War and Peace

This hs blown my mind both times I've watched it. The caliber of Bondarchuk's spectacle we shall probably never see again. It's one of the most expensive productions of all time - and, boy, does it show! 7 hours worth of epicness (from the dancehall parties onto the battlefield), all of which breeze by. Stupendous and larger-than-life in every way.

An achievement in cinematography and art direction, but totally anemic in direction and dramaturgy. I can't believe there are people who have been actually engrossed by it. There must be some kind of special niche audience that drool over epic battle scenes.

The length isn't the issue, it's that there's no real tension or strong central performance to keep you from being overwhelmed by the repetitive ball/battle/family scenes. They're animated and there's an epic sweep to the whole thing but I didn't really care about anyone.

A big book needs a big movie, and this is the epic to end all epics. Bondarchuk does a terrific job with just about every aspect of it, keeping it compelling for most of the entire length of the picture. It's poetic, moving, beautiful and horrifying. Some of the most intricate battle scenes I've ever seen. Glorious music. The acting is first-rate. Despite the epic sweep and gigantic cast, the story stays focused primarily on three characters, which keeps things from ever getting too confusing.

"Sergei Bondarchuk epic and unsurpassed adaptation of the great novel is a must for anyone interested in cinema or literature."

A very good movie let down by a surprisingly weak final part.

all right which one of you fuckers invited the bear

https://letterboxd.com/ladyspiggott/film/war-and-peace-1966/

After 90 minutes I realised I was only interested in the technical side of the film. The story and characters on the other hand, I could not have cared less. It might have got better but I gave up. Life's too short.

Extreme in all meanings of the word.

Some of the more intimate moments of this mammoth film feel logy and conventional, but when it embraces its epic scope (especially in Parts 3 and 4), it's often amazing. The acting is consistently fine, but it's Anatoli Petritsky's breathtaking cinematography, Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov's beautiful music, the sweeping battles, irreproachable period recreation, and Sergei Bondarchuk's valiant direction that cement themselves in one's memory. A surprisingly brisk seven hours of entertainment.

#723

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# 823

Now here's an epic for you. The Commie didn't always get their films right, but this movie is never boring despite being eight hours long. Well worth seeing