As an emerging lover of film, one of the first film stars to make me embrace the industry was the stunning Keira Knightley. Since 2003, she has enchanted me with her grace and beauty on screen and given some effective performances whether they be in Pirates of the Caribbean or Love Actually or Pride and Prejudice or Atonement.

Recently though, her film credits have been limited to the odd couple of independent films such as David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method. But now, her next film sees her collaborate with director Joe Wright for the third time with another classic period drama from one of the most renowned romantic novels: Anna Karenina.

First things first, the poster looks very glossy and well-constructed as it showcases the visually-stunning production design. The Art Direction Oscar is going to very competitive this year with this possibly competing with Great Gatsby and Les Miserables. Another key factor is the costume design and with Knightley’s great track record of wearing dresses, this looks like another classic to add to the portfolio.

The trailer for the film has been released and is probably one of the best you’ll see this year with Knightley and co-star Jude Law looking exquisite in terms of performances….

The film’s actual plot sees Knightley portray the female aristocrat Anna Karenina whose marriage to Count Alexei Karenin (Law) is threatened by her affair with Count Vronsky (Aaron Johnson) that changes her life.

Adapted from Leo Tolstoy’s novel, the film features an experience support cast including Kelly Macdonald (Trainspotting, Boardwalk Empire), Matthew Macfadyen (Pride and Prejudice, Frost/Nixon), Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves, Appropriate Adult) and Domhnall Gleeson (Harry Potter series, True Grit).

Whilst promoting her new indie-comedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Knightley spoke about working on Anna Karenina and admitted it was one of the hardest things she had done.

“Obviously, Tolstoy was a genius and I think the reason that his books last so well is because they are so complex, and it’s really looking at the best of humanity and the worst of humanity, often in one character. And trying to balance all those things in the one person was really hard. Hopefully it’s worked.”

Hopefully, Keira can finally regain her acting mojo which has helped her become one of Hollywood’s most renowned actresses in the last ten years.

The film is due out in the UK on September 7th.