War & Peace

The Story: In 1805 and during the celebrated reign of Russia's "Alexander the Blessed", Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Austria to further expand his European empire. The Russians, stalwart allies of the Austrians at that time, stood firmly with their brethren against the infamous Emperor. However, Napoleon swiftly prevailed and, after a time, a treaty was ultimately signed at Tilsit. In 1812, the power-crazed Napoleon rose again to cross the Neiman River into the Russian homeland, again in an effort to expand his dominion. The end result of this tragic conflagration was that Napoleon's army of about 600,000 soldiers was reduced to roughly 60,000 men as the defamed Emperor raced from a charred and mostly deserted Moscow, (which he had taken), back across the frozen Russian landscape in his comfortable carriage (leaving his troops behind to fend for themselves under grueling conditions) for Paris. That encapsulates the military aspect of this tale.But the more intricate story involves both the activities and the peccadilloes of primarily three Russian families of nobility: The Rostovs, the Bolkonskys, and the Bezukovs. The continual thorn of "The Antichrist," Napoleon, really just provides the wallpaper for this larger story of romance, riches, desolation, love, devastation, jealousy, hatred, retribution, nostalgia, joy, grief, naivety, stupidity, and so much more. Tolstoy has woven an incredibly intricate web that interconnects these noble families, the wars, and the common Russian people to a degree that would seem to most incomprehensible to achieve -- but Tolstoy perseveres with superb clarity and enormous insight into the human psyche. His characters are timeless and the reader of the book version of this magnificent story who has any social experience whatever will immediately connect with them all.War and Peace is a fictional, lengthy novel, based upon historical fact.The Mini-series: This is a 1972 BBC production starring Anthony Hopkins (early on in his notable acting career), consisting of five DVDs and lasting for almost 15 hours! The aspect ratio is 4 x 3 (not letterbox) which is consistent with the dimensions of the traditional television screen. It looks just fine on a widescreen TV as well. The package includes an informative 44-page booklet with behind-the-scenes information about the production along with biographies of the key actors.The first thought that came to my mind about this mini-series is that it is so very complex that most folks will have difficulty in grappling with the entirety of the story unless they have previously read Tolstoy's book: War and Peace (Vintage Classics). It really doesn't matter much which translation that one reads (there are currently 12 English translations and the only divergent edition, in terms of what happens in the book, is this one: War and Peace: Original Version. I usually recommend the Briggs translation for first-timers to the work, although the mini-series is based upon the very similar Rosemary Edmonds translation: War and Peace Volume I. Translated by Rosemary Edmonds. Penguin Classics No L63.This mini-series is a great introduction to War and Peace in the video format because it includes most of the nuts and bolts of Tolstoy's original story; however, in terms of artistic achievement this version cannot hold up to Bondarchuk's 1968 masterpiece film (dubbed in English, in letterbox, with available English and other subtitles): War and Peace (Special Edition). Director Bondarchuk's focus was more on Tolstoy's "magic" and less so on including each and every incident, albeit he corralled the most essential ones. I should also mention that the prospective buyer should not even consider acquiring the pathetic Hollywood film version starring Henry Fonda. It's one of the most lamentable book-to-film attempts I've ever seen: War and Peace.Getting back to the BBC-Hopkins mini-series, the directors (Alan Dobie/John Davies) and other production folks unfortunately relented somewhat to their own egos and to that noxious little book-desecrator: "poetic license." In doing so, they told this magnificent tale much as a war historian might relate it, rather than seizing upon Tolstoy's meticulous, colorful, and powerful literary painting of the events. Make no mistake about it, this is an incredibly intricate and problematic story to render through the media of film. Allow me to now touch upon the mini-series' very few shortcomings and then I can subsequently summarize my considerable praise for this lengthy production in which the pros far outweigh the cons.The casting was perhaps the most egregious aspect of this production. Ironically, Hopkins himself was a poor choice for the key character of Pierre Bezukhov. We detect, simply by looking at and listening to Hopkins in any environment, that he is incredibly intelligent, gifted, and articulate which is always going to leak through in any role that he plays - unfortunately, the character of Pierre is that of a portly, naïve, and bumbling fool. Hopkins simply makes him come off as way too articulate and worldly, despite numerous vain attempts to make him appear less so.A second casting calamity was that of actress Morag Hood who plays the equally important role of Natasha Rostov. To be blunt, Tolstoy created Natasha (in her youth of 13 years old and even later) to manifest every pedophile's fantasy. She is an incongruent blend of vivaciousness, stunning in appearance, uncontained in demeanor, puerile, and a bulwark of beaming sunshine, additionally exuding an untamed spirit unmatchable by any of her female peers.Unfortunately, Hood's virtues are in contrast with this role and she could only be considered beautiful (I hate to toss this bomb but I will anyway) by English standards of the term... Hood's beauty is clearly internal, yet another feature which the egocentric Natasha does not at all share with her. Specifically, Hood's face is too emaciated in its structure and, while she's not actually buck-toothed, she demonstrates an overbite so prominent as to rival that of Hilary Clinton's chompers. This singular and regrettable actuality detracts from the centrality of the story to the degree that we as viewers cannot understand why all the young men plummet at her mere appearance (and in fact, Natasha's prospective lovers do not seem to wish to do so as their roles require!) Particularly in Natasha's teen appearances, the image of Hood's bounding and skipping around the various venues, sporting a young girl's pigtails, simply appears absurd.Boris Drubetskoy (played by Neil Stacy) and Nicolai Rostov (played by Sylvester Morand) were each also far too mature in age to play their teen roles early in the tale, although they were faultless in adulthood in the latter episodes of the story.The tendency of film-makers to gloss over the more magical parts of Tolstoy's Magnum opus illustrates their lack of comprehensive understanding of the story and perhaps their additional inability to convey it with a high level of competence. Two of the moments I'm thinking of in particular include "the mummers' sleigh ride" and "Petya's dream," (just prior to the attack on the retreating French convoy.) Both of these important scenes were sadly excluded from the mini-series.My final criticism is one regarding an historical ignominy: the scene at old Count Rostov's renowned banquet where Pierre challenges Dolokhov to a duel. I found it quite distracting from an historical perspective that the banquet was, in this instance, conducted in honor of old General Kutuzov instead of his much-revered assistant, General Bagration, as it should have been. No competent technical advisor in his right mind would have permitted this faux pas of a change from the book to transpire as, at that particular time, Kutuzov was pretty universally scorned by all within his social realm, owing to his disastrous defeat by Napoleon in Austria and elsewhere, (even though he had probably saved the Russian Army through his personally courageous strategies.)And that last comment provides me with the perfect entry to remark upon what fine acting Frank Middlemass conveyed through his role as General Kutuzov, (even though he was misused in that single instance.) Middlemass performed equally memorably in his role as the scandalous and drunken Marmelodov in the terrific mini-series of Dostoyevsky's Crime & Punishment - The Complete Miniseries.Other key actors deserve a slate of Kudos for their respective appearances in the War and Peace mini-series: David Swift as Napoleon; Anthony Jacobs as old Prince Bolkonsky; Donald Douglas as Tsar Alexander I; Colin Baker as Anatole Kuragin; Rupert Davies as old Count Rostov; Faith Brook as Countess Rostova; Angela Down as Maria Bolkonskya, and; Candita Fawsitt as Julia Karagina, (a comparatively brief but very important role.) The terrific work of all these talented folks added so very much to the overall ambiance and palatability of the film.In total, 20 episodes make up this sprawling color epic and, while it drags just a little here and there, I think that overall it represents a remarkable achievement in film. There was a lot of location shooting of the film in Yugoslavia which yielded spectacular scenery. The outdoor scenes were shot on actual film while the indoor shots were rendered to videotape. Noting those minor flaws which I mentioned previously, I can say without reservation that they are completely overcome by the inclusive comprehensive excellence of this superb mini-series.Highly recommended!

After having viewed all four film versions of War and Peace, this is the one that is the most thorough, well acted and accurate version of the Tolstoy classic. When this series first aired in the 1970s, it inspired me to read the novel twice and with its nearly 15 hours length, it really provides the character development, historic depiction and range of scenes not found in any other version. I have found it great to watch in episodes in conjunction with reading the novel. In addition, the acting from Anthony Hopkins, Morag Hood and others is superb!One of the great aspects of this BBC production is the degree to which the wide range of characters and scenes from the novel are depicted. In the 1968 Sergei Bondarchuk version, for example, Nikolai Rostov is almost totally ignored, so the story of his romance with Sonya, rescue and later marriage to Maria is noticeably missing. In addition, the acting in the 1972 BBC version is so strong, it more than makes up for not having the elaborate battle productions of the Bondarchuk version, (although that version's Battle of Borodino is probably the most sweeping battle scene of the Napoleonic Wars ever filmed, with extensive cast and re-enactments). The 1956 Hollywood version is perhaps the least compelling film depiction of the novel, in production values, being dated and in leaving so much out.The fourth film version I've seen of War and Peace is the 2007 Italian TV series production with audio completely in English and directed by Robert Dornhelm. That may be my second choice to the BBC version. It would very much appeal to modern audiences in terms of its visual appeal, high quality production values and drama. Many of the scenes were filmed in Russia and Lithuania with an international cast. This version also depicts many key characters (e.g., Nikolai). However, this version seems to add a range of scenes that were never in the novel with a focus on Helene and Anatole's scheming to deceive Natasha. For example, it creates a scene in which Andrei in Poland instigates Anatole's marriage to a Polish peasant, which is the reason he couldn't have married Natasha when he seduced her. Also, it depicts Nikolai and Natasha going to Helene and Pierre prior to his duel with Dolohov to discourage Pierre from fighting, and Nikolai supports Pierre and serves as his second in the duel. In contrast, Nikolai was actually DOLOHOV's second in the novel. However, to someone who has not read the novel, these added or modified scenes add considerably to the drama, making the Italian version a very compelling and satisfying version to view. I found myself rereading the novel to find out which scenes were changed or new scenes added but also appreciating that these changes positively added to the drama. In addition, the bewitching Violante Placido provides the best portrayal of a wicked Helene and Malcolm McDowell is superb as Andrei's father. Unfortunately, this Italian version appears to no longer be available for sale. Mine was a Russian version all-region DVD, but this is not a problem to view in English, since the dialogue is very well done in English and does not appear to be dubbed. Hopefully, this Italian production will be re-introduced in the future for American audiences, especially because the dialogue is all in English, and because this 6 and a half hour, fast-paced version may appeal to modern audiences who may not have read the novel.Yet, of the four film versions of War and Peace, it is the 1972 BBC version that I find to be the best, in terms of acting quality and depth of depicting the Tolstoy classic. From a historic context, the BBC version provides more historic context on Napoleon's invasion with scenes with him (nicely portrayed by David Swift) strategizing with his generals and advisors. Like the Bondarchuk version, Kutuzov is also portrayed well (by Frank Middlemass in the BBC version). The BBC version also fully develops characters such as Pierre's transformation with a wide range of scenes (e.g., freemasonry, marriage and family life with Natasha following the war) that are not shown in the other versions. This is the only version to actually conclude the novel as Tolstoy did with the epilogue showing Pierre and Natasha and Nikolai and Maria happily raising their families some eight years after the war. Likewise, a range of supporting characters (e.g., Boris Drubetskoy) are only shown in this splendid production thanks to the depth of the 20 episodes. Character develop and historic perspective is best portrayed through these episodes. Since they occur in episodes and are accompanied by the richly illustrated viewer guide with background on the original production, it is a very pleasant experience to view the BBC series in episodes as television series like Masterpiece Theater years ago provided extended TV series for richer development of novels. This is important given the sweeping extent of Tolstoy's novel.Lastly, it is great to see Anthony Hopkins in one of his earlier masterpieces portraying Pierre. Morag Hood and Joanna David as Natasha and Sonya are good as well. The other actors, such as Sylvester Morand (Nikolai) and Alan Dobie (Andrei) are also good. Given the strong acting, depth of portraying the novel and its characters, and accuracy to Tolstoy's storyline, I would suggest if you had to pick one version, the 1972 BBC DVD version (note - many scenes were deleted in the VHS version) would be my first choice. Although if you love the novel and have reread it like I have, the 2007 Italian version and the 1968 Bondarchuk version are definitely worth a look too.

Arrivé rapidement et en très bon état

Was mich eigentlich zum Kauf veranlaßt hat, war das Titelbild mit Anthony Hopkins. Aha, Pierre Bezukhov, dachte ich. Und dann noch von Anthony Hopkins gespielt, einem Schauspieler-Kaliber der allerersten Klasse. Ich wurde enttäuscht und zugleich nicht enttäuscht. Als ich die DVD in meinen Computer einlegte - meine Frau belegt immer das Fernsehen mit Kochsendungen und Krimis - war ich zunächst enttäuscht von der Bild-"Qualität". Was ist das denn, dachte ich, und mußte erstmal verschiedene Einstellungen vornehmen, um das Bild dem heute üblichen Format anzupassen. Nicht etwa so, daß die Leute plötzlich breit und dick wurden, aber eben so, daß oben und unten ein wenig abgeschnitten wurde. Im übrigen war das ganze nun beileibe keine HD-Qualität. Ein alter Film, von 1972, und man sieht es ihm auch an. Du lieber Himmel, das kann ja heiter werden, dachte ich bei mir, und die Erinnerungen an die Vietnam-Demonstrationen waren klarer als das "Fernseh"-Bild.Was ich dann allerdings geboten bekam, schlug alle Rekorde. Erstklassige schauspielerische Leistungen - nicht nur von Anthony Hopkins - mit Dialogen (manchmal auch nachdenklichen Selbstbetrachtungen), die sich ziemlich genau an Tolstois Romanvorlage halten. Durchaus auch Inneneinrichtungen und Bekleidung, die auf mich überzeugend und für das frühe neunzehnte Jahrhundert - soweit ich das beurteilen kann - realitätsnah wirkten. Selbst die Außenaufnahmen etwa mit den Kämpfen bei Austerlitz und Borodino waren nicht mal schlecht, auch wenn man heutzutage dank CGI an ganz andere Ausmaße und Qualitäten gewöhnt ist. Ich bin - trotz höheren Alters - selbst Computer-Gamer und weiß, wovon ich spreche. Und ich hab' 'ne ziemlich starke Grafikkarte. Aber ich weiß auch, daß bloße Technik eben noch lange nicht alles ist, und sei sie noch so perfekt. Was dazu kommen muß, ist - Charisma. Etwas, das man früher als "das Herz" bezeichnete. Das mag sich pathetisch anhören, trifft aber meines Erachtens genau den Kern.Um ein Beispiel zu nennen: Die Szene aus der fünften Episode, wo die Gesellschaft in einem Landhaus zu Gast ist. Nach einer Jagd auf eine Wölfin. Die Außenaufnahmen hätten - gemäß der Jahreszeit - deutlich winterlicher ausfallen müssen. Nicht vergessen: Man befand sich in Rußland. Aber das, was dann kam, kann man nur mit dem Titel eines Buchs über russische Geschichte von Orlando Figes beschreiben: "Nataschas Tanz".Hier war Natascha Rostowa auf einmal nicht mehr nur das liebe, überschwengliche und stets gut gelaunte Mädchen. Nicht bloß die zweite Tochter einer auf's Französische (der damaligen Mode und auch Sprachgewohnheit der sogenannten "oberen Klassen" entsprechend) ausgerichteten russischen Adelsfamilie. Hier war sie im Kern Russin. Was sich im übrigen auch in späteren Szenen zeigt. Hier bewies sich etwa, was die - auch mir bis dahin völlig unbekannte - Schauspielerin Morag Hood konnte (leider viel zu früh verstorben, die Dame. Krebs).Man kann diese Verfilmung eigentlich eher als ein Bühnen- oder Theaterstück bezeichnen. Aber eins, das Tolstois Roman mit seinen Zwischentönen, Nuancen, menschlichen Differenzen, ja: Abgründen - und dann wiederum seiner ungebremsten Lebensfreude - kurzum: dem Kreislauf und zugleich der Willkür des Lebens - noch am ehesten gerecht wird. Mag philosophisch klingen, trifft aber meiner Meinung nach genau den Kern. Es kommt eben darauf an, wie genau man zuhören kann. Auch als Computer-Gamer.Es gibt eine neue Verfilmung dieses Stoffs von 2016 seitens der BBC. Zum Vergleich werde ich mir die bestellen. Aber ich weiß jetzt schon: Sie wird technisch perfekt sein, auch dank CGI, aber sie wird nicht halb soviel Tiefe bieten wie die Verfilmung von damals. Möge Tolstoi mir verzeihen, aber ich bin nunmal ein neugieriger Mensch.

An excellant adaptation of War and Peace with a very young Anthony Hopkins playing an excellent Pierre Bezuhov, Tolstoy's ideas come through well.

Edizione con l'audio e i sottotitoli in inglese.Versione molto lunga, che tratta in modo soddisfacente tutti i diversi aspetti del romanzo (l'aspetto storico, l'aspetto psicologico, l'aspetto etico, romantico, ecc.). La recitazione è ottima, e la regia molto buona.Nel 2016 è uscita in DVD anche un'altra versione prodotta dalla BBC, un po' più corta, che all'inizio sembra insoddisfacente ma poiu "decolla" e diventa anch'essa molto buona (sebbene un poco meno buona della precedente).

Tolstoy's epic was one of the few 19th century novels I'd never read before I viewed this DVD; but I often think it's better to see an adaptation before the book, as doing it the other way round invariably leads to frustration over characters and storylines left out as well as liberties taken with text. Read the book second, however, and you get everything that was in the adaptation and so much more. Therefore, I am currently reading the book, mainly due to seeing this adaptation. It's so good it makes you want to read the book.Appearing smack bang in the middle of an age when British television had a confidence and verve it hasn't had in a long time, the BBC's 1972 production of 'War and Peace' spans 20 episodes - unthinkable in today's climate, where six episodes is pushing it. People often speak of BBC TV Centre being akin to MGM in the 30s at the time this production was made, and whereas a large-scale TV adaptation produced today usually sets its interior scenes in real locations (probably due to the dearth of available studios with the Beeb, in their wisdom, having sold most of them off), here every drawing-room, ballroom and log cabin is on home turf, Shepherd's Bush W12. But if that implies a production on the cheap, think again. The battle scenes, filmed in Yugoslavia with a cast of thousands, are remarkably impressive for a 40-year-old production, as are the scenes of the French Army's withdrawal from Russia in the depths of winter.Yes, some of the acting appears a little 'stagey' by today's standards, but 70s TV drama was mostly informed by theatre, whereas today it's mostly informed by film. And, for an actor whose subsequent OTT hamminess seems to increase with every movie, Anthony Hopkins' small-screen portrayal of Pierre is outstanding. He dominates every scene he's in and when he's not around, you want him to appear. His performance tracks Pierre's journey from socially inadequate wastrel to sensitive intellectual with wonderful understated delicacy and it's no wonder he grabbed a BAFTA for it. Mention, too, must go to Morag Hood's portrayal of Natasha; even if she's visibly too old to play a 13-year-old (as she is in the book) at the beginning, she does do an excellent job covering Natasha's maturity from vain, spoilt, selfish brat to battle-scarred young woman. Alan Dobie is similarly memorable as the terminally-disillusioned Andrey, Angela Down gives another great performance in her 70s TV canon as Maria (making the viewer wonder where such a gifted actress disappeared to) and for those who only remember David Swift from the 90s sitcom, 'Drop The Dead Donkey', prepare to be bowled over by his turn as Napoleon.It's a measure of the confidence running through the BBC when colour TV was opening exciting new doors that an entire episode is devoted solely to Bonaparte and his generals, with the rest of the cast completely absent. Put brave moves like this alongside the number of episodes, which were screened weekly as opposed to nightly, and you really get a sense of how television in the early 70s had enough faith in the patience and intelligence of its viewers not to talk down to them or serve them their programmes in bite-size portions. In 1972, fresh from 'The Forsyte Saga', 'The First Churchills', 'The Six Wives of Henry VIII' and 'Elizabeth R', audiences must have thought productions like this were the future in a medium that seemed to have the budget to match its ambition. Forty years later, however, it's rather sad that such epics are very much a part of television's past. We won't see their like again, so buy this and marvel at what we've lost.