my house

on Saturday.



   

                   

ls it true that the younger Vlassiev

girl is going to marry Topov?



   

                   

Yes, they say it's

quite settled.



   

                   

I am surprised at her parents.

I heard it was a love match.



   

                   

A love match? What antediluvian

ideas you have.



   

                   

Who talks of love nowadays?



   

                   

That foolish old custom's

not left us yet.



   

                   

The only happy marriages are

marriages of convenience



   

                   

where both parties have sown

their wild oats.



   

                   

ln my young days, I was

in love with a deacon.



   

                   

I didn't know that

it did me any good.



   

                   

No, but joking apart.

I believe that



   

                   

before one can know

what love really is,



   

                   

one must have a fall

and pick oneself up again.



   

                   

Even after marriage?



   

                   

It's never too late.



   

                   

I've been wanting to tell you that you

behaved badly, very badly, indeed.



   

                   

You think I don't know

that I behaved badly?



   

                   

But who made me?



   

                   

How can you say that?



   

                   

You know why.



   

                   

That only shows

you have no heart.



   

                   

I came here tonight knowing

that I would meet you



   

                   

to make it perfectly clear

this must stop.



   

                   

You make me feel as if

I was guilty of something.



   

                   

What do you

want me to do?



   

                   

I want you to go

to Moscow and...



   

                   

You don't want that.



   

                   

Then do this for me.



   

                   

Never utter

those words again.



   

                   

And let us

be good friends.



   

                   

Friends

we shall never be.



   

                   

You know that.



   

                   

There is only one way

we can be happy.



   

                   

I have nothing left

but you. Remember that.



   

                   

Nothing matters anymore...



   

                   

Not even life...



   

                   

for one moment

of happiness like this.



   

                   

Happiness?



   

                   

Don't ever

speak of it again.



   

                   

I have to warn you.



   

                   

Warn me?

What about?



   

                   

That by thoughtlessness and

indiscretion, you may cause yourself



   

                   

to be talked about

in society.



   

                   

You're beginning

to attract attention.



   

                   

I'm sure

they're only rumors.



   

                   

You are always like that.



   

                   

You don't like me to be dull,

and then you don't like it



   

                   

when I go out

and enjoy myself.



   

                   

Stop it. You know

I can't stand it.



   

                   

And I would like to know

what all this is about.



   

                   

Your feelings are the affair

of your own conscience,



   

                   

but I am duty-bound to point out

to you your duties.



   

                   

Our lives have been joined

not by man but by God.



   

                   

Only a crime

can sever that union.



   

                   

A crime of that nature brings

its own heavy punishment.



   

                   

I don't understand

a thing you are saying.



   

                   

And besides,

I'm desperately sleepy.



   

                   

Anna, for God's sake, don't

speak like that. Perhaps I am mistaken.



   

                   

But believe me, what I say

I say as much for my sake as for yours.



   

                   

I am your husband,

and I love you, but if



   

                   

-there are the slightest grounds...

-l have nothing to say.



   

                   

It is really bedtime.



   

                   

Here it is.



   

                   

Stupid miss

with the right barrel.



   

                   

Stiva?



   

                   

When's Kitty

getting married?



   

                   

She isn't thinking

about marriage.



   

                   

She's very ill.



   

                   

The doctors

have sent her abroad.



   

                   

Where's Vronsky now?



   

                   

He's in Petersburg.



   

                   

He left shortly after you did. And

he's not been in Moscow once since then.



   

                   

Do you know, Kostya,



   

                   

I'll be frank with you.

It was your own fault.



   

                   

You took fright at the sight of your rival.

Why didn't youfight it out?



   

                   

Kitty was never

serious about him.



   

                   

She was just attracted

by his good looks.



   

                   

I tell you candidly



   

                   

that when she returns

from her cure,



   

                   

she'll be going to Yergushovo

for some quiet country life.



   

                   

And that's not too far

from here, Kostya, is it?



   

                   

I don't know

if you know,



   

                   

but I don't care.

I'll tell you.



   

                   

I did make an offer...



   

                   

but I was rejected.



   

                   

Now Kitty's nothing more than a

painful, humiliating memory. lt's over.



   

                   

I was hanging down

that dark well,



   

                   

but the one thing

I held onto



   

                   

was work.



   

                   

I clutched it and clung to it

with all my might.



   

                   

once I lost my temper

with a bailiff



   

                   

and in a fit of anger took a scythe

and began mowing.



   

                   

It calmed me,



   

                   

So I resolved

to mow with them... all day long.



   

                   

As I mowed,



   

                   

I lost all count of time.



   

                   

I had no idea whether

it was late or early.



   

                   

A change came about my work,

which gave me intense satisfaction.



   

                   

When I forgot what I was doing

and mowed without effort,



   

                   

My line was almost

as smooth and good as Titus'.



   

                   

More and more often now

came those moments of oblivion.



   

                   

When it was not my arms

which swung the scythe,



   

                   

the scythe seemed to mow

by itself.



   

                   

Some external force

seemed to propel me on,



   

                   

as though by magic...



   

                   

the work did itself

regularly and carefully.



   

                   

These were the most

blessed moments.



   

                   

It was she.



   

                   

It was Kitty...



   

                   

on her way to Yergushovo.



   

                   

Quiet, sweet.



   

                   

Loot at her face, mama.



   

                   

So spirited and yet so gentle.

I feel she could almost speak.



   

                   

A fine horse.



   

                   

Everybody's betting on you.

Not entirely for the right reasons.



   

                   

What are you

implying, mama?



   

                   

Don't be coy with me.



   

                   

You must know how you've

become the center of gossip.



   

                   

An affair

in the highest society



   

                   

puts a finishing touch to

a brilliant young man.



   

                   

Lord knows

I shouldn't preach, but there are those



   

                   

who are becoming displeased with you,

Alexei. I want you to break it off.



   

                   

I will not have anyone cast doubt

on the honor of my...



   

                   

Her honor is nonexistent.

So is yours.



   

                   

I've been told you've refused

a post in Moscow.



   

                   

A promotion.



   

                   

Mother, I would ask you

respectfully not to pry.



   

                   

You only get one chance

at a career.



   

                   

Why throw it all away

on some passion?



   

                   

A brilliant, worldly liaison

I would approve of,



   

                   

but not this desperate...



   

                   

Oh, if my love were some ordinary,



   

                   

vulgar society intrigue,



   

                   

you would leave me alone.



   

                   

You have not the remotest

idea what I feel.



   

                   

I find the lying, the deceit,

the scheming intolerable.



   

                   

Then give her up.



   

                   

I wasn't expecting you.



   

                   

Gracious, what cold hands.



   

                   

You startled me.



   

                   

I'm waiting for Seriozha. l...he went out

for a walk. They'll come back this way.



   

                   

Forgive me. I couldn't go the day

without seeing you.



   

                   

But shouldn't you be

preparing for the race?



   

                   

What were you

thinking of?



   

                   

Please tell me.



   

                   

Anna, what's the matter?

I can see that something's wrong.



   

                   

I'm going to have your baby.



   

                   

Tell him everything

and leave him.



   

                   

-Oh, my son.

-You must be free of him!



   

                   

Free to become

your mistress?



   

                   

When can

I see you? When?



   

                   

Tonight.  :  .



   

                   

Well, I must be

at the races.



   

                   

Do you like horse racing?



   

                   

Good-bye.



   

                   

Seriozha, there is

no need to be so rude.



   

                   

Papa told me always

to be truthful.



   

                   

Save your strength

for the finish.



   

                   

Fine.



   

                   

Watch out for the water jump.



   

                   

Are you riding today?



   

                   

Here we are!



   

                   

There is so much splendors here.

one's eyes are dazzled.



   

                   

I will be staying the night.



   

                   

I am sure you are glad

we can be together.



   

                   

We can go

if you like.



   

                   

I again

offer you my arm



   

                   

if you want

to be going.



   

                   

I'm obliged to tell you

that your behavior...



   

                   

What about my behavior?



   

                   

Be careful.



   

                   

The despair you were unable to hide

when one of the riders fell.



   

                   

Possibly I am mistaken.



   

                   

in that case,

I beg your pardon.



   

                   

I listen to you,

but I'm thinking of him.



   

                   

I love him

and I'm his mistress.



   

                   

I can't endure you,



   

                   

and I'm desperately unhappy.



   

                   

You can do

what you like with me.



   

                   

ls everything all right ma'am?



   

                   

What time is it?



   

                   

Almost midnight ma'am.



   

                   

I've told my husband everything. I must

see you. Come at once to the house.



   

                   

Count Vronsky!



   

                   

Ah, General Serpuhovsky!



   

                   

Brooding on your misfortune?

It won't do at all.



   

                   

Come on. Let's go and

have something to drink.



   

                   

I heard news of your promotion. I was

delighted and not a bit surprised.



   

                   

I heard you refused an important

post. Men like you are wanted.



   

                   

-By whom?

-By Russia.



   

                   

Russia needs men.



   

                   

-The communists are gathering force.

-There're no such things as communists.



   

                   

Scheming people always have to invent

some dangerous, noxious party.



   

                   

-lt's an old trick.

-Oh, well, I won't fight you.



   

                   

Shall we go outside? I heard Therese

is going to perform as lady Eve.



   

                   

I like to see that kind of show

with a gypsy girl on my knee.



   

                   

-I'm afraid I've an assignation.

-Assignation? No, you don't Vronsky, old boy.



   

                   

Karenin arrived this afternoon.

Saw him at the races.



   

                   

I wouldn't keep

that appointment.



   

                   

I took the liberty of ordering you

some brandy and cucumbers.



   

                   

Drink the brandy.



   

                   

Oh, and, this came for you.



   

                   

Bad news?



   

                   

She's told him

everything.



   

                   

I must go to her.



   

                   

What do you want?!



   

                   

Sit down! I have something

to say to you.



   

                   

I know l... I've done wrong

and I'm...



   

                   

Whatever your conduct may have been,

I don't consider myself justified



   

                   

in severing the ties through which a

higher power has bound us.



   

                   

I shall ignore it



   

                   

as long as the world knows nothing of it,

as long as my name is not disgraced.



   

                   

And therefore I simply

warn you that our relations



   

                   

must remain as they've always been.



   

                   

-l can't be your wife while l...

-So you see nothing wrong with



   

                   

your infidelity yet refuse to perform

the same duties for your husband!



   

                   

What do you want

from me?



   

                   

I want you to never

see him again!



   

                   

I want you to be

a dutiful wife!



   

                   

I can't change

what has happened.



   

                   

Well, understand this.



   

                   

I'll go to Moscow. I will not return

to this house again.



   

                   

I'll divorce you

on the grounds of adultery.



   

                   

My son will go

to my sister's.



   

                   

No. You must leave me Seriozha.

You don't love him.



   

                   

I've even lost

affection for my son



   

                   

because he is associated

with my loathing for you!



   

                   

But all the same,

I shall take him.



   

                   

You are a whore.

You have no legal rights.



   

                   

Alexei Alexandrovitch,

leave me Seriozha.



   

                   

You know I can't live

without him.



   

                   

If you'll conduct yourself

so that neither society



   

                   

nor the servants can find

anything to say against you,



   

                   

you can enjoy all the privileges

of a respectable wife



   

                   

without fulfilling

the duties of one.



   

                   

and you may

keep your son.





 

                   

Late as usual.



 

                   

-You have a lot of people here.

-Who's here?



 

                   

Is Kitty here?



 

                   

I never did quite believe that there

was anything wrong with my lungs,



 

                   

but the seclusion and quiet

of Karlsbad were all helpful to me.



 

                   

I learned how to help care

for the other patients,



 

                   

those with serious ailments...



 

                   

and the work suited me.



 

                   

I learned that there are

so many more important...



  

                   

I saw you last summer



  

                   

Oh, you didn't see me,

but I saw you.



  

                   

Where?



  

                   

You were driving to Yergushovo.

My estate's on the way.



  

                   

It was very early in the morning.

You were probably only just awake.



  

                   

You had a splendid team

of horses with bells.



  

                   

You flashed by

in a second.



  

                   

I saw you through the window.

Your head was like this.



  

                   

And you were playing



  

                   

with the ribbons of your cap,



  

                   

thinking about

something very deeply.



  

                   

I wish I knew what

you were thinking then.



  

                   

Really?



  

                   

I don't remember.



  

                   

Don't go.



  

                   

I've a question I've been wanting

to ask youfor a long time.



  

                   

What is it?



  

                   

Here.



  

                   

That's the first letters

of the words.



  

                   

What is that word?



  

                   

-Never.

-ls it something I once said?



  

                   

I know what it is.



  

                   

"When you told me it could not be...



  

                   

...did that mean never...



  

                   

...or then?"



  

                   

I don't know.



  

                   

"Then I could not answer

differently."



  

                   

Only then?



  

                   

He will have reached the church

any moment now.



  

                   

Word will come.



  

                   

Oh! This is impossible!



  

                   

Don't worry. You'll just

have to wear mine.



  

                   

Yes, well, if I was going to do that,

I should've done it a long time ago!



  

                   

Everything will

turn out just fine.



  

                   

Don't you worry.



  

                   

I went out to buy a new shirt.

All the shops were shut...



  

                   

I was beginning to think that you had

made up your mind to run away.



  

                   

What happened to me was

so silly, I was...



  

                   

I'm ashamed

to tell you.



  

                   

Kitty should have

stepped on the mat first.



  

                   

Whoever does

runs the household.



  

                   

I did.



  

                   

What about you, Dolly?



  

                   

I don't remember.



  

                   

Why on earth not?



  

                   

I was so in love.



  

                   

Sir, Madame Karenin

miscarried last night.



  

                   

My God, how is she?



  

                   

Very bad. The doctor

is with her now.



  

                   

Who is here?



  

                   

ls... is she...



  

                   

She has

a very high fever.



  

                   

Ana Arkadyevna,

he has come.



  

                   

Has Seriozha had his dinner?

I know they will allforget.



  

                   

I am entirely

in your hands.



  

                   

He must be moved

into the corner room...



  

                   

Maria told

to sleep with him.



  

                   

I'm not afraid of you.



  

                   

I know I'm dying now.

You ask him.



  

                   

I feel it already.



  

                   

I want only one thing...



  

                   

for you to forgive me.



  

                   

Forgive me completely..



  

                   

There is some hope..



  

                   

I must stay.



  

                   

She may ask for me..



  

                   

I've long wanted to be

revenged on you and her.



  

                   

When I got the telegram.

I came here with the same sentiments.



  

                   

But I saw her...



  

                   

and forgave her.



  

                   

And the happiness of

forgiving her revealed to me



  

                   

my duty.



  

                   

I will not

forsake her,



  

                   

and I will never utter a word

of reproach to you.



  

                   

Should she want to see you,

I will let you know.



  

                   

Now I think

you'd better leave.



  

                   

ldiot!



  

                   

You had the misfortune to fall in love

with man who's not your husband.



  

                   

This is a misfortune,

but this is a fact.



  

                   

Your husband

has forgiven you.



  

                   

Also a fact.



  

                   

The question is,



  

                   

can you go on living

with your husband?



  

                   

Do you want to?

And what does he want?



  

                   

I don't know.



  

                   

I don't know at all.



  

                   

I feel I'm flying headlong

over a precipice.



  

                   

We'll catch you,



  

                   

and we won't

let youfall.



  

                   

There is

nothing left for me,



   

                   

except for it

to be all over.



   

                   

Look at you.



   

                   

I hardly know you

with this short hair.



   

                   

You've grown so pretty,

but how pale you are.



   

                   

I'm still very weak.



   

                   

We'll go to ltaly.



   

                   

You'll soon get well.



   

                   

We'll live together

as husband and wife.



   

                   

You'll be ruined.



   

                   

I resigned

my commission.



   

                   

Now all I want

is you.



   

                   

My dear friend,



   

                   

you must not give way

to your grief.



   

                   

You will find support,



   

                   

but seek it not in me,



   

                   

though I beg you



   

                   

to believe in

our friendship.



   

                   

I will set to work..



   

                   

I will be your housekeeper.

Don't thank me.



   

                   

I do it not of myself.



   

                   

How can I help

thanking you?



   

                   

You must...



   

                   

thank Him,



   

                   

and ask for His help.



   

                   

ln Him alone

can we find peace.



   

                   

My dear, dear boy.



   

                   

How unhappy you must be.



   

                   

I'm quite well,

countess.



   

                   

Your poor father is...



   

                   

to distraught



   

                   

to tell you himself,



   

                   

so he's left it to me.



   

                   

He is...

a saint,



   

                   

you know?



   

                   

Your mother...



   

                   

is dead.



   

                   

Letters have arrived from town,

Constantine Dmitrich.



   

                   

You see, your lady's settled me here,

told me to sit a little with her.



   

                   

Here.



   

                   

I opened

your letter, too.



   

                   

I think it's from that woman,

your brother's,



   

                   

and this is a letter

from home.



   

                   

Dolly took Grisha and Tanya to a

children's party at the Sarmatskys'.



   

                   

Tanya went

as a French marquise..



   

                   

What's...

what's the matter?



   

                   

My... my brother

Nikolai is dying.



   

                   

l... I must go to him

I'll leave tomorrow.



   

                   

Let's go.



   

                   

Why didn't you

let me know sooner?



   

                   

What is so awful

for me...



   

                   

is that I can't help...



   

                   

remembering him as he was

when he was young.



   

                   

you can't imagine

what a charming boy he was.



   

                   

But I didn't

understand him then.



   

                   

ln infinite time...



   

                   

in infinite matter...



   

                   

in infinite space...



   

                   

an organic cell

stands out,



   

                   

will hold together

awhile...



   

                   

and then bursts.



   

                   

And that cell is me.



   

                   

I cannot live without

knowing.



   

                   

what I am and why I am here,

and that I cannot know.



   

                   

So, therefore, I

have no reason to live.



   

                   

What?



   

                   

I'm pregnant.



   

                   

Well, don't spare

me now.



   

                   

It's going

to be perfection.



   

                   

-I'm not going to finish it.

-Why? Why ever not?



   

                   

Because its defects will become

more and more obvious.



   

                   

I can't fool myself

that I am an artist.



   

                   

I am going

to give it up.



   

                   

I confess I hardly miss

Seriozha at all.



   

                   

But you do.



   

                   

Yes.



   

                   

Let's go back to Russia.



   

                   

Karenin will

grant us a divorce.



   

                   

We'll get married,

and we'll be together.



   

                   

Oh, I was afraid you'd say that.

I'm so unpardonable happy here,



   

                   

away from all of them,

all of that.



   

                   

I thought you were, too.



   

                   

Being with you



   

                   

is the realization of

all my deepest desires,



   

                   

but there is nothing

I can do here.



   

                   

I need a purpose.



   

                   

That's what I like so much,

having you all to myself.



   

                   

Seriozha

needs his mother.



   

                   

Dear Lydia lvanovna,



   

                   

Forgive me for

reminding you of myself.



   

                   

Count Vronsky and I are

returning to St. Petersburg.



   

                   

I am unhappy at

being parted from my son.



   

                   

I beg to be allowed

to see him.



   

                   

Will you send Seriozha to me, or should

I come to the house at some fixed hour?



   

                   

You cannot conceive

the yearning I have to see him



   

                   

and so can not conceive the gratitude

your help will arouse in me.



   

                   

Anna.



   

                   

I don't think

I can refuse her.



   

                   

My dear friend,

You never see evil in anybody..



   

                   

Her love for her son

exacts...



   

                   

But is it love?



   

                   

My friend,

is it sincere?



   

                   

Have we the right to toy with the

feelings of that little angel?



   

                   

He thinks she's dead,



   

                   

and he prays for her



   

                   

and besieges God

have mercy on her sins,



   

                   

and it is...



   

                   

better.



   

                   

Madame,



   

                   

to remind

your son of yous



   

                   

Might lead to questions on his part

which it would be impossible to answer.



   

                   

I beg you to interpret

your husband's refusal



   

                   

in the spirit

of Christian love.



   

                   

I am here to tell you that I look upon my

union with Madame Karenina as marriage.



   

                   

If you wish to be on good terms with me

then you must be on good terms with her.



   

                   

Our intimate friends



   

                   

can and must look at it

in the proper light.



   

                   

I for one am so glad

you are back.



   

                   

I can imagine how horrible our

Petersburg must seem to you



   

                   

after your

delightful travels.



   

                   

-How about the divorce? ls that all settled?

-I'm only waiting for Karenin.



   

                   

People will throw

stones at me, I know,



   

                   

but I shall come

and see Anna.



   

                   

I will ignore

the conventions,



   

                   

but other starchy people

will give you the cold shoulder



   

                   

until you are married,.



   

                   

and that's

so simple nowadays.



   

                   

Of course, I cannot invite her to my

home. I have daughters growing up.



   

                   

How can you

say that..



   

                   

When everyone knows you were

Tushkevich's mistress?



   

                   

How dare you

make comparisons?



   

                   

Aliosha, darling,



   

                   

You hardly have

the moral high ground.



   

                   

The doctor.

It's time.



   

                   

Are you all right?



   

                   

Get out of here,

Kostya! Go!



   

                   

Lord have mercy on us

and help us.



   

                   

A boy too!



   

                   

You may ease your mind.



   

                   

All is well.



   

                   

Show him to his Papa!



   

                   

That's how they are

when they come out.



   

                   

This one is a beauty.



   

                   

Seriozha...



   

                   

my darling.



   

                   

They told me

you were dead.



   

                   

You didn't believe it,

my precious.



   

                   

I never believed it!



   

                   

Oh no, you'd never

have let her in!



   

                   

Ten year's service and nothing but

kindness from her,



   

                   

and you'd have got up

and shown her the door.



   

                   

He'll get up presently and

you will be out on the streets.



   

                   

Don't go. He won't

come just yet.



   

                   

Seriozha, my darling,

you must love him.



   

                   

He's better than I am,

and I have been wicked to him.



   

                   

When you're grown up,

you will understand.



   

                   

Don't go.

Mama!



   

                   

Get out! Our door

is closed to you!



   

                   

You're not welcome here!

You deserted your son!



   

                   

The laudanum prescribed for Ana

after the loss of her child



   

                   

Now became the opiate used to

deaden the pain of Seriozha's loss.



   

                   

Why shouldn't I go?



   

                   

You are going.



   

                   

Oh, of course, there's

no reason whatever.



   

                   

That's exactly

what I say.



   

                   

Anna, for heaven's sake,

what has come over you?



   

                   

I don't understand

what you mean.



   

                   

You know you can't go

into the opera.



   

                   

Why not?



   

                   

I'm not going alone.



   

                   

I'm... I'm going

with princess Varvara.



   

                   

Princess Varvara...



   

                   

Is little more

than a courtesan.



   

                   

She's no worse

than the others.



   

                   

Besides, I am not ashamed

of what I have done.



   

                   

I'm not ashamed

of my love for you.



   

                   

And whom

are you accompanying?



   

                   

You've been out

with your mother quite a bit lately.



   

                   

Anna, she is my mother.



   

                   

I hear your mother has taken on

princess Sorokina as a companion.



   

                   

Why don't you make your mother

happy and marry her?



   

                   

Anna, I have not

the slightest interest



   

                   

in princess Sorokina.



   

                   

How do you think

that makes me feel?



   

                   

What?



   

                   

How am l

supposed to feel?



   

                   

You spend your evenings

with a pretty young girl.



   

                   

What do I know?

Only what you tell me.



   

                   

Oh, you don't trust me?



   

                   

Why can't I go out?



   

                   

I love you, and nothing

else matters to me..



   

                   

So long as you

haven't changed....



   

                   

As long

as you still love me.



   

                   

Oh, look at me.



   

                   

All we need

is the divorce.



   

                   

I know how difficult your

situation must be until then,



   

                   

but, please, don't make matters worse.

Please, please, don't go.



   

                   

Oh, I'll stay,

as you wish..



   

                   

Princess Sorokina.



   

                   

Your mama

is asking for you.



   

                   

Good evening, mama.



   

                   

I'm sorry to be late.



   

                   

Well, you're here now,

and that's all that matters.



   

                   

You're not worthy of him.

You've lost your child! You're a whore.



   

                   

You're a whore!



   

                   

You deserted him!



   

                   

Excuse me. You seem to be putting me

in the position of defendant. I was given



   

                   

to understand that Anna declines a

divorce if I insist on keeping the boy.



   

                   

I replied to her in that sense

and considered the matter closed.



   

                   

Alexei Alexandrovich,

you are a good man.



   

                   

Put yourself in

her position for a moment.



   

                   

She's moved to Moscow.



   

                   

She's been there   months now,

each day expecting your decision.



   

                   

I'm a believer now. I can't go against the

teachings of Christianity in such a matter.



   

                   

Why, divorce is sanctioned,

even by the church.



   

                   

I must think it over.



   

                   

I must seek guidance.



   

                   

What do I see?



   

                   

Ah, Yes. That's right.



   

                   

We must go away.

I long to be in the country,



   

                   

and there's nothing

to keep you here, is there?



   

                   

-My one wish is to get away.

-You know, it came over me like an



   

                   

absolute inspiration. Why should we

go on waiting here for the divorce?



   

                   

I've made up my mind that it

shan't influence my life anymore.



   

                   

-Do you agree?

-Oh, yes..



   

                   

Well, how was

your dinner party?



   

                   

Oh, the dinner

was first-rate



   

                   

and the boat race

and all that quite enjoyable.



   

                   

Well, when are we off?



   

                   

The sooner the better.



   

                   

We can't get off

tomorrow, I'm afraid,



   

                   

but we could be ready

the day after.



   

                   

Oh, no. Wait a moment.



   

                   

The day after tomorrow is Sunday,

and I have to see mama.



   

                   

-You could go there tomorrow.

- No, I'm going there on business



   

                   

to do with the power of attorney,

and the money won't be ready tomorrow.



   

                   

ln that case, then,

we won't go at all.



   

                   

I won't go any later!

Monday or not at all!



   

                   

Why? There's

no sense in that..



   

                   

You see no sense in it because...



   

                   

because you care

nothing for me.



   

                   

You seem unable

to see my position.



   

                   

How do you think I feel

cooped up in these rooms?



   

                   

But you are free.

Yes, you are free,



   

                   

and if you don't love me anymore, that

would be better and more honest to say so.



   

                   

Oh, really! This

is becoming unbearable!



   

                   

Why do you try my patience?

It has its limits.



   

                   

What do you mean

by that?



   

                   

I mean...



   

                   

I mean, well,

what do you want of me?



   

                   

What I want is that you should not desert

me as you are thinking of doing.



   

                   

No. I don't want that.

what I want is your love,



   

                   

but it has gone,

so it is all over.



   

                   

Wait. Wait. Wait!



   

                   

What is this all about?



   

                   

I said that me must put off our departure

for a matter of   days,



   

                   

and you, Anna, sit by accusing me of

lying and being dishonorable.



   

                   

It is a matter of complete indifference to me

what your mother thinks and whom she...



   

                   

... wants to marry you to.



   

                   

But we're not talking

about that.



   

                   

Precisely about that!



   

                   

I know all about that

little princess Sorokina,



   

                   

and let me tell you,

a heartless woman..



   

                   

Be she old or not old, your mother or

anyone else is of no consequence to me,



   

                   

and I do not want to have

anything to do with her.



   

                   

I will not have you speak

disrespectfully of my mother.



   

                   

There's a limit

to my endurance.



   

                   

Why didn't I die?



   

                   

Mashka is going

to eat your banana!



   

                   

Who is that telegram from?



   

                   

-lt's from Stiva.

-Can I see it?



   

                   

It is addressed to me.



   

                   

What secrets

can Stiva have from me?



   

                   

I don't want you to see it because

Stiva has a passion for wiring.



   

                   

Why telegraph

when nothing is settled?



   

                   

He wires:



   

                   

could get nothing out of him.

Promises definite answer soon.



   

                   

Read it yourself.



   

                   

Little hope, and I'll do everything

possible and impossible.



   

                   

I don't care about

the divorce anymore,



   

                   

And there was not the slightest

necessity to hide this from me.



   

                   

I just want things

to be definite.



   

                   

I am sure your irritability is due to

the uncertainty of your position.



   

                   

And why did princess Sorokina

deliver this telegram?



   

                   

She did not.



   

                   

This arrived earlier

while you were sleeping.



   

                   

Princess Sorokina came with the money

and the documents from my mother.



   

                   

I couldn't get them

yesterday.



   

                   

I didn't want anything

to delay our departure.



   

                   

By the way,



   

                   

we are definitely

going tomorrow, aren't we?



   

                   

You are...



   

                   

but not me.



   

                   

Ana, we can't

go on like this.



   

                   

You are, but not I!



   

                   

This is intolerable!



   

                   

You will be sorry

for this.



   

                   

God,

forgive me everything.



   

                   

I have here...



   

                   

the latest dispatch...

from the front!



   

                   

The infidel muslims

have been driven back!



   

                   

We russians...



   

                   

have flown to help



   

                   

our Serbian Slavonic brothers,



   

                   

our fellow Christians!



   

                   

Count Vronsky.



   

                   

Perhaps you'd rather not have seen me.

If so, please don't hesitate to say.



   

                   

I can always find

another compartment.



   

                   

No. Please.



   

                   

The Serbian war

is a blessing for me.



   

                   

As a man I have the merit that my

life is of no value to me.



   

                   

I'm glad there's something for which I may

lay down the life which isn't simply useless,



   

                   

but loathsome to me.



   

                   

Anyone is welcome to it.



   

                   

I know the dreadful

thing you have suffered,



   

                   

But I beg you not to continue

on this course you are following.



   

                   

I am doing my duty

as a Russian...



   

                   

and a Christian.



   

                   

Please, hear me out.



   

                   

I saw your lady only once.



   

                   

I wish I'd spoken up then,

but I did not.



   

                   

which is why I cannot

remain silent now.



   

                   

Ever since the death

of my brother,



   

                   

all I have been searching for are

answers to questions like,



   

                   

"what am I?" , "why am I here?"



   

                   

"What am I living for?"



   

                   

When, suddenly,

it all became clear to me.



   

                   

I'd been living on spiritual truths

that I'd drunk in with my mother's milk,



   

                   

but I'd never

acknowledged them.



   

                   

I know what is right and wrong.

I wasn't taught this..



   

                   

It was given to me, as it is to everyone.

I discovered nothing.



   

                   

I merely opened my eyes

to what I knew.



   

                   

For me it is too late.



   

                   

As a man, I am finished. As a weapon,

I may be of some use.



   

                   

Don't think ill of me.



   

                   

I have lost too much.



   

                   

All I ask is to be able

to remember Anna as she once was...



   

                   

when I first met her.



   

                   

I try to bring back

those moments, but I cannot.



   

                   

I cannot

see her face.



   

                   

I can only see her

laid out



   

                   

in the railway shed

where they took her.



   

                   

She was...



   

                   

This new feeling

has not changed me.



   

                   

It has not made me happy

and enlightened all of a sudden



   

                   

as I dreamed it would.



   

                   

just like the way it was with

my feeling for my son.



   

                   

-Come to the nursery at once.

-ls something wrong with Mitya?



   

                   

There was no surprise

about this, either.



   

                   

-What's going on?

-Mitya wants to see you.



   

                   

But be it faith or not.

I don't know what it is.



   

                   

Through suffering, this feeling has crept

just as imperceptibly into my heart.



   

                   

He knows me.



   

                   

and has lodged

itself firmly there.



   

                   

I shall still be unable to understand

with my reason why I pray,



   

                   

and I shall

still go on praying.



   

                   

But my llfe now...



   

                   

my whole llfe... independent of

anything that can happen to me,



   

                   

every minute of it is no longer

meaningless as it was before,



   

                   

but has a positive meaning

of goodness



   

                   

with which I have

the power to invest it.



   

                   

Lev Tolstoy.









 
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