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War and Peace (Special Edition) DVD
$59.99
"This has to be the greatest film ever made. It's certainly the most expensive, but that doesn't tell the whole story. In the English-dubbed version, which is slightly abridged from the original Russian-language version, the film quality is a little ragged, the color looks a little washed-out for about the first third of the film, and the dubbing isn't perfectly done, but in spite of these drawbacks the greatness of it comes through (can we hope for a restoration in the near future?). The absolute fidelity to Tolstoy and the understanding of what makes a great film are a combination unequaled. The battle of Borodino in this film is, as far as I know, the largest battle ever staged for a movie. One can only wonder how a director handles something of that size. Then there's the burning and looting of Moscow, there's the retreat of the French, rank after rank, through mud and snow... But the lives and personalities of the characters in the film really stand out. To repeat something said by another reviewer, you will fall in love with Natasha just as Pierre did. That'll happen about the time of the ball in Petersburg, where she dances with Prince Andrei, in what I'm convinced is the most romantic scene in any movie anywhere. Never before or since, in literature or in film, has there been so enchanting, so captivating a heroine. In the 1956 Hollywood version, Audrey Hepburn had the role, but she was mainly playing Audrey Hepburn. (Incidentally, Henry Fonda, though likeable, was badly miscast as Pierre Bezukhov. He walks through that film like a cowboy wearin' fancy duds an' spectacles.) But Ludmila Savelyeva here IS Natasha. ...And, of course, there's the superb direction throughout by Sergei Bondarchuk (Pierre), there's the powerful and moving score by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov...You should see both the English-dubbed version and the original Russian-with-subtitles. The latter is more complete, with gorgeous color, but the former has a more immediate emotional impact due to the lack of the extra step in reading a subtitle, and the voices chosen for the overdubbing are quite good, as is that of the narrator, Norman Rose. In a way, they're two different films, but two different films that are the greatest film ever made. It will truly stay with you. (BL, Tucker, GA)"
"This has to be the greatest film ever made. It's certainly the most expensive, but that doesn't tell the whole story. In the English-dubbed version, which is slightly abridged from the original Russian-language version, the film quality is a little ragged, the color looks a little washed-out for about the first third of the film, and the dubbing isn't perfectly done, but in spite of these drawbacks the greatness of it comes through (can we hope for a restoration in the near future?). The absolute fidelity to Tolstoy and the understanding of what makes a great film are a combination unequaled. The battle of Borodino in this film is, as far as I know, the largest battle ever staged for a movie. One can only wonder how a director handles something of that size. Then there's the burning and looting of Moscow, there's the retreat of the French, rank after rank, through mud and snow... But the lives and personalities of the characters in the film really stand out. To repeat something said by another reviewer, you will fall in love with Natasha just as Pierre did. That'll happen about the time of the ball in Petersburg, where she dances with Prince Andrei, in what I'm convinced is the most romantic scene in any movie anywhere. Never before or since, in literature or in film, has there been so enchanting, so captivating a heroine. In the 1956 Hollywood version, Audrey Hepburn had the role, but she was mainly playing Audrey Hepburn. (Incidentally, Henry Fonda, though likeable, was badly miscast as Pierre Bezukhov. He walks through that film like a cowboy wearin' fancy duds an' spectacles.) But Ludmila Savelyeva here IS Natasha. ...And, of course, there's the superb direction throughout by Sergei Bondarchuk (Pierre), there's the powerful and moving score by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov...You should see both the English-dubbed version and the original Russian-with-subtitles. The latter is more complete, with gorgeous color, but the former has a more immediate emotional impact due to the lack of the extra step in reading a subtitle, and the voices chosen for the overdubbing are quite good, as is that of the narrator, Norman Rose. In a way, they're two different films, but two different films that are the greatest film ever made. It will truly stay with you. (BL, Tucker, GA)"