War and Peace (Widescreen): Amazon.ca: DVD: DVD

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Despite its reputation as an oversimplified epic, King Vidor's War and Peace remains a stellar showcase of Hollywood prestige. While Cecil B. De Mille was reviving ancient Egypt for The Ten Commandments, Vidor was transforming Italian countryside into war-torn Russia, bringing massive resources to bear on this sumptuous, if ultimately misguided adaptation of Tolstoy's classic. Given the marquee casting of Audrey Hepburn as Natasha and then-husband Mel Ferrer as decorated battle hero Prince Andrei, this is a movie you watch for star value, not literary fidelity (for the latter, look to Sergei Bondarchuk's Russian version). Henry Fonda serves Tolstoy more effectively as Pierre, whose passive observation of Napoleon's invasion turns this grand moral tale into an intimate study of individual passions. The battle scenes (directed by Mario Soldati) remain impressive, as does the film's grand parade of pomp and circumstance. Slow, regal, and peppered with brilliance, this epic falls short of classic but it's still a visual feast. --Jeff Shannon

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25 Reviews

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4.0 out of 5 stars (25 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid film... but wait until you see the Russian version!, Dec 2 2002

By

"widescreenguy" (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: War and Peace (Widescreen) (DVD)

I was 16 went I saw the original theatrical release of Paramount's 1956 version of War & Peace. I was enthralled... but then in those days I was enthralled with every wide-screen, stereo sound movie I saw. I even enjoyed Beneath The 12 Mile Reef !!! Since those heady days I have tried to watch this Hollywood version of Tolstoy's epic novel on TV and VHS, but was always panned-and-scaned into numbness. With the Dec. 3rd , 2002, release, after nearly a half-century of missing its left and right sides, this solid, and beautifully mounted film emerges once again in its wide screen glory.

Of course condensing a 1000 page novel into three hours eliminates many of Tolstoy's details, but the basic story remains very much in tact. What is stellar here is the cast. In 1956 Audrey Hepburn was peaking, both as an actress and a beauty. Henry Fonda played a sympathetic Pierre with considerable grace, and Mel Ferrer did admirably with the difficult role of the moody Andrei. Most impressive is Oscar (Mr. Eyebrows) Holmolka as General Katuzov, and Herbert Lom makes a believable brooding Napoleon. You even get Anita Ekberg! Then when you add John Mills, Vittorio Gassman and a number of other accomplished performers, this becomes a film well worth watching. It is also notable because it was the last major directing effort by silent film master, King Vidor.

But hang on! Also in December the eminently preferable, 1968 Sergi Bondarchuk Mosfilm six-hour version of War & Peace also comes out on DVD. Paramount put together a "cast of thousands," but Mosfilm appears to have assembled a "cast of millions" To portray the vast French and Russian forces, Bondarchuk did not need "digital clones" for he had the services of the entire Red Army. In 1956 I was very impressed with Vidor's Battle of Bordino sequence, but compared the action Bondarchuk puts on the screen during the defense of Moscow, it almost seems quaint.

Paramount's version is fine, but wait until Bondarchuk takes you on a ride across the battle field by hitching his camera to a cannonball.

Clark Santee

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5.0 out of 5 stars Still The Best, May 20 2004

By

Tom MacFarlane - See all my reviews

This review is from: War and Peace (Widescreen) (DVD)

This is an appeal to Hollywood, if anyone's listening.
I first saw this film in 1956, when it first opened in the UK.

I've seen it several times since, but all I can get here across the pond, is a second hand video at an extortionate price of nearly � 40.

Please can we have it on DVD? SOON!

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4.0 out of 5 stars Hello?, May 8 2004

By

Dr. Mohamed A. Omar "directorguy_" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: War and Peace (Widescreen) (DVD)

Hasn't anyone ever heard of something called DIGITAL RESTORATION? Why must evryone keep waiting for sudios to release all these movies on proper 3- disc sets with a proper restoration. i mean, look what they did to My Fair LADY, it was so well restored that i couldn' tell the difference. even gone with the Wind hasn't had a proper DvD release yet.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars great film
War and Peace is a wonderful film and Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer are great in it. Its a must see performance. Truly good.

Published on May 6 2004 by M. J Myles

4.0 out of 5 stars It should have and could have been so much better....
It has been almost 50 years since this film first appeared, allegedly based on Tolstoy's novel and stolidly directed by King Vidor. Read more

Published on Feb 18 2004 by Robert Morris