WHY is the plot of "War and Peace" generally regarded as a mere love triangle--- 3 main characters--when, in fact, it is a massive, panoramic saga of a multitude of characters who continually interact as they are swept along by the tides of history?
The 1972 BBC version, masterfully directed and "managed" by John Davies, is a stunning accomplishment in almost every way. The sheer SIZE of the production is astounding, from the huge cast to the vast array of sets: ballrooms, palaces, estates, cathedrals, sitting rooms, parlors, foyers, halls, vestibules, bedrooms, verandas, balconies, solider's quarters, village inns and huts, military meeting rooms, etc etc..and ALL of them imaginatively designed, decorated and lit. Amazing.
The cast is almost uniformly wonderful; yes, Anthony Hopkins gets top billing and creates a totally believable Pierre..yet physically he's not quite the "bear" of a man that Tolstoy describes {Sergei Bondarchuk of the '60's Russian version is PERFECT). But this BBC production is brimming with TERRIFIC British actors who bring every role to life in a vivid and appealing way. "War and Peace" is actually a story of AT LEAST FIVE main characters--- including the honorable yet impetuous Nikolai Rostov and Princess Maria Bolkonsky (beautifully played by actress Angela Down).
One example of the nearly-flawless casting: the magnetism of actor Donald Burton as the cruel, yet charming Dolohov (Burton later emigrated to America, where he married actress Caroll "Baby Doll" Baker). Also totally engrossing are the performances of David Swift as Napoleon, Rupert Davies as Count Rostov, Joanna David as the lovely Sonya, and Gary Watson as the jovial yet deadly-serious military officer Denisov.
There are many outstanding performances of characters who appear in very few (or even a single) scenes--eg: the old guy in the carriage waiting station (Osip Bazdayev) who introduces Pierre to Masonry---is magnificently portrayed by Carleton Hobbs, a popular radio Sherlock Holmes in England. And the list goes on (Harry Locke as Platon, Victor Brooks as Dron, the peasant elder, the members of Napoleon's staff, Captain Tushin..)
Major recognition also to writer Jack Pulman, who took on the daunting task of elaborating Tolstoy's written dialogue into a FULL, 15-hour script; it is eloquent and beautifully tailored for maximum insight into the inner workings of Tolstoy's richly conceived, complex characters, as they journey through his epic tale.
THE BATTLE SCENES--filmed in summer of '71 (in terrific heat) in Yugoslavia--and using 1,000 actor/soldiers, are imaginatively and effectively staged, grand enough to convey the scope of the conflict yet, oddly, intimate enough in close-up shots and quick editing to give the scenes their crucial pace and rhythm AS WELL as capturing the gruesome violence of war in which any sense of humanity is obliterated (there's a shocking, split-second shot of a French soldier literally exploding into pieces during the big charge at Borodino; slo-mo viewing reveals the realism of the effect).
THE MUSIC-- OR LACK OF IT--- some writers complain; not me. The absolute realism of the action---whether hordes of military troops on the march or two people sitting and conversing in a drawing room--- is greatly enhanced by the lack of a background score. ONE THE OTHER HAND, when "source" music is required..during the many scenes of ballroom dancing--- the meticulous research of the production is evident: the sound of the instruments, and indeed the physical, ON-CAMERA instruments themselves, are authentic, early 19th-century recreations.
------------------------------------ MY RESERVATIONS-- remarkably few for such a mammoth production.
1.) The casting of actress Morag Hood as the central character of Natasha. I understand the producer's dilemma (in fact, they conducted a lengthy, "Scarlett O-Hara-style" search for the right actress), since Natasha's character undergoes a major transformation during the 15 years of the novel's action. Ms. Hood is really excellent in the later, mature scenes--as sensitive and elegant as you will ever see. But JEEEZZ---- she was 29 years old when this film was made--and looked every bit of it. Her early scenes..where the fresh, youthful, earth-spirit that enchants every man she meets... giggling, romping, flitting about the house and all that....are embarrassingly bad. Too bad; a major blot on the production.
2.) The portrayal of old Prince Bolkonsky by Anthony Richards. Yes, he's a demented, cruel old hermit of a man who daily torments and humiliates his daughter Maria, but JEEEZZZZ---- the actor's portrayal is SO grotesque and caricatured that it's hard to take seriously. I kept trying, but his scenes become increasingly cartoon-y and difficult to watch. WHOSE DECISION??actor or director---or both??
3.) Everyone who knows "War and Peace" will quibble about the scenes that were omitted for this version, but ONE of them is absolutely too difficult to understand: the medical tent scene at Borodino where the mortally wounded Andrei Bolkonsky finds himself next to the mortally wounded Anatole Kuragin, the man who destroyed the only true happiness Andrei had known in life-- his love for Natasha. This is perhaps the biggest "OMG!!" moment in the entire novel, and to eliminate it in the 15-hour BBC version is maddening---- ESPECIALLY when some scenes--notably Anthony Hopkins' L-O-N-G drunk scene with French Captain Ramballe, which could have easily been cut in half---are far less important.
4.) Also lamentable is the loss of the scene where Nikolai searches for his friend Denisov in the carnage-filled, ramshackle country infirmary-- a scene which had me on the edge of my seat when I first read the novel.
HOWEVER-- in the final analysis-- THIS is the version of War and Peace to own and treasure. It is a remarkable work of art, and its modest budget and lack of modern effects dictated that the quality of the writing, acting, direction and overall design HAD to do justice to Tolstoy's "un-filmable" literary masterpiece, a goal which was admirably achieved. LR
The 1972 BBC version, masterfully directed and "managed" by John Davies, is a stunning accomplishment in almost every way. The sheer SIZE of the production is astounding, from the huge cast to the vast array of sets: ballrooms, palaces, estates, cathedrals, sitting rooms, parlors, foyers, halls, vestibules, bedrooms, verandas, balconies, solider's quarters, village inns and huts, military meeting rooms, etc etc..and ALL of them imaginatively designed, decorated and lit. Amazing.
The cast is almost uniformly wonderful; yes, Anthony Hopkins gets top billing and creates a totally believable Pierre..yet physically he's not quite the "bear" of a man that Tolstoy describes {Sergei Bondarchuk of the '60's Russian version is PERFECT). But this BBC production is brimming with TERRIFIC British actors who bring every role to life in a vivid and appealing way. "War and Peace" is actually a story of AT LEAST FIVE main characters--- including the honorable yet impetuous Nikolai Rostov and Princess Maria Bolkonsky (beautifully played by actress Angela Down).
One example of the nearly-flawless casting: the magnetism of actor Donald Burton as the cruel, yet charming Dolohov (Burton later emigrated to America, where he married actress Caroll "Baby Doll" Baker). Also totally engrossing are the performances of David Swift as Napoleon, Rupert Davies as Count Rostov, Joanna David as the lovely Sonya, and Gary Watson as the jovial yet deadly-serious military officer Denisov.
There are many outstanding performances of characters who appear in very few (or even a single) scenes--eg: the old guy in the carriage waiting station (Osip Bazdayev) who introduces Pierre to Masonry---is magnificently portrayed by Carleton Hobbs, a popular radio Sherlock Holmes in England. And the list goes on (Harry Locke as Platon, Victor Brooks as Dron, the peasant elder, the members of Napoleon's staff, Captain Tushin..)
Major recognition also to writer Jack Pulman, who took on the daunting task of elaborating Tolstoy's written dialogue into a FULL, 15-hour script; it is eloquent and beautifully tailored for maximum insight into the inner workings of Tolstoy's richly conceived, complex characters, as they journey through his epic tale.
THE BATTLE SCENES--filmed in summer of '71 (in terrific heat) in Yugoslavia--and using 1,000 actor/soldiers, are imaginatively and effectively staged, grand enough to convey the scope of the conflict yet, oddly, intimate enough in close-up shots and quick editing to give the scenes their crucial pace and rhythm AS WELL as capturing the gruesome violence of war in which any sense of humanity is obliterated (there's a shocking, split-second shot of a French soldier literally exploding into pieces during the big charge at Borodino; slo-mo viewing reveals the realism of the effect).
THE MUSIC-- OR LACK OF IT--- some writers complain; not me. The absolute realism of the action---whether hordes of military troops on the march or two people sitting and conversing in a drawing room--- is greatly enhanced by the lack of a background score. ONE THE OTHER HAND, when "source" music is required..during the many scenes of ballroom dancing--- the meticulous research of the production is evident: the sound of the instruments, and indeed the physical, ON-CAMERA instruments themselves, are authentic, early 19th-century recreations.
------------------------------------ MY RESERVATIONS-- remarkably few for such a mammoth production.
1.) The casting of actress Morag Hood as the central character of Natasha. I understand the producer's dilemma (in fact, they conducted a lengthy, "Scarlett O-Hara-style" search for the right actress), since Natasha's character undergoes a major transformation during the 15 years of the novel's action. Ms. Hood is really excellent in the later, mature scenes--as sensitive and elegant as you will ever see. But JEEEZZ---- she was 29 years old when this film was made--and looked every bit of it. Her early scenes..where the fresh, youthful, earth-spirit that enchants every man she meets... giggling, romping, flitting about the house and all that....are embarrassingly bad. Too bad; a major blot on the production.
2.) The portrayal of old Prince Bolkonsky by Anthony Richards. Yes, he's a demented, cruel old hermit of a man who daily torments and humiliates his daughter Maria, but JEEEZZZZ---- the actor's portrayal is SO grotesque and caricatured that it's hard to take seriously. I kept trying, but his scenes become increasingly cartoon-y and difficult to watch. WHOSE DECISION??actor or director---or both??
3.) Everyone who knows "War and Peace" will quibble about the scenes that were omitted for this version, but ONE of them is absolutely too difficult to understand: the medical tent scene at Borodino where the mortally wounded Andrei Bolkonsky finds himself next to the mortally wounded Anatole Kuragin, the man who destroyed the only true happiness Andrei had known in life-- his love for Natasha. This is perhaps the biggest "OMG!!" moment in the entire novel, and to eliminate it in the 15-hour BBC version is maddening---- ESPECIALLY when some scenes--notably Anthony Hopkins' L-O-N-G drunk scene with French Captain Ramballe, which could have easily been cut in half---are far less important.
4.) Also lamentable is the loss of the scene where Nikolai searches for his friend Denisov in the carnage-filled, ramshackle country infirmary-- a scene which had me on the edge of my seat when I first read the novel.
HOWEVER-- in the final analysis-- THIS is the version of War and Peace to own and treasure. It is a remarkable work of art, and its modest budget and lack of modern effects dictated that the quality of the writing, acting, direction and overall design HAD to do justice to Tolstoy's "un-filmable" literary masterpiece, a goal which was admirably achieved. LR