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War and Peace

Play trailer Poster for War and Peace PG Released Apr 28, 1968 6h 13m History Drama War Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 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).

Critics Reviews

View All (19) Critics Reviews
Cliff Doerksen Time Out Rated: 4/5 Nov 18, 2011 Full Review Stephen Garrett Time Out Rated: 5/5 Nov 17, 2011 Full Review 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 Full Review Paul Schrader Los Angeles Free Press Bondarchuk's greatest achievement in adapting War and Peace was surprisingly enough, the style. Jan 24, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (112) audience reviews
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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Read all reviews
War and Peace

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

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