War and Peace

Russian Federation 1966, 422 minutes
Dir. Sergei Bondarchuk
In Russian with English subtitles
Rating: [PG]
Genres: Foreign Cinema, Drama, Classics / Epic, War

Topics: Period - 1800s.

Feat. Lyudmila Savelyeva, Vyacheslav Tikhonov, Irina Gubanova

Aroview: The definitive version of Leo Tolstoy's gargantuan novel, set during the Napoleonic invasion of Russia in the early 19th century. Nothing else quite matches the spectacle of war created here, be it the smoke-swathed battlefields milling with 20,000 extras, or the adroit handling of multiple storylines.

Member Reviews

Average rating (Exceptional). Showing 1-2 of 2 member reviews.

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5 stars (Exceptional) Brilliant spectacle, 6.5 hours in length. Quite gruelling. Ideally watched in a single sitting, with pre-prepared snacks and short breaks every 2 hours. A great introduction to the grand sweep of Russia and its history! Terrific! ~Sandy
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5 stars (Exceptional) Wonderful epic ~emjay

DVD Features

-Interview with cinematographer Anatoly Petritsky and Filmmaker Fedor Bondarchuk (Son of Dir. Sergei Bondarchuk).
-Two Documentaries from 1966 and 1967 about the making of the film.
-Program with historian Denise J. Youngblood detailing the cultural and historical contexts of the film and literary text.