War and Peace

War and Peace

By Mario Soldati & King Vidor

  • Genre: Classics
  • Release Date: 1956-08-21
  • Advisory Rating: PG
  • Runtime: 3h 28min
  • Director: Mario Soldati & King Vidor
  • Production Company: Paramount Pictures
  • Production Country: Italy, United States of America
  • iTunes Price: USD 12.99
  • iTunes Rent Price: USD 3.99
6.6/10
6.6
From 235 Ratings

Description

War and Peace is a commendable attempt to boil down Tolstoy's long, difficult novel into 208 minutes' screen time. In recreating the the social and personal upheavals attending Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia, $6 million was shelled out by coproducers Carlo Ponti, Dino de Laurentiis and Paramount Pictures. Some of the panoramic battle sequences are so expertly handled by second-unit director Mario Soldati that they appear to be Technicolor-and-Vistavision newsreel footage of the actual events. Still, the film falters dramatically, principally because of a lumpy script and King Vidor's surprisingly lustreless direction. In addition, the casting is wildly consistent: for example, while Audrey Hepburn is flawless as Natasha, Henry Fonda is far too "Yankeefied" as the introspective Pierre. Proving too long and unwieldy for most audiences, War and Peace died at the box office; far more successful was the epic, scrupulously faithful 1968 version, filmed in the Soviet Union.

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Reviews

  • 1.4gb

    5
    By Afsharatefi
    Cleaning up
  • Too condensed

    3
    By parent of teen
    Just finished reading the book. And this movie at parts were told as the story... The scene at the opera happened the way I pictured it. I however felt that a book of this caliber and length could not be done in one movie. War and Peace was in fact a series of books and breaking it up into the seperate books would have captured more of what Tolstoy was trying to convey. But nothing substitues the book. Unfortunatly the movie series was a newer idea when these actore were active... Audrey Hepburn is my favorite actress. But I think that her portrayal of Natasha was too grown up at the begining. She has the perfect looks but she is not happy go lucky as young and happy Natasha.. I think she would have made a better sonya. .... but that may just be me. The one who played Helene' and her brother were perfect for their parts. The opera scene and the party after was well done. What I find after reading the book is that some of the character did not fit at all how I pictured them in the book. And some very interesting and important characters were missing. And because they were missing they had to improvise and have people in parts where they were not present in the book... Those things would be fine if you have not read the book and you really want to watch an entertaining movie. The movie was very entertaining and I like Henry Fonda and Audrey Hepburn. And if I did not read the book right before watching I would have added a star. I am comparing with the book so take that into account while reading this review. I perfer Anthony Hopkins Pierre.. much more fit. I think that Henry Fonda would have been great as the Rostov father maybe made up to look a little older. I really would like for Hollywood to try to tackle this story again. But what I would do differntly is to start with a younger Petya, Natasha and Sonya... I would add the missing characters. I would break it up in the individual books. (war and peace is made up of multiple books) And I would try to stay as close as it is possible to the book.. It is an great book and even if the do all that this review is suggesting things would still be missing but you can get closer to what it is about. As for now the BBC special is a little closer to the original. still missing bits and peaces.. After saying all that...this is still a good movie on its own merits.... If you have not read the story and you are a big fan of Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda I think that this is a good production. Just that they changed parts because they cut out some key characters for time and money purposes. So enjoy as is. But if you are looking for something closer to book go with BBC or one of the other tv specials. This movie touches the entertainment surface. Misses the deeper meaning and storyline. But it is good for a short and condensed version...
  • Works Wonders

    5
    By RJ@21
    My #1 choice when i need more storage
  • lol

    5
    By ASDFGHJKL231
    free storage
  • Best movie by far!!!

    5
    By Neto26383
    Especially when it clears up my space
  • Simply amazing.

    5
    By WowSuchReviews
    From scene one, the drama is unending. As soon as I clicked that button I knew I was in for something special. Through twists and turns, ups and downs, we make it till the end. Wow. My breath is taken away. And there it is... the free space on my phone I've been seeking.
  • BS

    1
    By SheaPuff
    Didn't have any space on my phone but I bought it guess that trick don't work anymore
  • Just passin by

    5
    By AWESOMExRICHMAN
    I just come here everyday to spare some storage
  • Phenomenal

    5
    By jxhra
    I have cried laughed screamed all because it cleared up space.
  • Space

    5
    By ultradad6
    5 stars because it frees up space...It's not actually a good movie.

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