First trailer and poster for Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina has released a first trailer online, in which Pride And Prejudice director Joe Wright takes on Leo Tolstoy’s classic tale of love and betrayal in 19th Century Russia.

Keira Knightley stars as Anna, an upper class socialite married to Count Karenin (Jude Law), a senior statesman some 20 years her senior. Their marriage is steady if unremarkable, until Anna’s head is turned by the affluent Count Vronsky (Aaron Johnson).

As the pair of them begin a torrid affair, Anna’s world begins to unravel, adultery being somewhat frowned upon in conservative 19th Century society. But is this a price worth paying for what appears to be true love?

Take a look at the new trailer, below...

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The overriding thing to take away from this first footage is just how sumptuous a world Wright and his team have created, full of snow-dusted landscapes, opulent ballrooms and lavish costumes. Knightley is well within her comfort zone with this kind of material, but its interesting to see Law aged-up as the stiff but decent Karenin.

Johnson does seem a little callow as Anna’s moneyed lover, but the trailer gives him little to do but flounce imperiously, so we may yet be proved wrong on that score. Also featuring Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald and Emily Watson, Anna Karenina opens in the UK on 7 September 2012. Until then, you can take a look at the new poster, below...

George Wales

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.