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The film representation’s simple cinematography and dialog accurately capture the mood created in Chekhov’s story, but it fails in other areas. The motives and thoughts of the characters could not be easily discovered, as the film focused on carrying on the plot with little attention given to characterization; leaving the actors to fill the void with expression and specific actions. The actors tended to over-do this, creating more of a caricature than character. …

…to modern day blockbusters, the 1959 adaptation of “Lady with the Dog” proved to be quite a respectable effort. However, the filmmakers lacked the innovation to successfully draw the viewer’s attention away from the limitations of translating a short story into film. Some works of literature are best kept on paper. Not surprisingly does this hold true for this work, in which the writer is a master of language as opposed to suspense or sensation.