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Features: DVD
Leo Tolstoy's literary masterpiece comes to life in this epic film classic, featuring the talents of the greatest names from Hollywood's Golden Age. Starring Audrey Hepburn as Natasha, Henry Fonda as Pierre, and Mel Ferrer as Prince Andrei, War and Peace is a compelling Academy Award-nominated drama of international conflict, spectacular adventure, gripping intrigue and tragic romance set against the sweeping backdrop of Napoleon's invasion of Russia.
Editor's Note
Set against the backdrop of Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia, King Vidor's adaptation of the Tolstoy sprawling classic stars Henry Fonda as Pierre Bezhukov. Despite the vast scope of the author's detailed portrait of the classes, regions, and characters of Russian society, he was able to draw on his own experience as a soldier in this campaign, capturing the chaos and confusion of battle in its terrible immediacy. Both the immensely wealthy Pierre and his friend Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (Mel Ferrer), members of an aristocracy of warriors, become disenchanted with the unheroic truth of war. As he says, "The habits of the military class are the absence of freedom, that is discipline, idleness, ignorance, cruelty, debauchery, and darkness." The reflective, unhappily married Pierre is a seeker after truth, wracked with doubt about himself, about the purpose of the war, and about the destiny of the human race. It is only in his love for the enchanting Natasha (Audrey Hepburn) that the ruminative protagaonist can find the meaning that he sought for so long. The film suffers from a leaden script and the 54-year-old Fonda is seriously miscast, but it is worth watching for the excellence of the panoramic battle scenes alone, directed by Mario Soldati.
Plot Summary
King Vidor's film is an all-star version of Leo Tolstoy's literary masterpiece. This epic tale takes place during Napoleon's invasion of Russia in the years 1805-20. While these calamitous historical events unfold, a variety of characters from various classes and cultures tries to deal with their own personal dramas. Whether peasant or prince, soldier or gentlewoman, each person undergoes a search for happiness and self-knowledge...and each one ultimately finds a different answer.
| Features | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English | | Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono | | Interactive Menus | | Theatrical Trailer-Behind-The-Scenes Of War And Peace | | Re-release Theatrical Trailer | | Widescreen Version Enhanced For 16x9 TVs |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 8/22/2006 |
| Running Time: 208 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1956 | | Catalog ID: 056264 | | UPC: 00097360562644 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1957) | | | Jack Cardiff, Nominee, Best Cinematography | | | Maria De Matteis, Nominee, Best Costume Designer | | | King Vidor, Nominee, Best Director |
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