War and Peace

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War and Peace

PG

Released Apr 28, 1968

6h 13m

History

Drama

War

Romance

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100%

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19 Reviews

94%

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1,000+ Ratings

Soviet director Sergei Bondarchuk's retelling of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel of Napoleon's invasion of Russia is widely considered one of the longest and most expensive films of all time. Like the novel, the film is broken into four sections telling two intertwining stories, that of the war itself (featuring some of the most elaborate battles ever filmed) and that of the romance of Russian aristocrats Count Pierre Bezukhov (Sergei Bondarchuk) and Countess Natasha Rostova (Lyudmila Saveleva).

Cliff Doerksen

Time Out

Rated: 4/5

Nov 18, 2011

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Stephen Garrett

Time Out

Rated: 5/5

Nov 17, 2011

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Stephen Cole

Globe and Mail

Frequently gorgeous, occasionally dull, always fascinating.

Jan 18, 2008

Full Review

Robert Kotlowitz

Harper's Magazine

The Tolstoyan directness comes through the film, the attempt stated and restated -- to resolve the dilemma of how to live. And while the movie sometimes hammers its moral points home with something less than grace, its epic quality never fails.

Aug 4, 2020

Full Review

Nathanael Hood

The Retro Set

...an essential masterpiece.

Rated: 10/10

Jun 23, 2020

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Paul Schrader

Los Angeles Free Press

Bondarchuk's greatest achievement in adapting War and Peace was surprisingly enough, the style.

Jan 24, 2020

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Alec B

A truly breathtaking epic and not just for the immense scale (seeing literally thousands of extras on screen is something to behold) but also because of how well the movie captures the characters and their shifting perspectives.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/21/24

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Jan K

A Bondarchuk Soviet masterpiece. Faithful to the book, it is splendid in its representation of both the interactions and movements of the Tzarist aristocracy - as well as the epic, unrepeatable battle scenes with over 10.000 Red Army extra's. Only the soft-spoken Russian can convey the drama's romanticism, that contraposes Tolstoys contemporary realism and history-critical position.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/15/23

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David B

Astounding in scope. Powerful narrators' thoughts - especially on death. Trivializes 99% of industry's output.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/17/23

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s r

Epic. I saw this because it was recommended by a Stanford professor who said it was his favorite movie since it was the most accurate depiction of war. HR McMaster also recommended it, so I gave it a shot and was not disappointed. Amazing cinematography and faithful to the novel. Really a first class production that is most likely the finest quality film made in Russia. It was on HBO and youtube.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A truly breathtaking epic and not just for the immense scale (seeing literally thousands of extras on screen is something to behold) but also because of how well the movie captures the characters and their shifting perspectives.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

10% rating. This film is painfully long and excruciatingly boring

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

Full Review

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Sergei Bondarchuk

Director

Lyudmila Saveleva

Natasha Rostova

Sergei Bondarchuk

Pierre Bezukhov

Vyacheslav Tikhonov

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky

Oleg Tabakov

Actor

Boris Zakhava

Actor

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Synopsis

Soviet director Sergei Bondarchuk's retelling of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel of Napoleon's invasion of Russia is widely considered one of the longest and most expensive films of all time. Like the novel, the film is broken into four sections telling two intertwining stories, that of the war itself (featuring some of the most elaborate battles ever filmed) and that of the romance of Russian aristocrats Count Pierre Bezukhov (Sergei Bondarchuk) and Countess Natasha Rostova (Lyudmila Saveleva).

Director: Sergei Bondarchuk
Screenwriter: Vasily Solovev, Sergei Bondarchuk
Production Co: Mosfilm
Rating: PG
Genre: History, Drama, War, Romance
Original Language: Russian
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 28, 1968, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Feb 15, 2019
Release Date (DVD): Apr 7, 2006
Box Office (Gross USA): $134.7K
Runtime: 6h 13m
Sound Mix: Perspecta Stereo, Mono, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track
Aspect Ratio: 70mm