War and Peace (1967)
"Voyna i mir" (original title)

Eight-hour epic based on the eponymous book by Leo Tolstoy. Two main story-lines are complex and intertwined. One is the love story of young Countess Natasha Rostova and Count Pierre ... See full summary »

Director:

Sergey Bondarchuk

Writers:

Sergey Bondarchuk, Vasili Solovyov,

Stars:

Sergey Bondarchuk, Lyudmila Saveleva, Vyacheslav Tikhonov

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sergey Bondarchuk	...	Pierre Bezukhov
Lyudmila Saveleva	...	Natasha Rostova
Vyacheslav Tikhonov	...	Prince Andrei Bolkonsky
Boris Zakhava	...	Field Marshal Kutuzov
Anatoli Ktorov	...	Prince Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky
Anastasiya Vertinskaya	...	Pricess Lisa Bolkonskaya
Antonina Shuranova	...	Princess Maria Bolkonskaya
Oleg Tabakov	...	Nikolai Rostov
Viktor Stanitsyn	...	Ilya Andreyevich Rostov
Irina Skobtseva	...	Hélène Bezukhova
Boris Smirnov	...	Prince Vasili Kuragin
Vasili Lanovoy	...	Anatol Kuragin
Kira Golovko	...	Countess Rostova
Irina Gubanova	...	Sonia Rostova
Aleksandr Borisov	...	Uncle Rostov

Storyline

Eight-hour epic based on the eponymous book by Leo Tolstoy. Two main story-lines are complex and intertwined. One is the love story of young Countess Natasha Rostova and Count Pierre Bezukhov, who is unhappy in his marriage. Another is the "Great Patriotic War" of 1812 against the invading Napoleon's Armies. The people of Russia from all classes of society stand up united against the enemy. The 500,000 strong Napoleon's army moves through Russia and causes much destruction culminating in the battle of Borodino. The Russian army has to retreat. Moscow is occupied, looted and burned down, but soon Napoleon loses control and has to flee. Both sides suffer tremendous losses in the war, and Russian society is left irrevocably changed.

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Plot Keywords:

russia | battle | marriage | russian army | epic | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian German French

Release Date:

28 April 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

War and Peace

Filming Locations:

Arkhangelskoe, Moscow, Russia

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mosfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

427 min 401 min (video) 414 min (4 parts) 263 min (2 parts) 453 min (4 parts) 403 min (Québec)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Mono (RCA Sound System) (35 mm prints) Dolby Digital (Restored version)

Color:

Color (Sovcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Bondarchuk made history by introducing remote-controlled cameras that were moving on 300 meter-long wires above the scene of the battlefield.

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Goofs

During the battle of Borodino sequence, as the camera pans down the lines of Russian troops sitting in reserve, a soldier can be clearly seen wearing a modern wristwatch.

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Quotes

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky: How can you be sure what will do harm to another man?. Personally, I know of only two real evils in life: Remorse and sickness.And happiness is the absence of those two evils.

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Connections

Version of War & Peace (1972)

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Soundtracks

"Prologue"
(uncredited)
from "L'Incoronazione di Poppea"
Composed by Claudio Monteverdi
Written by Giovanni Francesco Busenello

User Reviews

butchered classic

Do not watch the US video release, it's a disgrace; a bit like cutting off a bird's wings and forcing it to bark like a dog. The original is breathless in scope and profoundly moving - it is in four parts and runs close to seven hours, and there are good reasons for its length as any can guess who have read the book. If only someone had the conviction and decency to prevent this kind of mangling. I wonder how Tolstoy would have felt if they had told him 'War and Peace', the 'US version', would only be published as cliffnotes.