War and Peace

Rating:
Summary: Stunning, involving, definitive movie version of the book.
Review: I have seen this both on video and in the cinema (over a period of days). The production values are unbelivably huge. Massive battle scenes give a powerfully vivid feeling of how it must have been. The acting is realistic - you will fall in love with Natasha just as Pierre did.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant film
Review: I just finished watching the 4-disk DVD version of this film. I had seen it long ago, at a theater in Boston where they did it right: they took a break in the middle and everyone filed into the lobby for champagne and finger foods. It holds up.

Much was made of the opening battle scenes in "Saving Private Ryan," but this film conveyed the confusion and horror of war quite as effectively, many years before. Fans of "shaky cam" cinematography should note its effective use here.

Once again I was spellbound by Natasha, and her transformation from child to mature woman; I doubt there will ever be another movie in which the actors actually grow, along with their characters, over its span.

This is one film in which the DVD presentation of separate "scenes" mirrors the actual structure. Many of the scenes are separate compositions in their own right, with their own music and tone. Natasha's first ball, with its sweeping waltz music and swirling camerawork, is one example.

I will have to borrow my son's projection video unit to screen this again: even on a fairly large SONY Wega screen, you simply can't appreciate the scope and detail.

Aside from assorted glitches and awkward moments (and a certain understandable Russian jingoism), as other reviewers have noted there is one major flaw: the use of cinematic gimmicks that were never very effective and now seem dated as well. Some of the techniques, such as the shaky cam, the crane shots, the endless sweeping pans with choreographed action at multiple levels, are very effective. But generally the acting and directing was sufficient; it was unnecessary to glitz it up with multiple images, blue-screen tricks and so on. In fact, now that computer-generated effects are so much more sophisticated, the power of this movie lies in the scenes that AREN'T done by special effects. Some day, when I have a computer large enough to stuff this whole production into it, maybe I'll try producing a version with the more egregious gimmicks excised. I bet it would be even more stunning.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant film
Review: I just finished watching the 4-disk DVD version of this film. I had seen it long ago, at a theater in Boston where they did it right: they took a break in the middle and everyone filed into the lobby for champagne and finger foods. It holds up.

Much was made of the opening battle scenes in "Saving Private Ryan," but this film conveyed the confusion and horror of war quite as effectively, many years before. Fans of "shaky cam" cinematography should note its effective use here.

Once again I was spellbound by Natasha, and her transformation from child to mature woman; I doubt there will ever be another movie in which the actors actually grow, along with their characters, over its span.

This is one film in which the DVD presentation of separate "scenes" mirrors the actual structure. Many of the scenes are separate compositions in their own right, with their own music and tone. Natasha's first ball, with its sweeping waltz music and swirling camerawork, is one example.

I will have to borrow my son's projection video unit to screen this again: even on a fairly large SONY Wega screen, you simply can't appreciate the scope and detail.

Aside from assorted glitches and awkward moments (and a certain understandable Russian jingoism), as other reviewers have noted there is one major flaw: the use of cinematic gimmicks that were never very effective and now seem dated as well. Some of the techniques, such as the shaky cam, the crane shots, the endless sweeping pans with choreographed action at multiple levels, are very effective. But generally the acting and directing was sufficient; it was unnecessary to glitz it up with multiple images, blue-screen tricks and so on. In fact, now that computer-generated effects are so much more sophisticated, the power of this movie lies in the scenes that AREN'T done by special effects. Some day, when I have a computer large enough to stuff this whole production into it, maybe I'll try producing a version with the more egregious gimmicks excised. I bet it would be even more stunning.

Rating:
Summary: WAR & PEACE: A Magnificent Cinematic Achievement
Review: I just finished watching the Image 16 X 9 five-disc box set of WAR AND PEACE. I'll admit up front that I haven't seen the Kultur full frame version, so I can't intelligently compare picture and sound quality. The Kultur version is available only in Russian with English subs, whereas the Image version gives you the choice of Russian, English or French language tracks along with more subtitle options than I've ever seen offered on any DVD.

First off, the film is an epic story and is powerfully cinematic. It's evenly divided between the war and peace sections. No film could really do justice to Tolstoy's great novel -----except perhaps a very long TV mini series------but at seven hours Sergei Bondarchuk had the scope to attempt it. The characters are extremely well drawn: the actress playing Natasha looks very much like Audrey Hepburn; however, the actor playing Pierre looked so much like one of Benny Hill's characters that I had a little trouble getting over it. The interior sets are nothing less than magnificent and the exterior cinematography dynamically sets the mood. The script condenses Tolstoy's masterpiece as well as can be expected for a novel close to twice the length of Gone With the Wind. There are some scenes of tremendous power that you won't soon forget and I've never seen a film make such narrative use of moving clouds. They almost become a character in the film.

As to quality: the sound is quite good. The picture, though, was obviously taken from a dupe negative. The close ups are fine, but the interior long shots are soft and grainy-------but are mercifully kept to a minimum. If you're going to watch it with the English track, turn on the subtitles because many times during the film an English dubbed translation is not available for certain passages, but is given in the subtitles. My guess is------because the print was assembled from several different sources and differs from the shortened version seen in English speaking countries--------that there was no English track for many scenes.

During this era, Russian was considered the language of the peasants. The aristocracy spoke French. On first hearing French, I thought the filmmakers were being historically accurate, but when I heard Russian and there was again no English dubbing, I came to a different conclusion.

The idealistic ending may bother some of the realists out there, but the "forgive your enemies-brotherhood of man" theme was very much a part of Tolstoy's novel.

The fifth (bonus) disc contains documentaries on Tolstoy, Russian history, interviews, etc. This is one of Image's most prestigious releases so far.

Jay F.

Rating:
Summary: WAR & PEACE: A Magnificent Cinematic Achievement
Review: I just finished watching the Image 16 X 9 five-disc box set of WAR AND PEACE. I'll admit up front that I haven't seen the Kultur full frame version, so I can't intelligently compare picture and sound quality. The Kultur version is available only in Russian with English subs, whereas the Image version gives you the choice of Russian, English or French language tracks along with more subtitle options than I've ever seen offered on any DVD.

First off, the film is an epic story and is powerfully cinematic. It's evenly divided between the war and peace sections. No film could really do justice to Tolstoy's great novel -----except perhaps a very long TV mini series------but at seven hours Sergei Bondarchuk had the scope to attempt it. The characters are extremely well drawn: the actress playing Natasha looks very much like Audrey Hepburn; however, the actor playing Pierre looked so much like one of Benny Hill's characters that I had a little trouble getting over it. The interior sets are nothing less than magnificent and the exterior cinematography dynamically sets the mood. The script condenses Tolstoy's masterpiece as well as can be expected for a novel close to twice the length of Gone With the Wind. There are some scenes of tremendous power that you won't soon forget and I've never seen a film make such narrative use of moving clouds. They almost become a character in the film.

As to quality: the sound is quite good. The picture, though, was obviously taken from a dupe negative. The close ups are fine, but the interior long shots are soft and grainy-------but are mercifully kept to a minimum. If you're going to watch it with the English track, turn on the subtitles because many times during the film an English dubbed translation is not available for certain passages, but is given in the subtitles. My guess is------because the print was assembled from several different sources and differs from the shortened version seen in English speaking countries--------that there was no English track for many scenes.

During this era, Russian was considered the language of the peasants. The aristocracy spoke French. On first hearing French, I thought the filmmakers were being historically accurate, but when I heard Russian and there was again no English dubbing, I came to a different conclusion.

The idealistic ending may bother some of the realists out there, but the "forgive your enemies-brotherhood of man" theme was very much a part of Tolstoy's novel.

The fifth (bonus) disc contains documentaries on Tolstoy, Russian history, interviews, etc. This is one of Image's most prestigious releases so far.

Jay F.

Rating:
Summary: Priceless film
Review: I just spent the weekend watching the new DVD special edition of this work. In one word: amazing!! The sheer scope of the picture, location shots, costumes, acting, etc. combines to present an authentic vision of early 19th century Russia. You actually feel like you have been transported back in time. What sets this picture apart is the fact that the actors are really Russian. You can "feel" the parts they play. The beginning of the picture is very slow, as other reviewers have reported. However, the whole environment of the film soon engulfs you. Stand out scenes are the sleigh rides with the horse bells, the ballroom scenes and obviously the battle sections (200,000 extras, the Russian army).Of note is the use of candlelite to envoke an accurate image on the evening scenes. Authentic set pieces, paintings, pottery, etc. were provided by Russian museums. Picture David Lean's epic Dr. Zivago extended to double its length and triple its quality. No wonder the country almost went bankrupt producing it. The extra disc provides a fascinating "making of" sequence which is a must see for any epic film buff. If you have not seen this movie, buy the special edition. It is truly one of the best motion pictures ever made and definitely worth the cost of purchase. You will never want to see "Gone With The Wind" again.

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting
Review: I saw Part One of this film in a Tokyo theatre in 1967. The sound was in the original Russian with Japanses subtitles. I neither speak Russian nor read Japanese but I was utterly transfixed for the entire three hours. I left the theatre in a trance.

To it's credit, one of my local video rental stores stocks this title. However, their copy is the dubbed version and I strongly encourage anyone thinking of buying the VHS to get the Russian version with English subtitles. The beauty and the sense of authenticity that the Russian language provides is indispensible. Also, if you cannot buy both parts I and II, buy part I. It stands by itself as a complete film.

'War and Peace' just shimmers. It sparkles. If any film has ever succeeded in providing a lense into the past, this is it. One is simply transported. This is a dignified, majestic rendition of the great novel. In cinematic scope, if not in story content, it's granduer exceeds, indeed, outclasses anything Hollywood has ever produced. And yet, the lives of the characters are revealed with great sympathy and depth.

Having praised the film, I have to point out that it is brimming with marxist commentary. Strangely, however, this does not detract. The 1967 Tokyo filming included a short English-language propaganda prologue that is absent in the VHS tape that I viewed. If 'War and Peace' is ever re-released in DVD, it would be good to include this prologue for historical interest. How could a society so dedicated to world conquest and human enslavment create this jewel? That is a somber and important question.

Rating:
Summary: At last, a decent version of Bondarchuk's WAR AND PEACE!
Review: I was fortunate enough to obtain an advance copy of the Ruscico 5-disc box set of WAR AND PEACE recently. Image Entertainment has acquired U.S. distribution rights for it; after some delay, it is scheduled to street in June. The amount of care put into this particular version is obvious. The widescreen anamorphic transfer looks as good as can be expected, considering the condition in which the film has been preserved and the poor quality Soviet stock on which the film was originally shot. The kind of extensive clean-up and digital restoration we are used to from companies like Criterion would have been prohibitively expensive for such a long and poorly preserved film like this. If you keep that in mind while watching the DVD, you'll be satisfied indeed. The sound has also been meticulously restored. If that weren't enough, the set is full of all sorts of interesting supplemental features, including an interview with Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov, the film's composer. An appropriately massive DVD set for the most massive film of all.

On the other hand, Kultur's currently available DVD of Bondarchuk's WAR AND PEACE is a big disappointment. While it also contains the full-length, 403-minute version, it's the same old pan & scan transfer that they used for the VHS over a decade ago. Not only are the sides of the film's original widescreen image lopped off, the top and bottom of the image are slightly cropped too--as a result, the DVD displays only about 50% of the image that we are intended to see, effectively ruining the film's striking visual compositions. The 5-disc set produced by Ruscico and to be released by Image Entertainment is substantially more expensive, but it's the only way to go if you want to see this film properly.

Rating:
Summary: Lavish but disappointing
Review: I was so impressed with the lavish and authentic costumes and scenes. The battle scenes were very impressive. The acting was good but I'm sorry...the terrible dubbing just ruined this movie for me. Why someone didn't get a good company together to dub is hard to fathom. What a wonderful movie/VCR they would have had.

Savelyeva is such a haunting Natasha.Pierre(Bondarchuk) wonderfully acted even through the-terrible dubbing.

This is a good renter but I would not spend the money to buy it.

Rating:
Summary: War & Peace (1968)
Review: I've seen this movie on national TV several years ago and it's the very reason why I'm on Amazon.com now looking for a DVD re-lease. It has left a very indelible impression on my memory. The version I saw was dubbed in english and to compare it to an american movie like, say, Gone With The Wind I think War & Peace would be better. The battle scenes are so intense, effective, and so very well directed in fact the entire movie was. I'm just dis-appointed that on this age of DVD's there isn't a release of this fanatastic movie in that format. I hope when they do have one it would be the dubbed in english version one because though watching it in Russian would have a more exotic effect it would on the other hand make you miss the beauty of the scenes and direction coz you'd be busy reading the translation. Right!? And it is such a very, very good movie!!!