War and Peace (1966)

I should start by saying that I've never read Leo Tolstoy's epic novel (and it sounds like a challenge to read, considering how long it is). Nonetheless, Sergey Bondarchuk's adaptation thereof has to be seen to be believed. Lasting almost seven hours, "Voyna i mir" ("War and Peace" in English) is a lot to take in but leaves the viewer feeling fulfilled. The whole sequence showing the Battle of Borodino has to be one of the most impressive things ever filmed. The movie became the first Russian-language movie ever to win Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards.All in all, one fine movie. Having watched this version, I doubt that I'll be impressed by any other version.

Tolstoys' in-depth and detailed novel is nothing to shrug off. The 3rd film focuses on the War of 1812 and more the specifically the battle at Borodino. The cinematography and man power involved is of epic proportions. These days we have technology and CGI to assist with film which makes it all the more impressive. The entire film is about 7 hours in length. I was mainly interested in the part of the film. Prince Andrei Bolkonsky struggles with the concept of death and is unsure of his purpose in life and what role if any he will play. Being a higher ranking person in the military he displays confidence and dedication to Russia yet inside is this battle through out the film. Pier Bezukhov is apart of the elite of Russian society and fancies himself a gentleman. This leads him to travel to the front lines and make some discoveries about him as a man he did not know. The depictions of the different class systems is illustrated perfectly for the time. You really get an understanding of how different every level of society was at the time. They were all in the same place same situation yet different dress and attitudes. Over all this is an excellent view of this battle and the most detailed telling I have encountered. Enjoy!

I don't see how anyone who has read War and Peace could enjoy this film, no matter how worthy it is. It completely misses the mark in every respect except for "costume drama" and "epic". Tolstoy's writing is so natural, so beautiful, so descriptive, and so illuminating that this adaptation seems sullen and superficial in every respect. The impressions that Tolstoy's writing creates are timeless - completely accessible to modern minds. But this production is weighted down in costumery and baroque frumpery. It starts badly, with a quotation from the epilogue that is meaningless out of its context, and it doesn't get any better from there. The early scenes are anemic representations of Tolstoy's magnificent scene-setting. Even the intimate little scenes, like the Rostov children in the garden, are completely wasted, barely providing any impression of that most impressionistic scene. I just couldn't stand watching this, scene by scene tarnishing every precious jewel that Tolstoy polished to perfection and left to posterity.

I'm probably not giving this movie a fair shake, as I was unable to watch all of it. Perhaps if I'd seen it in a theater, in its original presentation, I might have appreciated it, but it's far too slow-moving for me.I read the book some 25 years ago and the details of the plot have faded from memory. This did not help the film, as it's something less than vivid and clear in its presentation of events.This is really four linked films, or a film in four parts, and was, I believe, intended to be seen over four nights in a theatrical presentation. I found Part I to be enjoyable enough, but it was all I could do to sit through Part II, which drags interminably. Reading Tolstoy's philosophizing is one thing. If you get a good translation or can read it in the original, his brilliant writing far outweighs any issues one might have with the pace of the story. On film, however, it's hard to reproduce without being ponderous.I have other issues with the parts of the film that I saw. It's very splashy, with a lot of hey-ma-look-at-this camera work that calls attention to itself, instead of serving to advance the story.Clearly, I'm missing something, but I just couldn't summon the enthusiasm to crank up parts III and IV.