Quite recently, I started reading Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel War and Peace. I honestly admit that the idea to read ALL the work I started easy convulsions. Yes, and all who were interested in whether they like this masterpiece, stated that it was mortal boredom. But after reading the first part of the first volume, I was surprised to find that I don’t just like “War and Peace”, but I’m just in love with this story and its heroes.
Now about the film.
I liked the book so much that I wanted to get used to this story not only by means of reading, but also by means of a film. Having found several novel adaptations on the Internet (namely: War and Peace, 1956, War and Peace, 2007, War and Peace, 1965), I chose the version of Sergei Bondarchuk. The choice was obvious. And the cast, and the director all attracted me in this film. So did my crazy love for Soviet cinema (which is not the case with modern Russian cinema).
My hopes came true. Acting, war, landscapes, houses, balls, costumes - that's the beauty of what it is! Literally from the very first minute I fell in love with the film too. That's exactly what I imagined. I probably will not accept any other incarnation. We must pay tribute to Sergei Bondarchuk, who managed without any special effects and computer graphics to bring the idea to life, transfer stories and characters from the pages of books to the screens. Camera work, installation - just magical. These transitions, the shooting itself, this even now you will not see. Another great feat of the director is that he was able to fit all four volumes in one film. But honestly, without reading the novel before viewing, I would not understand half of it. And it is also a great pity that the episodes with Anatol Kuragin, Marya Bolkonskaya, Nikolai Rostov were significantly reduced. Because of this, not reading a book will be quite difficult to understand the inner world of these heroes. But this is the law, because the film can not last ten hours in a row.
Heroes - exactly as I represented them. And the considerable discrepancy in age between the actors and their heroes did not bother me at all. Natasha Rostova, enraged me throughout the novel, suddenly caused me a sincere smile solely because of the wonderful Lyudmila Savelyeva. These eyes are beautiful and don't care what is not brown. A separate gift for me: my favorite actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov in the form of my favorite hero Andrei Bolkonsky. It's hard for me to imagine another Andrey. The most controversial embodiment, for many, was Sergei Bondarchuk in the role of Pierre Bezukhov. But not for me, in my opinion, Bondarchuk perfectly conveyed the image of the mismanaged Bezukhov. Anatole Kuragin, one of my favorite heroes and Vasily Lanovoy, is a wonderful find of Bondarchuk. He was perfectly approached by the role of the reveler and tear off Kuragin. Lanovoy - handsome, charismatic, generally handsome man. I can not judge this role objectively. Irina Skobtseva in the image of Helen - beauty. She doesn't even need replicas. When I saw her, I wanted to exclaim “Here it is - Helen!” Oleg Tabakov, Anastasia Vertinskaya, Oleg Efremov, Anatoly Ktorov, Boris Zakhava — wonderful actors, I admire their play.
10 out of 10
Right, this is a brilliant masterpiece, who would not say that. "Oscar" - deserved!
