First Look: The perils of passion

When: Opening Friday

Cast: Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kelly Macdonald and Matthew Macfadyen

Director: Joe Wright

The story: Anna Karenina (Knightley) is married to a high-ranking government official (Law) in 1874 Russia, but what should be an idyllic life begins to unravel when she meets a dashing cavalry officer (Taylor-Johnson) in this latest adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel.

The buzz: This is the third collaboration between Knightley and director Wright, following 2005’s “Pride & Prejudice,” with its four Oscar nominations, and 2007’s “Atonement,” with its seven Oscar nominations. “Anna Karenina” is being positioned for similar success at January’s nominees announcement.

– CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE