War and Peace the novel is so long its length has entered popular culture. So a four part, seven plus hour movie adaptation of it makes sense. But not if you're gonna devote a quarter of it to just one battle. I don't know if the Communist party was responsible for the third part, but it just drags. Yes, it's very real, and I love realism in a movie, but realism is not *sufficient*. The battle sounds superb on paper, certainly *looks* like the costliest battle ever shot, but it's a poorly directed, boring, overlong, confusing mess. The first two parts of this movie were very good: the balls, the duel, some of the soliloquies (the one where Andrei's first wife dies got to me), the scene where Rostova dances in the caretaker's place (also the best scene in the book, by the way). Yes, it's a little dated - everyone seems to act too much with their faces, and the voiceovers tend to be a tad much at times - but it's par for the course. What I minded was the third part bringing this movie down. It recovers somewhat during the fourth, but you realize it's no longer a masterpiece as you'd formerly hoped. Also, Bezukhov (Bondarchuk himself, sadly) is too old and too fat.

I watched the subtitled version, so I felt the acting was somewhat stilted at times, I chalked that up to not understanding the Russian language. Moral censorship of the times is evident, including the times of the writer so the unspoken "sins" are pretty well disguised. The ball room scenes are beyond impressive,and I liked that they took time to film these. All and all, I was impressed...but, the battle scenes were so disappointing. They had a large portion of the Russian army to stage these great battles and just when the magnitude of the battle was being presented, the director thought: "let's have the camera go into double exposure, and swirl one scene around another like they do in America on that show, Hullabaloo!!" What were they thinking!! That camera technique is idiotic and it should have been recognized,even at that time, as idiotic. They could have given a lesson in Napoleonic Era strategy and tactics. Along with showing what a colossal waste war is. But it appeared they wanted it to be "groovy" instead. I would like to see this story retold today. Stay with the book as this is, don't add anything, but imagine the battle scenes and what could be done. (think Lord of the Rings and not drivel like, 300) Just an opinion...

War And Peace is one of those Soviet films which are readily available even in Western countries. It's unquestionably the best adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's great novel. Director Sergei Bondarchuk's epic is truly grand. Sometimes it lacks emotional punch and sometimes it's slow-moving. Still, this is hardly a problem because each scene is beautifully shot. The battle scenes are the most spectacular in cinema. Thousands of extras were employed in realistic battles which haven't been matched in any other film, except perhaps in the series about the Eastern Front called Liberation (1971). In addition to this grandeur Bondarchuk stressed realism. The French speak their own language, and the portrayal of Napoleon Bonaparte is especially impressive. The Russia of the early 19th century looks completely believable, and the great city of Moscow is most memorable. In order to better express the themes of Tolstoy's novel in film narration is sometimes used. At other times narration isn't necessary and interaction between characters is enough. War And Peace is essential viewing especially for those who like war films.

I don't see how anyone who has read War and Peace could enjoy this film, no matter how worthy it is. It completely misses the mark in every respect except for "costume drama" and "epic". Tolstoy's writing is so natural, so beautiful, so descriptive, and so illuminating that this adaptation seems sullen and superficial in every respect. The impressions that Tolstoy's writing creates are timeless - completely accessible to modern minds. But this production is weighted down in costumery and baroque frumpery. It starts badly, with a quotation from the epilogue that is meaningless out of its context, and it doesn't get any better from there. The early scenes are anemic representations of Tolstoy's magnificent scene-setting. Even the intimate little scenes, like the Rostov children in the garden, are completely wasted, barely providing any impression of that most impressionistic scene. I just couldn't stand watching this, scene by scene tarnishing every precious jewel that Tolstoy polished to perfection and left to posterity.