''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир,
trans. Voyna i mir) is a 1966–67 Soviet
war
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
co-written and directed by
Sergei Bondarchuk
Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (russian: Сергей Фёдорович Бондарчук, ; uk, Сергі́й Федорович Бондарчук, Serhíj Fédorovych Bondarchúk; 25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian ...
, adapted from
Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
's 1869 novel ''
War and Peace
''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...
''. The film, released in four installments throughout 1966 and 1967, starred Bondarchuk in the leading role of
Pierre Bezukhov
Count Pyotr "Pierre" Kirillovich Bezukhov (; russian: Пьер Безу́хов, Пётр Кири́ллович Безу́хов) is the fictional protagonist of Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace''. He is the favourite out of several illeg ...
, alongside
Vyacheslav Tikhonov
Vyacheslav Vasilyevich Tikhonov (russian: Вячесла́в Васи́льевич Ти́хонов; 8 February 1928, in Pavlovsky Posad – 4 December 2009, in Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian actor whose best known role was as Soviet spy, ...
and
Ludmila Savelyeva
Ludmila Mikhailovna Savelyeva (russian: Людмила Михайловна Савельева; born January 24, 1942, in Leningrad) is a Soviet and Russian stage and film actress. She achieved lasting fame in the role of Natasha Rostova in the ...
, who depicted Prince
Andrei Bolkonsky
Prince Andrei Nikolayevich Bolkonsky (russian: Андрей Николаевич Болконский) is a fictional character in Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace''. He is the son of famed Russian general Nikolai Bolkonsky, who raises An ...
and
Natasha Rostova
Natasha (russian: Наташа) is a name of Slavic origin. The Slavic name is the diminutive form of Natalia.
Notable people
* Natasha, the subject of ''Natasha's Story'', a 1994 nonfiction book
* Natasha Aguilar (1970–2016), Costa Rican sw ...
.
The film was produced by the
Mosfilm
Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output incl ...
studios between 1961 and 1967, with considerable support from the Soviet authorities and the Red Army which provided hundreds of horses and over ten thousand soldiers as extras. At a cost of 8.29 million
Rbls – equal to US$9.21 million at 1967 rates,
or $60–70 million in 2019, accounting for rouble inflation – it was the most expensive film made in the Soviet Union. Upon its release, it became a success with audiences, selling approximately 135 million tickets in the USSR. ''War and Peace'' also won the Grand Prix in the
Moscow International Film Festival
The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...
, the
Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film coul ...
and the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
. Since its release, the film has often been considered the grandest epic film ever made, with many asserting its monumental production to be unrepeatable and unique in film history.
Plot
Part I: Andrei Bolkonsky
In
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
of 1805,
Pierre Bezukhov
Count Pyotr "Pierre" Kirillovich Bezukhov (; russian: Пьер Безу́хов, Пётр Кири́ллович Безу́хов) is the fictional protagonist of Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace''. He is the favourite out of several illeg ...
, the
illegitimate son
Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...
of a rich nobleman, is introduced to high society. His friend, Prince
Andrei Bolkonsky
Prince Andrei Nikolayevich Bolkonsky (russian: Андрей Николаевич Болконский) is a fictional character in Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace''. He is the son of famed Russian general Nikolai Bolkonsky, who raises An ...
, joins the
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...
as aide-de-camp of General
Mikhail Kutuzov
Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov ( rus, Князь Михаи́л Илларио́нович Голени́щев-Куту́зов, Knyaz' Mikhaíl Illariónovich Goleníshchev-Kutúzov; german: Mikhail Illarion Golenishchev-Kut ...
in the
War of the Third Coalition
The War of the Third Coalition)
* In French historiography, it is known as the Austrian campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Autriche de 1805) or the German campaign of 1805 (french: Campagne d'Allemagne de 1805) was a European conflict spanni ...
against
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
. As Pierre's father recognizes him, Pierre attracts the attention of
Hélène Kuragina
Princess Yelena "Hélène" Vasilyevna Kuragina (russian: Елена "Эле́н" Васи́льевна Кура́гина) is a fictional character in Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace'' and its various cinematic adaptations. She is playe ...
and marries her, only to learn through rumor that she has been unfaithful and slept with Fyodor Dolokhov, an intimate of Hélène's brother
Anatole. Meanwhile, Andrei takes part in the failed campaign in Austria, where he witnesses the
Battle of Schöngrabern
The Battle of Schöngrabern, also known as the Battle of Hollabrunn, was an engagement in the Napoleonic Wars during the War of the Third Coalition, fought on 16 November 1805 near Hollabrunn in Lower Austria, four weeks after the Battle of Ul ...
and the
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near the town of Austerlitz i ...
, is badly wounded and mistaken for dead. He returns to his father's estate just in time to witness his wife Lisa die during childbirth.
Part II: Natasha Rostova
In the end of 1809, Natasha, the young daughter of a count
attends her first ball at age 16. Andrei Bolkonsky falls in love with her and intends to marry her, but his father demands they wait. Andrei travels abroad, and Natasha desperately longs for him. But she then meets the handsome Anatole Kuragin who falls in love with her and follows her with much passion. Overwhelmed Natasha decides she prefers him over Andrei. At the last minute, she regrets her choice and abandons her plans to elope with Anatole. However, Andrei has heard of her plans and declares their betrothal is over. Natasha suffers a nervous breakdown. Pierre, trying to calm her down, suddenly announces he loves her.
Part III: The Year 1812
In 1812,
Napoleon's Army invades Russia. Field Marshal Kutuzov is appointed by the Tsar to defend the land. Kutuzov asks Andrei to join him as a staff officer, but he requests a command in the field. Pierre approaches the battlefield of the upcoming confrontation between the armies during the
Battle of Borodino
The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...
, he volunteers to assist in an artillery battery. Andrei's unit waits in the reserve, but he is hit by a shell and both he and Anatole suffer severe wounds. The battle involves hundreds of thousands of soldiers, thousands of horses, hundreds of cannons firing from both sides. French Army forces the Russian Army to retreat leaving Moscow unprotected.
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
advances on
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
.
Part IV: Pierre Bezukhov
As
Moscow is set ablaze by the retreating Russians, the Rostovs flee their estate, taking wounded soldiers with them, and unbeknownst to them, also Andrei. Pierre, dressed as a peasant, tries to assassinate Napoleon but is taken prisoner. As the French are forced to retreat, he is marched for months with the
Grande Armée
''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empi ...
, until being freed by partisans. The French Armies are defeated by Field Marshal Kutuzov in the
Battle of Krasnoi
The Battle of Krasnoi (Krasny) was a series of skirmishes fought from 15 to 18 November 1812 during the final stage of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow.Lieven, p. 267. In this engagement the Russians under General Kutuzov inflicted heavy losses o ...
. Andrei is recognized and is brought to his estate. He forgives Natasha on his deathbed. She reunites with Pierre as Moscow is being rebuilt.
Cast
*
Sergei Bondarchuk
Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (russian: Сергей Фёдорович Бондарчук, ; uk, Сергі́й Федорович Бондарчук, Serhíj Fédorovych Bondarchúk; 25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian ...
as
Pierre Bezukhov
Count Pyotr "Pierre" Kirillovich Bezukhov (; russian: Пьер Безу́хов, Пётр Кири́ллович Безу́хов) is the fictional protagonist of Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace''. He is the favourite out of several illeg ...
*
Ludmila Savelyeva
Ludmila Mikhailovna Savelyeva (russian: Людмила Михайловна Савельева; born January 24, 1942, in Leningrad) is a Soviet and Russian stage and film actress. She achieved lasting fame in the role of Natasha Rostova in the ...
as
Natasha Rostova
Natasha (russian: Наташа) is a name of Slavic origin. The Slavic name is the diminutive form of Natalia.
Notable people
* Natasha, the subject of ''Natasha's Story'', a 1994 nonfiction book
* Natasha Aguilar (1970–2016), Costa Rican sw ...
*
Vyacheslav Tikhonov
Vyacheslav Vasilyevich Tikhonov (russian: Вячесла́в Васи́льевич Ти́хонов; 8 February 1928, in Pavlovsky Posad – 4 December 2009, in Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian actor whose best known role was as Soviet spy, ...
as
Andrei Bolkonsky
Prince Andrei Nikolayevich Bolkonsky (russian: Андрей Николаевич Болконский) is a fictional character in Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace''. He is the son of famed Russian general Nikolai Bolkonsky, who raises An ...
*
Boris Zakhava as
Mikhail Kutuzov
Prince Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov ( rus, Князь Михаи́л Илларио́нович Голени́щев-Куту́зов, Knyaz' Mikhaíl Illariónovich Goleníshchev-Kutúzov; german: Mikhail Illarion Golenishchev-Kut ...
*
Anatoly Ktorov
Anatoly Petrovich Ktorov ( Russian: Анатолий Петрович Кторов; April 24, 1898September 30, 1980) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the USSR (1963).
Early years
He was born Anatoly Petrovich ...
as Nikolai Bolkonsky
*
Antonina Shuranova as Maria Bolkonskaya
*
Oleg Tabakov
Oleg Pavlovich Tabakov (russian: Олег Павлович Табаков; 17 August 1935 – 12 March 2018) was a Soviet and Russian actor and the Artistic Director of the Moscow Art Theatre. People's Artist of the USSR (1988).
Biography
Tabak ...
as
Nikolai Rostov
*
Viktor Stanitsyn
Viktor Yakovlevich Stanitsyn (russian: Ви́ктор Я́ковлевич Стани́цын; 1897–1976) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor.Riley p.73 He appeared in a number of Soviet era films including portraying Winston Churchill ...
as Ilya Rostov
*
Kira Golovko
)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Yessentuki, Russian SFSR
, death_date =
, death_place = Moscow, Russia
, restingplace =
, restingplacecoordinates =
, othername ...
as Natalya Rostova
*
Irina Skobtseva
Irina Konstantinovna Skobtseva (russian: Ирина Константиновна Скобцева; 22 August 1927 – 20 October 2020) was a Soviet and Russian actress and second wife of Sergei Bondarchuk.
Biography
Irina Konstantinovna Skobtsev ...
as
Hélène Kuragina
Princess Yelena "Hélène" Vasilyevna Kuragina (russian: Елена "Эле́н" Васи́льевна Кура́гина) is a fictional character in Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace'' and its various cinematic adaptations. She is playe ...
*
Vasily Lanovoy
Vasily Semyonovich Lanovoy (russian: Василий Семёнович Лановой; (16 January 1934 – 28 January 2021) was a Soviet and Ukrainian Russian actor who worked in the Vakhtangov Theatre, Moscow. He was also known as the Preside ...
as
Anatole Kuragin
Anatole Vasilyevich Kuragin (russian: Анатолий (Анатоль) Васильевич Курагин) is a fictional character in Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace'', its various cinematic adaptations, and an operatic adaptation as w ...
*
Irina Gubanova
Irina Igorevna Gubanova (russian: Ири́на И́горевна Губа́нова; 1940–2000) was a Russian ballerina and film actress.Cowie / Elley p.644 She was married to the actor Sergei Gurzo.
Selected filmography
* ''The Girl Withou ...
as
Sonya Rostova
Sofya Alexandrovna "Sonya" (; ) is a character in Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace'', and in Sergey Prokofiev's 1955 opera ''War and Peace'' and Dave Malloy's 2012 musical ''Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812'' based on it. She is ...
*
Oleg Yefremov
Oleg Nikolayevich Yefremov (russian: Оле́г Никола́евич Ефре́мов, 1 October 1927, Moscow, Soviet Union – 24 May 2000, Moscow, Russia) was a Soviet and Russian actor and Moscow Art Theatre producer. He was a People's Art ...
as Fyodor Dolokhov
*
Eduard Martsevich
Eduard Evgenievich Martsevich (russian: links=no, Эдуард Евгеньевич Марцевич; December 29, 1936, Tbilisi – October 12, 2013, Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian film and theater actor. People's Artist of the RSFSR.
Biogra ...
as Boris Drubetskoy
*
Aleksandr Borisov as Uncle Rostov
*
Nikolai Rybnikov
Nikolai Nikolayevich Rybnikov (russian: Никола́й Никола́евич Ры́бников; December 13, 1930 – October 22, 1990) was a Soviet and Russian film actor. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1981).
Biography Early life and educat ...
as Vasily Denisov
*Viktor Murganov as
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg.
The son of ...
*Larisa Borisenko as Mlle. Bourienne
*
Georgy Millyar
Georgy Frantsevich Millyar, sometimes spelled Milliar (russian: Георгий Францевич Милляр; 7 November 1903 in Moscow – 4 June 1993 in Moscow), was a Soviet and Russian actor, best known for playing evil spirits in Soviet fa ...
as Morel
*
Nonna Mordyukova
Noyabrina Viktorovna Mordyukova (Russian: Но́нна (Ноябри́на) Ви́кторовна Мордюко́ва; 25 November 1925 – 6 July 2008) was a Soviet and Russian actress and People's Artist of the USSR (1974). She was the star ...
as Anisya
*
Anna Timiryova
Anna Vasilyevna Timiryova (russian: Анна Васильевна Тимирёва; 18 July 1893 – 31 January 1975) was a Russian poet. Born Anna Safonova, she was the daughter of composer Vasily Ilyich Safonov. At the age of 19 she married Ad ...
as old lady
*
Boris Khmelnitsky
Boris Alexandrovich Khmelnitsky (russian: Борис Александрович Хмельницкий; born on 27 June 1940 in Ussuriysk, died on 16 February 2008 in Moscow) was a Russian theatre and movie actor.
Biography
He worked many years ...
as Bolkonsky's adjutant
*Valeri Yeremichev as
Alexander Ostermann-Tolstoy
Count Alexander Ivanovich Count Osterman-Tolstoy ( Russian: Александр Иванович Остерман-Толстой; 1770 – 12 February 1857) was a Russian nobleman and soldier in the era of the French Revolutionary Wars. He belonge ...
*Boris Smirnov as Vasili Kuragin
*Nikolai Tolkachyov as Kirill Bezukhov
*Dzhemma Firsova as Katishe Mamontova
*Mikhail Khrabrov as Platon Karataev
*
Nikolay Trofimov as Tushin
*
Vladislav Strzhelchik
Vladislav Ignatievich Strzhelchik (russian: Владисла́в Игна́тьевич Стрже́льчик) (1921–1995) was a Soviet and Russian actor. People's Artist of the USSR (1974).
Biography
Vladislav Strzhelchik born in Petrograd ( ...
as
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
*Jānis Grantiņš as
Ludwig von Wolzogen
Justus Philipp Adolf Wilhelm Ludwig Freiherr von Wolzogen (4 February 1773 – 4 July 1845) was a Württembergian military officer, who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
Biography
Early life
Wolzogen's father, Ernst Ludwig Freiherr von Wol ...
*Dz. Eizentāls as
Carl von Clausewitz
Carl Philipp Gottfried (or Gottlieb) von Clausewitz (; 1 June 1780 – 16 November 1831) was a Prussian general and military theorist who stressed the "moral", in modern terms meaning psychological, and political aspects of waging war. His mos ...
*
Galina Kravchenko
Galina Sergeevna Kravchenko (Russian: Галина Сергеевна Кравченко; 11 February 19055 March 1996) was a Soviet actress.
Biography
Galina Kravchenko was born on 11 February 1905 in Kazan, Russian Empire (now Kazan, Tatarsta ...
as Marya Karagina
*Boris Molchanov as
Louis-Nicolas Davout
Louis-Nicolas d'Avout (10 May 1770 – 1 June 1823), better known as Davout, 1st Duke of Auerstaedt, 1st Prince of Eckmühl, was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary Wars and t ...
*Lev Polyakov as
Jacques Lauriston
Jacques Alexandre Bernard Law, marquis de Lauriston (1 February 1768 – 12 June 1828) was a French soldier and diplomat of Scottish descent, and a general officer in the French Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in Pondicherry in Fren ...
*Rodion Aleksandrov as
Alexander Balashov
*
Anastasiya Vertinskaya
Anastasiya Alexandrovna Vertinskaya (russian: link=no, Анастасия Александровна Вертинская, born 19 December 1944, Moscow, Soviet Union) is a Soviet and Russian actress, who came to prominence in the early 1960s ...
as Lisa Bolkonskaya
*Giuli Chokhonelidze as
Pyotr Bagration
Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration (10 July 1765 – 24 September 1812) was a Georgian general and prince serving in the Russian Empire, prominent during the Napoleonic Wars.
Bagration, a member of the Bagrationi dynasty, was born in Tbilisi. Hi ...
*Vadim Safronov as
Francis II
*Jean-Claude Ballard as Ramballe
*Yelena Tyapkina as Marya Dmitryevna
*Sergei Yermilov as Petya Rostov
*
Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov (russian: Никита Сергеевич Михалков; born 21 October 1945) is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union. Mikhalkov is a three-time laureate of the ...
as Petya Rostov's body double during hunting (uncredited)
*Herberts Zommers as
Count Benningsen
, native_name_lang =
, birth_name =
, nickname =
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Braunschweig, Electorate of Hanover, Holy Roman Empire
, death_date =
, death_place = Banteln, Kingdom of Hanover, German Confederation ...
*Nikolai Bubnov as
Karl Mack von Leiberich
Karl Freiherr Mack von Leiberich (25 August 1752 – 22 December 1828) was an Austrian soldier. He is best remembered as the commander of the Austrian forces that capitulated to Napoleon's ''Grande Armée'' in the Battle of Ulm in 1805.
Early ...
*Angelina Stepanova as Anna Scherer
*Erwin Knausmüller as
Franz von Weyrother
Franz von Weyrother (1755 – 16 February 1806) was an Austrian staff officer and general who fought during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He drew up the plans for the disastrous defeats at the Battle of Rivoli, Battle of ...
*Mikhail Pogorzhelsky as
Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly
Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly (german: Fürst Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly; baptised – ) was an Imperial Russian soldier of Baltic German and Scottish origin, who was commander-in-chief and Minister of War of the Russian Empire ...
*Leonid Vidavsky as
Paisi Kaysarov
Paisi Sergeevich Kaysarov (''Paisii Sergeevich Kaisarov''; russian: Паи́сий Серге́евич Кайса́ров; 23 May 1783 – 27 February 1844) was a Russian general who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
Biography Early life
Kaisar ...
*
Nikolai Grinko
Nikolai Grigoryevich Grinko or Mykola Hryhorovych Hrynko ( uk, Микола Григорович Гринько; russian: Никола́й Григо́рьевич Гринько́; 22 May 1920, Kherson – 10 April 1989, Kyiv was a Soviet ...
as Dessalles
Production
Inception
In August 1959,
King Vidor
King Wallis Vidor (; February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose 67-year film-making career successfully spanned the silent and sound eras. His works are distinguished by a vivid, ...
's American-Italian
co-production ''
War and Peace
''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...
'' was released in the Soviet Union, attracting 31.4 million viewers and gaining wide acclaim. The impending 150th anniversary of the
1812 French Invasion, as well as the worldwide success of Vidor's adaptation of the Russian national epic – at a time when the USSR and the United States were competing for prestige – motivated the Soviet
Minister of Culture
A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizati ...
Yekaterina Furtseva
Yekaterina Alexeyevna Furtseva (russian: Екатерина Алексеевна Фурцева; 7 December 1910 – 24 October 1974) was a Soviet politician and the second woman to be admitted as secretary of the Central Committee of the Comm ...
to begin planning a local picture based on
Leo Tolstoy
Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...
's novel. An open letter which appeared in the Soviet press, signed by many of the country's filmmakers, declared: "It is a matter of honor for the Soviet cinema industry, to produce a picture which will surpass the American-Italian one in its artistic merit and authenticity."
According to ''
Der Spiegel
''Der Spiegel'' (, lit. ''"The Mirror"'') is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. With a weekly circulation of 695,100 copies, it was the largest such publication in Europe in 2011. It was founded in 1947 by John Seymour Chaloner ...
'', the film was to serve as a "counterstrike" to Vidor.
During 1960, several leading Soviet directors proposed themselves to head the project, including
Mikhail Romm and
Sergei Gerasimov. But soon, the only viable candidate remaining was
Ivan Pyryev
Ivan Aleksandrovich Pyryev (russian: Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Пы́рьев; – 7 February 1968) was a Soviet-Russian film director and screenwriter remembered as the high priest of Stalinist cinema. He was awarded six Stali ...
. As his selection to the position seemed secure, several officials in the Ministry of Culture offered it to forty-year-old
Sergei Bondarchuk
Sergei Fyodorovich Bondarchuk (russian: Сергей Фёдорович Бондарчук, ; uk, Сергі́й Федорович Бондарчук, Serhíj Fédorovych Bondarchúk; 25 September 192020 October 1994) was a Soviet and Russian ...
, who had completed his directorial debut, ''
Fate of a Man
''Fate of a Man'' (russian: Судьба человека, translit. Sudba Cheloveka), also released as ''A Man's Destiny'' and ''Destiny of a Man'' is a 1959 Soviet film adaptation of the short story by Mikhail Sholokhov, and also the directori ...
'', in 1959. Bondarchuk had not sought the position and did not know of the proposal until a letter from the Ministry reached him, but he chose to accept it and contend with Pyryev.
Fedor Razzakov wrote that the invitation of Bondarchuk was orchestrated by Pyryev's many enemies in the establishment, who were determined not to let him receive the lucrative project. In early February 1961, a letter endorsing Bondarchuk was sent to the Minister, signed by several prominent figures from the cinema industry. At first, Furtseva decreed that both candidates would each direct a pilot to be screened before a commission. However, Pyryev soon withdrew his bid. Razzakov believed he had done so after realizing his chances were slim: Bondarchuk, whose career began only during the
Thaw, represented a generation of young directors promoted by
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and chairman of the country's Council of Ministers from 1958 to 1964. During his rule, Khrushchev s ...
's Kremlin to replace the old filmmakers from the
Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secretar ...
era. In the end of February, after Pyryev conceded, the Minister held a meeting and confirmed Bondarchuk as the director.
Development
![War and Peace (1967, Russia) movie script](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/War_and_Peace_%281967%2C_Russia%29_movie_script.jpg)
On 3 April 1961, Vladimir Surin, the director-general of the
Mosfilm
Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output incl ...
studios, sent Furtseva a letter requesting to approve the adaptation of a script for a film in three parts based on ''War and Peace'', as well as to allocate 150,000
Rbls in funds. On 5 May the Minister replied, authorizing to begin writing the scenario and granting 30,000 Rbls. On that day, the work on the picture began.
[Razzakov. ''o Vojne''. p. 224.]
Bondarchuk hired Vasily Solovyov, a playwright, as his assistant for composing the script. The two later changed the earlier premise and decided to make four parts instead of three.
They chose to downplay or exclude completely several of Tolstoy's plotlines and themes, in order not to make the film too cumbersome: the episodes concerning Nikolai Rostov and Maria Bolkonskaya were reduced, and Anatole Kuragin received a slightly better treatment. The author's views on philosophy and history were substantially redacted.
[Muskyi. p. 274.]
The Mosfilm directorate approved the finished script on 27 February 1962. On 20 March, in a plenum in the Ministry of Culture attended by Surin and the
State Committee for Cinematography
Goskino USSR (russian: link=Yes, Госкино СССР) is the abbreviated name for the USSR State Committee for Cinematography (Государственный комитет по кинематографии СССР) in the Soviet Union. It w ...
's deputy chairman Basakov, Furtseva approved the scenario and requested all relevant agencies to assist the producers, including the Ministry of Defense, which was deemed central in providing support for the project.
[Razzakov. ''o Vojne''. p. 225.]
The producers appointed three military advisers: Army General
Vladimir Kurasov became the film's chief consultant, and Army General
Markian Popov
Markian Mikhaylovich Popov (; 1902–1969) was a Soviet military commander, Army General (26 August 1943), and Hero of the Soviet Union (1965).
Early life
Markian Popov was born in 1902 in Ust-Medvediskaya in the Don Host Oblast (now Volgograd ...
assisted as well; Lieutenant General
Nikolai Oslikovsky was brought as an expert on cavalry. The
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
would supply thousands of soldiers as extras during the filming.
More than forty museums
contributed historical artifacts, such as chandeliers, furniture and cutlery, to create an authentic impression of the early 19th-century Russia. Thousands of costumes were sewn, mainly military uniform of the sorts worn in the Napoleonic Wars, including 11,000
shako
A shako (, , or ) is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor, and sometimes tapered at the top. It is usually adorned with an ornamental plate or badge on the front, metallic or otherwise; and often has a feather, plume (see hackle) ...
s.
Sixty obsolete cannons were cast and 120 wagons and carts constructed for the production.
Anticipating the need for cavalry,
line producer
A line producer is a type of film or television producer who is the head of the production office management personnel during daily operations of a feature film, advertisement film, television film, or TV program. A line producer usually works on o ...
Nikolai Ivanov and General Osilkovsky began seeking appropriate horses. While the cavalry formations of the Army were long abolished, several units in the
Transcaucasian Military District
The Transcaucasian Military District, a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces, traces its history to May 1921 and the incorporation of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia into the Soviet Union. It was disbanded by being redesignated as a Grou ...
and the
Turkestan Military District
The Turkestan Military District (russian: Туркестанский военный округ (ТуркВО), ''Turkestansky voyenyi okrug (TurkVO)'') was a military district of both the Imperial Russian Army and the Soviet Armed Forces, with it ...
retained horse-drawn mountain artillery. In addition to those, the Ministry of Agriculture gave away nine hundred horses
and the
Moscow City Police
The Moscow Police (russian: Московская полиция), officially the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs of the City of Moscow (russian: Главное управление внутренних дел по городу Москве) ...
organized a detachment from its mounted regiment.
The producers also needed to arrange hounds for the
wolf hunting
Wolf hunting is the practice of hunting gray wolves ''(Canis lupus)'' or other species of wolves. Wolves are mainly hunted for sport, for their skins, to protect livestock and, in some rare cases, to protect humans. Wolves have been actively hun ...
at the Rostov estate. At first, it was planned to use
Borzoi
The Borzoi or Russian Hunting Sighthound is a Russian breed of hunting dog of sighthound type. It was formerly used for wolf hunting, and until 1936 was known as the Russian Wolfhound.
Etymology
The system by which Russians over the ages n ...
s, as depicted in the novel. Sixteen such were obtained from individual private owners, but the dogs had no experience in hunting and were hard to handle. Eventually,
scent hound
Franz Rudolf Frisching in the uniform of an officer of the Bernese Huntsmen Corps with his Berner Laufhund, painted by Jean Preudhomme in 1785
Scent hounds (or scenthounds) are a Dog type, type of hound that primarily hunts by scent rather than ...
s supplied by the Ministry of Defense chased down the wolves – provided by the zoological department of the State Studio for Popular Science Films – while the Borzoi caught them.
Casting
Bondarchuk began holding auditions in May 1961.
Oleg Strizhenov
Oleg Aleksandrovich Strizhenov (russian: Олег Александрович Стриженов; born 10 August 1929 in Blagoveshchensk) is a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the USSR (1988).
Life and career
Strizhenov ...
received the leading role of Prince
Andrei Bolkonsky
Prince Andrei Nikolayevich Bolkonsky (russian: Андрей Николаевич Болконский) is a fictional character in Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace''. He is the son of famed Russian general Nikolai Bolkonsky, who raises An ...
. However, in spring 1962, shortly before the commencing of principal photography, Strizhenov changed his mind after being accepted into the ensemble of the
Moscow Art Theatre
The Moscow Art Theatre (or MAT; russian: Московский Художественный академический театр (МХАТ), ''Moskovskiy Hudojestvenny Akademicheskiy Teatr'' (МHАТ)) was a theatre company in Moscow. It was f ...
. Bondarchuk complained to the Ministry of Culture. Furtseva spoke with the actor, but failed to convince him. The director then tried to enlist
Innokenty Smoktunovsky
Innokenty Mikhailovich Smoktunovsky (russian: Иннокентий Михайлович Смоктуновский; born ''Smoktunovich'', 28 March 19253 August 1994) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. He was named a People's Artist ...
, who was supposed to star in
Grigori Kozintsev's
''Hamlet''. After deliberations, Smoktunovsky accepted Bondarchuk's offer, but Kozintsev used his influence in the Ministry and received his actor back. As a last resort,
Vyacheslav Tikhonov
Vyacheslav Vasilyevich Tikhonov (russian: Вячесла́в Васи́льевич Ти́хонов; 8 February 1928, in Pavlovsky Posad – 4 December 2009, in Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian actor whose best known role was as Soviet spy, ...
was given the role. He first arrived on the set in mid-December 1962, three months after filming began.
Bondarchuk envisaged the character of
Pierre Bezukhov
Count Pyotr "Pierre" Kirillovich Bezukhov (; russian: Пьер Безу́хов, Пётр Кири́ллович Безу́хов) is the fictional protagonist of Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace''. He is the favourite out of several illeg ...
as having great physical strength, in accordance with his description by Tolstoy. Therefore, he had offered the role to Olympic weightlifter
Yury Vlasov
Yury Petrovich Vlasov (russian: Юрий Петрович Власов; 5 December 1935 – 13 February 2021) was a Russian heavyweight weightlifter, writer and politician. He competed at the 1960 and 1964 Olympics and won a gold medal in 1960 a ...
, and even rehearsed with him. Vlasov soon gave it up, telling the director that he had no acting skills.
[Razzakov. ''Tajnoe stanovitsja javnym''. p. 247.] Bondarchuk then cast himself as the protagonist. His wife, actress
Irina Skobtseva
Irina Konstantinovna Skobtseva (russian: Ирина Константиновна Скобцева; 22 August 1927 – 20 October 2020) was a Soviet and Russian actress and second wife of Sergei Bondarchuk.
Biography
Irina Konstantinovna Skobtsev ...
, portrayed
Hélène Kuragina
Princess Yelena "Hélène" Vasilyevna Kuragina (russian: Елена "Эле́н" Васи́льевна Кура́гина) is a fictional character in Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace'' and its various cinematic adaptations. She is playe ...
, Pierre's first wife. During the making of the third and fourth part in the series, a journalist named Yury Devochkin, who resembled the director, substituted him in many of the scenes.
Anastasiya Vertinskaya
Anastasiya Alexandrovna Vertinskaya (russian: link=no, Анастасия Александровна Вертинская, born 19 December 1944, Moscow, Soviet Union) is a Soviet and Russian actress, who came to prominence in the early 1960s ...
,
Lyudmila Gurchenko
Lyudmila Markovna Gurchenko ( née Gurchenko; russian: link=no, Людмила Марковна Гурченко; 12 November 1935 – 30 March 2011) was a popular Soviet and Russian actress, singer and entertainer. She was given the honorary titl ...
and other known actresses wanted to portray
Natasha Rostova
Natasha (russian: Наташа) is a name of Slavic origin. The Slavic name is the diminutive form of Natalia.
Notable people
* Natasha, the subject of ''Natasha's Story'', a 1994 nonfiction book
* Natasha Aguilar (1970–2016), Costa Rican sw ...
, but Bondarchuk chose the inexperienced 19-year-old ballerina
Ludmila Savelyeva
Ludmila Mikhailovna Savelyeva (russian: Людмила Михайловна Савельева; born January 24, 1942, in Leningrad) is a Soviet and Russian stage and film actress. She achieved lasting fame in the role of Natasha Rostova in the ...
, who had just recently graduated from
Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet
The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is a school of classical ballet in St Petersburg, Russia. Established in 1738 during the reign of Empress Anna, the academy was known as the Imperial Ballet School until the Soviet era, when, after a brief hi ...
.
Nikita Mikhalkov
Nikita Sergeyevich Mikhalkov (russian: Никита Сергеевич Михалков; born 21 October 1945) is a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, actor, and head of the Russian Cinematographers' Union. Mikhalkov is a three-time laureate of the ...
was cast as Natasha's little brother, Petya Rostov, but as he was in the age of adolescence and quickly growing up, he had to abandon the role in favor of the younger Sergei Yermilov. Still, his scenes of riding a horse during hunting were left in the final film.
Tikhonov was the highest-paid member of the cast, and received R22,228 for portraying Bolkonsky. Bondarchuk earned R21,679 for directing and 20,100 for depicting Pierre. Savelyeva got R10,685. Most other actors received less than R3,000.
Cinematography
![Pavlograd hussar uniform 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Pavlograd_hussar_uniform_01.jpg)
Before beginning principal photography, the producers resolved to shoot the picture with
70-mm. wide-format and high-resolution film instead of the standard
35-mm. Though they considered purchasing it from
Kodak
The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
or from
ORWO
ORWO (for ''ORiginal WOlfen'') is a brand of black and white film products, made in Germany.
ORWO was established in East Germany in 1964 as a brand for photographic film and magnetic tape, mainly produced at the former ''ORWO Filmfabrik Wolf ...
in the
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
, they at last decided to use Soviet-made film stock manufactured in the
Shostka Chemical Plant, both because of financial shortcomings and for considerations of national pride. Director of photography Anatoly Petritsky recalled that the Shostka film was "of horrible quality" and that he often would photograph a sequence only to discover the film was defective. This – as well as the need to cover large crowds from many angles – forced the director to repeat many of the scenes; some of the more elaborate battle sequences were retaken more than forty times.
According to ''
Kommersant
''Kommersant'' (russian: Коммерсантъ, , ''The Businessman'' or Commerce Man, often shortened to Ъ) is a nationally distributed daily newspaper published in Russia mostly devoted to politics and business. The TNS Media and NRS Russia ...
'' journalist Yevgeni Zhirnov, Bondarchuk had to re-shoot more than 10% of the footage in the picture due to problems with the film stock; Zhirnov estimated that this raised the cost of production by 10% to 15% or more.
The first cinematographers, husband and wife Alexander Shelenkov and Yu-Lan Chen, quarreled with Bondarchuk on several occasions. On 20 May 1963, half a year after commencing photography, they wrote to Surin, asking to be dismissed from work on the picture and stating that Bondarchuk "dictated without consulting with the crew." Their 31-year-old assistant Petritsky, who had made only one film previously, was appointed in their stead.
The operators pioneered photographic techniques which had never before been used in Soviet cinema. Aerial lifts with cameras were hoisted over sets to create "a cannonball view". When filming Natasha's first ball, an operator with a hand-held camera circled between the dancing extras on roller skates. The crowd scenes were shot using cranes and helicopters. Another new feature was the sound technicians' use of a six-channel audio recording system.
[ p. 7.]
Principal photography
![Costume for War and Peace movie (1967) 06 by shakko](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Costume_for_War_and_Peace_movie_%281967%29_06_by_shakko.jpg)
On 7 September 1962, the 150th anniversary of the
Battle of Borodino
The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...
,
principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
began. The first scene to be filmed depicted the execution of suspected arsonists by the French Army, and was shot in the
Novodevichy Convent
Novodevichy Convent, also known as Bogoroditse-Smolensky Monastery (russian: Новоде́вичий монасты́рь, Богоро́дице-Смоле́нский монасты́рь), is probably the best-known clois ...
. After a few days, the crew moved into the
Moscow Kremlin
The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of the kremlins (R ...
for further work. Later that month, the hunt in the Rostov's estate was filmed in the village of Bogoslavskoye, in the
Yasnogorsky District.
On 1 December, Bondarchuk and the production team, with 150 wagons of equipment, traveled to
Mukachevo
Mukachevo ( uk, Мукачево, ; hu, Munkács; see name section) is a city in the valley of the Latorica river in Zakarpattia Oblast (province), in Western Ukraine. Serving as the administrative center of Mukachevo Raion (district), the city ...
in the
Zakarpattia Oblast
The Zakarpattia Oblast ( uk, Закарпатська область, Zakarpatska oblast) is an administrative oblast located in western Ukraine, mostly coterminous with the historical region of Carpathian Ruthenia. Its administrative centre is ...
. The director had only planned to photograph two episodes there: the
Battle of Schöngrabern
The Battle of Schöngrabern, also known as the Battle of Hollabrunn, was an engagement in the Napoleonic Wars during the War of the Third Coalition, fought on 16 November 1805 near Hollabrunn in Lower Austria, four weeks after the Battle of Ul ...
and the
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near the town of Austerlitz i ...
. But due to the harsh winter, none of those could be shot. Bondarchuk revised his plans and decided to film in Zakarpattia 231 scenes that were supposed to be made elsewhere, while waiting for the weather to improve. The
Battle of Krasnoi
The Battle of Krasnoi (Krasny) was a series of skirmishes fought from 15 to 18 November 1812 during the final stage of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow.Lieven, p. 267. In this engagement the Russians under General Kutuzov inflicted heavy losses o ...
episode and its related parts were filmed in the snow, and involved 2,500 Soviet soldiers, allocated as extras, who wore French uniforms and 500 in Russian ones.
When conditions enabled it, 3,000 soldiers from the
Carpathian Military District
The Red Banner Carpathian Military District (, ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces during the Cold War and subsequently of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the early Post-Soviet period.
It was established on 3 May 1946 on the ...
re-created the Battle of Schöngrabern near the village of
Kushtanovytsia. The Battle of Austerlitz was filmed in the vicinity of
Svaliava
Svaliava ( uk, Свалява, hu, Szolyva, sk, Svaľava, yi, סוואליאווע ''Svalyave'') is a city located on the Latorytsia River in Zakarpattia Oblast in western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Svaliava Raion (district). ...
. As the budget was exceeded due to the weather and film stock problems, Bondarchuk had to refrain from filming several battle sequences. On 17 May, the crew returned to the capital.
On 20 July, the producers went on another expedition, to
Dorogobuzh
Dorogobuzh (russian: Дорогобуж) is a historic town and the administrative center of Dorogobuzhsky District in Smolensk Oblast, Russia, straddling the Dnieper River and located east of Smolensk, the administrative center of the oblast. ...
, in order to film the
Battle of Borodino
The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...
and the related parts of the plot. Photography could not be carried out in
Borodino
The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napole ...
itself, mainly because of the many memorials located there. On 1 August, work was commenced. The shooting of the battle itself began on 25 August 1963 – its 151st anniversary by the
Julian Calendar
The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...
. 13,500 soldiers and 1,500 horsemen substituted for the historical armies
(Several reports in the Western press have put the number of soldiers who participated at 120,000; however, in an 1986 interview to ''
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widely ...
'', Bondarchuk stated: "That is exaggeration, all I had was 12,000.") The troops were supposed to return to their bases after thirteen days, but eventually remained for three months. 23 tons of gunpowder, handled by 120
sapper
A sapper, also called a pioneer (military), pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefie ...
s, and 40,000 liters of
kerosene
Kerosene, paraffin, or lamp oil is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in aviation as well as households. Its name derives from el, κηρός (''keros'') meaning "wax", and was regi ...
were used for the
pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics is the science and craft of creating such things as fireworks, safety matches, oxygen candles, explosive bolts and other fasteners, parts of automotive airbags, as well as gas-pressure blasting in mining, quarrying, and demolition. ...
,
as well as 10,000
smoke grenade
Smoke grenades used at demonstrations in Paris, 2008
upBritish L83A1 Smoke Grenade manufactured in May 2008. This grenade has already been used.
A smoke grenade is a canister-type grenade used as a signaling device, target or landing zone mark ...
s.
[Muskyi. p. 276.] Tens of thousands of cubic meters of soil were dug out to construct earthworks resembling the
Bagration flèches
The Bagration flèches (russian: багратионовы флеши) are three historic military earthworks
named after General Pyotr Bagration, who ordered their construction. They served as the pivotal strongholds on the Russian left flank ...
and the Raevsky redoubt. The set was divided to sectors, and a system of loudspeakers was installed – one for each area – to enable the director to coordinate the troops' movements.
On 4 November, the session ended and Bondarchuk went back to Moscow.
[Razzakov. ''o Vojne''. p. 23.]
From the end of December to mid-June 1964, the crew worked in Mosfilm's studios. Most notably, Natasha's debutante ball was photographed there, with five hundred extras. On 15 June, the production team went to Leningrad, where shooting took place in the
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the list of ...
, the
Summer Garden
The Summer Garden (russian: Ле́тний сад, ''Letniy sad'') is a historic public garden that occupies an eponymous island between the Neva, Fontanka, Moika, and the Swan Canal in
downtown Saint Petersburg, Russia and shares its name w ...
, the
Peter and Paul Fortress and in
Vasilyevsky Island
Vasilyevsky Island (russian: Васи́льевский о́стров, Vasilyevsky Ostrov, V.O.) is an island in St. Petersburg, Russia, bordered by the Bolshaya Neva and Malaya Neva Rivers (in the delta of the Neva River) in the south a ...
. Upon his return to the studio on 7 July, Bondarchuk was abruptly instructed by his superiors to abandon all other work and focus on preparing the first two parts for the 1965
Moscow Film Festival
The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...
, contrary to all former designs and while they were far from finished. During the same month, he suffered a major
cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...
and was
clinically dead for a short while. His first words after regaining consciousness were: "If I die, let
Gerasimov Gerasimov (russian: Герасимов) or Gerasimova (feminine; Герасимова) is a Russian surname, derived from the given name Gerasim. Notable people with the surname include:
* Aleksei Gerasimov (disambiguation), multiple people
* Aleks ...
finish it". Filming was postponed until late September.
In spite of the tight schedule, ''Andrei Bolkonsky'' and ''Natasha Rostova'' were completed and submitted to Mosfilm's directorate on 30 June 1965, less than a week before the festival. The two had their world premiere on 19 July 1965, in the
Kremlin Palace of Congresses
The State Kremlin Palace (russian: Государственный Кремлёвский Дворец), formerly and unofficially still better known as the Kremlin Palace of Congresses (Кремлёвский Дворец съездов), is a ...
.
[Razzakov. ''Tajnoe stanovitsja javnym''. p. 243.] During July, Bondarchuk suffered another heart attack: this time, he was clinically dead for four minutes. The white wall of light seen by Bolkonsky before his death was inspired by the director's experience.
The work on the remaining episodes of parts 3 and 4 resumed on 9 August. During the next months, the crew filmed in
Mozhaysk
MozhayskAlternative transliterations include ''Mozhaisk'', ''Mozhajsk'', ''Mozhaĭsk'', and ''Možajsk''. ( rus, Можа́йск, p=mɐˈʐajsk) is a town and the administrative center of Mozhaysky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, located to th ...
,
Kalinin and
Zvenigorod
Zvenigorod (russian: Звени́город) is an old town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. Population:
History
The town's name is based either on a personal name (cf. Zvenislav, Zvenimir) or on a hydronym (cf. the Zvinech, Zvinyaka, Zveniga Rivers) ...
. The final plot line to be shot was the
Fire of Moscow; filming began on 17 October 1966. For four months prior to that, a plywood set was built in the village of Teryayevo, next to the
Joseph-Volokolamsk Monastery
Joseph Volokolamsk Monastery (Иосифо-Волоколамский монастырь, Волоцкий Успенский Иосифов монастырь in Russian) is a monastery for men, located 17 km northeast of Volokolamsk, Mosco ...
.
The entire construction, doused with diesel fuel, was burned to the ground as five fire engines stood nearby. Principal photography ended on 28 October 1966. On 28 December, the edited third film was approved by the studio. Work on the fourth and final one continued until early August 1967.
Budget
In 1962, officials in the Ministry of Culture estimated ''War and Peace'' would cost some 4 million roubles, not including support from the Army. In comparison, the most expensive Soviet film until then, the 1952 ''
The Unforgettable Year 1919
''The Unforgettable Year 1919'' (russian: Незабываемый 1919 год, Nezabyvaemyy 1919 god) is a 1951 Soviet historical drama film directed by Mikheil Chiaureli.
Plot
May 1919. The city of Petrograd, the Bolsheviks' stronghold in Rus ...
'', cost 1.093 million Rbls in prices adjusted to the
1961 monetary reform. ''War and Peace'' remains the costliest picture to be made in the USSR.
On 20 March 1962, Furtseva set a preliminary budget of 1.395 million Rbls.
On 21 May 1963, the Ministry approved a plan for a series in four parts with a budget of 8,165,200 Rbls. On 25 August 1964, the State Committee for Cinematography issued a directive revisiting the terms, authorizing to spend 8.5 million Rbls, of which 2.51 million Rbls were to cover the expenses of the Ministry of Defense. Producer Nikolai Ivanov recalled: "the domestic press later claimed the budget was 18 million Rbls or 25 million Rbls, but they had 8.5 million and managed to reduce expenditures to 7.8 million during principal photography."
Towards the end of post-production, the total cost forecast estimated was R8,083,412. However, in August 1967, with all work completed, "the last debit and credit entries were written in the books. According to its financial statements, the film consumed 8,291,712 Rbls."
[Razzakov. ''o Vojne''. p. 36.] This was equal to $9,213,013 by the 1967 exchange rate, or to approximately
$60–70 million in 2021, accounting for rouble inflation.
Various estimates of the series' budget circulated in the international press. ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reported it was "the most expensive film ever made... Russians say cost $100 million".
This figure was repeated throughout the American press.
''The New York Times'' estimated this figure to be equivalent to $700 million upon adjustment for
inflation
In economics, inflation is an increase in the general price level of goods and services in an economy. When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services; consequently, inflation corresponds to a reductio ...
to 2007 levels, a claim it reiterated in 2019.
After its release in the United Kingdom in 1969, ''
The Annual Register
''The Annual Register'' (originally subtitled "A View of the History, Politicks and Literature of the Year ...") is a long-established reference work, written and published each year, which records and analyses the year's major events, developmen ...
'' announced it "reputedly" cost
£40 million ($96 million). The 1979 ''
Guinness Book of World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' published a similar number, claiming ''War and Peace'' was "the most expensive film ever made" based on that "the total cost has been officially stated to be more than $96 million."
[McWhirter. ''1979''. p. 242.] Other estimates put the cost of production between $25 million and $60 million.
Reception
Distribution
The distribution (along with the displaying and later preserving) of such a massive piece of work posed physical difficulties. Already the whopping 20 canisters of
film reel
A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the ends ...
s made transportation a sizable hassle.
''Andrei Bolkonsky'' was screened in two consecutive parts, released in a total of 2,805 copies in March 1966.
In the fifteen months afterwards, the first sold 58.3 million tickets in the USSR, and 58 million of the viewers remained through the intermission. Thus, ''Bolkonsky'' became the most successful film of the year.
Respectively, its two parts are also the 26th and 27th most watched from among all pictures ever made in the Soviet Union. ''Natasha Rostova'', which opened in July with 1,405 copies disseminated, performed less well and attracted 36.2 million viewers in the same time period, reaching the third place in the 1966 box office, although it would have been ninth if counted in 1967.
Admission for the two final parts deteriorated further: ''1812'', with 1,407 copies released, had 21 million admissions and ''Pierre Bezukhov'' sold merely 19.8 million tickets;
[Zemlianukhin, Segida. p. 72.] they made it to the 13th and 14th place at the 1967 box office.
Russian film critic Sergei Kudryavtsev assessed the series' domestic returns were "probably in the range" of 58 million Rbls,
[Kudryavtsev. ''3500''. p. 185.] while Razzakov assumed each ticket cost an average price of 25
kopeck
The kopek or kopeck ( rus, копейка, p=kɐˈpʲejkə, ukr, копійка, translit=kopiika, p=koˈpʲijkə, be, капейка) is or was a coin or a currency unit of a number of countries in Eastern Europe closely associated with t ...
s.
[Razzakov. ''Tajnoe stanovitsja javnym''. p. 249.] With a total of some 135 million tickets sold, ''War and Peace'' was considered a resounding commercial success at the time.
The series was screened in 117 countries around the world, including Spain, Japan, West Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Egypt, and Argentina. In East Germany, the state-owned
DEFA
DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence.
Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PRO ...
studio produced a slightly shorter edition of the series, dubbed to German, which ran 409 minutes and maintained the four-part order of the original. Among others, it featured
Angelica Domröse
Angelica Domröse (; born April 4, 1941, in Berlin) is a German actress, who became famous in the role of Paula in Heiner Carow's film '' The Legend of Paul and Paula''. Her Mediterranean appearance is the result of her biological father being a ...
, who voiced Lisa Bolkonskaya. It attracted 2,225,649 viewers in the German Democratic Republic. In West Germany, a much shorter version was released, totaling 337 minutes.
In the
People's Republic of Poland
The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...
, it sold over 5,000,000 tickets in 1967. In France, ''War and Peace'' had 1,236,327 admissions.
Walter Reade Jr.'s company Continental Distributors purchased the U.S rights of ''War and Peace'' for $1.5 million. Reade's associates shortened the American version of the film by an hour, and added English-language dubbing. This edition was directed by Lee Kresel of
Titan Productions and narrated by
Norman Rose
Norman Rose (June 23, 1917 – November 12, 2004) was an American actor, film narrator and radio announcer whose velvety baritone was often called "the Voice of God" by colleagues. He was best known as the narrator's voice in the fictitious coffee ...
. Its premiere was held in the DeMille Theater, New York, on 28 April 1968, and attended by actresses Ludmila Savelyeva and Irina Skobtseva, as well as ambassadors
Anatoly Dobrynin
Anatoly Fyodorovich Dobrynin (russian: Анато́лий Фёдорович Добры́нин, 16 November 1919 – 6 April 2010) was a Soviet statesman, diplomat, and politician. He was the Soviet ambassador to the United States for more than ...
and
Yakov Malik
Yakov Alexandrovich Malik (russian: Яков Александрович Малик) (11 February 1980) was a Soviet diplomat.
Biography
Born in Ostroverkhovka village, Kharkov Governorate, Malik was educated at Kharkiv Institute of National ...
. Tickets for the picture were later sold for $5.50–$7.50 – the highest admission rate ever, breaking the previous $6 record of ''
Funny Girl''. On 23 January 1969, Kresel's edition opened in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
's Curzun cinema.
The US television network
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
broadcast ''War and Peace'' over four days, 12–15 August 1972.
The series was broadcast on
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
on Christmas Day 1976, split into two 4-hour sections with a 30-minute intermission.
Awards
In July 1965, ''War and Peace'' was awarded the Grand Prix at the
4th Moscow International Film Festival together with the Hungarian entry ''
Twenty Hours
''Twenty Hours'' ( hu, Húsz óra) is a 1965 Hungarian drama film directed by Zoltán Fábri. The film was selected as the Hungarian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 38th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.Margaret ...
''. Ludmila Savelyeva was presented with an honorary diploma. The readers of ''Sovetskii Ekran'', the official publication of the State Committee for Cinematography, chose Savelyeva and Vyacheslav Tikhonov for the best actress and actor of 1966, in recognition of their appearance in the picture. In the same year, ''War and Peace'' also received the Million Pearl Award of the Roei Association of Film Viewers in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
In 1967, the film was entered into the
1967 Cannes Film Festival, outside of the competition. It was sent there instead of
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky ( rus, Андрей Арсеньевич Тарковский, p=ɐnˈdrʲej ɐrˈsʲenʲjɪvʲɪtɕ tɐrˈkofskʲɪj; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Russian filmmaker. Widely considered one of the greates ...
's ''
Andrei Rublev
Andrei Rublev ( rus, Андре́й Рублёв, p=ɐnˈdrʲej rʊˈblʲɵf , also transliterated as ''Andrey Rublyov'') was a Muscovite icon painter born in the 1360s who died between 1427 and 1430 in Moscow. He is considered to be one of the ...
'', which was invited by the festival's organizers but deemed inappropriate by the Soviet government.
In the United States, it won the
Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is a Golden Globe Award presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film coul ...
in the
26th Golden Globe Awards. The picture was the Soviet entry to the
41st Academy Awards, held on 14 April 1969. It received the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
and was nominated for the
Best Art Direction.
''War and Peace'' was the first Soviet picture to win the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
, and was the longest film ever to receive an Academy Award until ''
O.J.: Made in America'' won the
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosoph ...
in
2017. The Oscar statuette was confiscated by Soviet authorities upon return (presumably along the Golden Globe statuette).
It also won the
and the
for 1968.
In 1970, it was nominated for the
BAFTA Award for Best Production Design
This is a list of winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Production Design, formerly known as Best Art Direction (1965–1976), which is presented to production designers (including art directors and set decorators), given out by the B ...
in the
23rd British Academy Film Awards.
Critical response
Soviet film critic Rostislav Yurenev wrote that ''War and Peace'' was "the most ambitious and monumental adaptation of the greatest work of Russian literature
set out to convey in tremendous scope the historical conception of Leo Tolstoy, his extraordinarily vivid and profound depiction of humanity." In a second review, he added: "the desire for ever greater depth of penetration into the human character, of every aspect of it
led to Sergei Bondarchuk's adaptation of Tolstoy. The outcome is truly marvelous."
''
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
The ''Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung'' (; ''FAZ''; "''Frankfurt General Newspaper''") is a centre-right conservative-liberal and liberal-conservativeHans Magnus Enzensberger: Alter Wein in neuen Schläuchen' (in German). ''Deutschland Radio'', ...
'' reviewer Brigitte Jeremias stated the film presented history "with great meticulousness and choreographic quality
This is a conservative, romantic or perhaps even classical historical film
But it strives for authenticity, and is therefore incomparably better than Vidor's adaptation."
French critic
Georges Sadoul
Georges Sadoul (4 February 1904 – 13 October 1967) was a French film critic, journalist and cinema writer. He is known for writing encyclopedias of film and filmmakers, many of which have been translated into English.
Biography
Sadoul was ...
commented: "more than in the sheer scale of the battle scenes", the film's "merit lies in its sense of the Russian landscape", to continue: "Though perhaps an impressive example of film-making on large scale," it was "ponderous by any standard" and "tediously faithful" to the novel, with "none of its narrative flair or spirit
Occasional bravura or touching episodes are not adequate for the dogged pedantry."
Claude Mauriac wrote in ''
Le Figaro littéraire
''Le Figaro Magazine'' is a French language weekly news magazine published in Paris, France. The magazine is the weekly supplement of the daily newspaper ''Le Figaro''.
History and profile
The magazine is the first supplement of ''Le Figaro'' ...
'' that "we have already seen many Soviet films
But this is the most beautiful I have seen since, well, since when?"
Peter Cowie
Peter Cowie (born 24 December 1939) is a film historian and author of more than thirty books on film. In 1963 he was the founder/publisher and general editor of the annual ''International Film Guide'', a survey of worldwide film production, whi ...
noted that Bondarchuk brought to his adaptation "the epic sweep that had eluded King Vidor." Joseph Gelmis of ''
Newsday
''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'' agreed that the film was "superior
o Vidor'sas drama and spectacle. Bondartchouk isn't an innovator. Instead he uses virtually every movie technique extant ... an antiwar film that celebrates life, love, renewal".
Renata Adler
Renata Adler (born October 19, 1938) is an American author, journalist, and film critic. Adler was a staff writer-reporter for ''The New Yorker'', and in 1968–69, she served as chief film critic for ''The New York Times''. She is also a write ...
of the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' wrote that "the characters – including Savelyeva
who looks a little queasy, and Bondarchuk, too old to play Pierre – are dowdy automata."
She added the film was "vulgar in the sense that it takes something great and makes it both pretentious and devoid of life
A failure in the sense that it is not even as enjoyable as any number of lesser films."
Adler also disapproved of the English dubbing, opining "although it is remarkable – an outer limit of what can be done – it was a mistake"
and "proves once and for all the futility of dubbing."
''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' critic
Penelope Gilliatt
Penelope Gilliatt (; born Penelope Ann Douglass Conner; 25 March 1932 – 9 May 1993) was an English novelist, short story writer, screenwriter, and film critic. As one of the main film critics for ''The New Yorker'' magazine in the 1960s an ...
had lambasted the process as well: "the decision to tack on alien voices seems madness."
Judith Crist
Judith Crist (; May 22, 1922 – August 7, 2012) was an American film critic and academic.
She appeared regularly on the ''Today'' show from 1964 to 1973 Martin, Douglas (August 8, 2012)"Judith Crist, Zinging and Influential Film Critic, ...
wrote in ''
New York Magazine
''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...
'': "Those Russians…! And now, I bet they'll beat us to the moon! Chauvinism be damned – I'm putting ''
Gone with the Wind
Gone with the Wind most often refers to:
* ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell
* ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel
Gone with the Wind may also refer to:
Music
* ''Gone with the Wind'' ...
'' into historic perspective and second place, for certainly ''War and Peace'' is not only
the finest epic of our time, but also a great and noble translation of a literary masterpiece, surpassing our expectation and imagination."
The
''Time'' magazine reviewer wrote that the film "escapes greatness, except in cost and length
the movie is awesome in war and pusillanimous in peace." In the novel, unlike in the picture, "the war is only the background
Pierre and Andrei are only shallow, literal representations of Tolstoy's characters
Moreover, the dubbing is disastrous."
Richard Schickel
Richard Warren Schickel (February 10, 1933 – February 18, 2017) was an American film historian, journalist, author, documentarian, and film and literary critic. He was a film critic for ''Time'' magazine from 1965–2010, and also w ...
of ''
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'' noted that the film's American distributors "have cut and dubbed it, ruining any merit it may have had" but the original "had its own deficiencies
Missing is Tolstoy's theory of history as well as his Christian message (neither fits Marxist theory very well), and without this underpinning the film lacks power and purpose."
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
commented that it was "a magnificently unique film
Bondarchuk, however, is able to balance the spectacular, the human, and the intellectual. Even in the longest, bloodiest, battle scenes there are vignettes that stand out
It is as spectacular as a movie can possibly be and yet it has a human fullness."
Review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reports that 100% of 19 reviews were positive, with an average rating of 8.97/10.
Analysis
Ian Aitken regarded ''War and Peace'' as "one of the most important" films produced during the 1964–68 transition from the
Khrushchev Thaw
The Khrushchev Thaw ( rus, хрущёвская о́ттепель, r=khrushchovskaya ottepel, p=xrʊˈɕːɵfskəjə ˈotʲ:ɪpʲɪlʲ or simply ''ottepel'')William Taubman, Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, London: Free Press, 2004 is the period ...
to the
Brezhnev Stagnation
The "Era of Stagnation" (russian: Пери́од засто́я, Períod zastóya, or ) is a term coined by Mikhail Gorbachev in order to describe the negative way in which he viewed the economic, political, and social policies of the Soviet Uni ...
. In that period, the liberal atmosphere of the Thaw was still felt, although it was being marginalized as Soviet cinema became more restrained. The picture "departed from the officially sanctioned forms of
Socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...
" and rather, conformed to
György Lukács
György Lukács (born György Bernát Löwinger; hu, szegedi Lukács György Bernát; german: Georg Bernard Baron Lukács von Szegedin; 13 April 1885 – 4 June 1971) was a Hungarian Marxist philosopher, literary historian, critic, and ae ...
' model of intensive totality in several aspects: it was based on a classic
realist novel which itself influenced Lukács; had a complex plot structure, and portrayed the relations of individuals in a social context. Aitken added that at the same time, the picture employed several "overtly modernist" techniques: "symbolic, anti-realist use of color
disembodied speech, rapid editing
reflexive, hand-held camera." The author believed the film's "chief importance" laid in its demonstration of how "the Lukácsian model of intensive totality can be given a successful modernist inflection." He also noted that while it was an example of
critical realism rather than socialist realism and had modernist characteristics, ''War and Peace'' was "politically innocuous enough" to be celebrated by the Brezhnev government as a great achievement.
Lev Anninsky
Lev Alexandrovich Anninsky (russian: Лев Александрович Аннинский, 7 April 1934 – 6 November 2019) was a Soviet and Russian literary critic, historian, publicist, essayist and author of more than 30 books. He was also a ...
, on the contrary, viewed Bondarchuk's picture as a symbol of state-approved cinema, writing it was the "antithesis" and the "total contrast" to ''
Andrei Rublev
Andrei Rublev ( rus, Андре́й Рублёв, p=ɐnˈdrʲej rʊˈblʲɵf , also transliterated as ''Andrey Rublyov'') was a Muscovite icon painter born in the 1360s who died between 1427 and 1430 in Moscow. He is considered to be one of the ...
'', which he saw as representing the nonconformist approach in the field. Anninsky commented that ''War and Peace'' was imbued with patriotic motifs and "warm Russian tradition, which engulfs the viewer" while
Tarkovsky
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky ( rus, Андрей Арсеньевич Тарковский, p=ɐnˈdrʲej ɐrˈsʲenʲjɪvʲɪtɕ tɐrˈkofskʲɪj; 4 April 1932 – 29 December 1986) was a Russian filmmaker. Widely considered one of the greates ...
had no such sense of "history as if it is a mother's womb." Mira and Antonin Liehm considered it "foremost" among the early Brezhnevite films which received "official support" in order to bring "Russian classics
and history to the screen in a manner in line with the official standards of taste." However, they added that "if measured by models and ambitions" it could "stand on its own merits."
David C. Gillespie noted orthodox Soviet messages in the film: "There are ideological touches
Russian and Austrian soldiers (but not their officers) show proletarian-like solidarity
There is no mention in the film of Pierre's early dalliance with
freemasonry
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
, as if contact with a foreign creed might erode some of his Russianness." He wrote that it "remains a paean to Russian military might and the strength of the Russian 'soul'."
Restoration
In 1986, Bondarchuk was requested to prepare ''War and Peace'' for a television broadcast. A 35-mm. copy of the series, which was filmed in parallel to the main version and had a 4:3
aspect ratio, rather than the 70-mm. 2.20:1, was submitted, after being adapted by a team headed by Petritsky.
In 1999, as part of an initiative to restore its old classics, Mosfilm resolved to restore ''War and Peace''. As the original 70-mm. reels were damaged beyond repair, the studio used the 1988 4:3 version and the original soundtrack to make a
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
edition, in a process that cost $80,000.
In 2006 Karen Shakhnazarov, director of Mosfilm, announced that a new "frame by frame" restoration was being made. Which elements were being used is unclear, but the restoration would, claimed Shakhnazarov, probably be finished by the end of 2016.
The completed restoration was first shown at the
Film Society of Lincoln Center
Film at Lincoln Center, previously known as the Film Society of Lincoln Center until 2019,Aridi, Sara (April 28, 2019).. ''The New York Times''. nytimes.com. Retrieved April 29, 2019. is a film society based in New York City, United States. Fo ...
in New York City, then in Los Angeles and other major cities. The Criterion Collection released the restoration onto 3-disc DVD and 2-disc Blu-ray sets on 25 June 2019.
See also
*
Ah Vy, Seni, Moi Seni, Russian folk song
*''
Waterloo'', a film about the
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...
, also directed by Bondarchuk
*
List of highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union
This is the list of highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union, in terms of box office admissions (ticket sales). It includes the highest-grossing films in the Soviet Union (USSR), the highest-grossing domestic Soviet films, the domestic films w ...
*
.
*
.
Annotations
References
Bibliography
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*
*
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External links
*
*
*Watc
''War and Peace''online at official
Mosfilm
Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output incl ...
site (with English subtitles)
*
War and Peace' on kino-teatr.ru.
''War and Peace'', episode 1 of 4, part 1 of 2 restored HD,
Mosfilm
Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output incl ...
1966, in Russian language with English subtitles
''War and Peace'', episode 1 of 4, part 2 of 2 restored HD,
Mosfilm
Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output incl ...
1966, in Russian language with English subtitles
''War and Peace'', episode 2 of 4 restored HD,
Mosfilm
Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output incl ...
1966, in Russian language with English subtitles
''War and Peace'', episode 3 of 4 restored HD,
Mosfilm
Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output incl ...
1967, in Russian language with English subtitles
''War and Peace'', episode 4 of 4 restored HD,
Mosfilm
Mosfilm (russian: Мосфильм, ''Mosfil’m'' ) is a film studio which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's film monopoly, its output incl ...
1967, in Russian language with English subtitles
''War and Peace: Saint Petersburg Fiddles, Moscow Burns''an essay by
Ella Taylor
Ella Taylor is a film critic who was a staff writer for the ''LA Weekly'' and Village Voice Media, writing film and book reviews, interviews, profiles, and cultural and political commentary from 1989 to 2009, when she and much of the staff were la ...
at the
Criterion Collection
The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:War And Peace
Film series introduced in 1966
1966 films
1966 war films
1967 films
1967 war films
1967 romantic drama films
1960s war drama films
Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award winners
Best Foreign Language Film Golden Globe winners
Films based on War and Peace
Films directed by Sergei Bondarchuk
Films released in separate parts
Films set in Russia
Films set in 1805
Films set in 1809
Films set in 1812
Films shot in Moscow
Films shot in Russia
Films shot in Ukraine
1960s French-language films
1960s German-language films
Mosfilm films
Russian coming-of-age drama films
1960s Russian-language films
Soviet epic films
Soviet war drama films
War epic films
1966 drama films
Films about the French invasion of Russia
Films set in the Holy Roman Empire
Films set in the Russian Empire
Films set in Saint Petersburg
Films set in Moscow
Films shot in Saint Petersburg
Napoleonic Wars films
Depictions of Napoleon on film
1960s multilingual films
Soviet multilingual films