War And Peace: Season 1

The movie was just as good as the book and you come away with an endearing lesson about life. I think I teared up at the end a little. Great acting all around!

BBC knows more success in their film projects that U.S., this is so well written and excellent!

I am Russian and have read the book... Compliments to the the production. We managed to catch the tone of the book. By the way, according to Tolstoy, "Война и Мир" translates as "War and Society". Completely different mining, don't you think?

A great masterpiece! Thank you BBC!

The three best films of Tolstoy's War and Peace are, in chronological order, the 1956 one starring Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda, the 1972 BBC series starring John Hopkins and Morag Hood, and this 2016 one starring Paul Dano and Lily James. Considering that the story is based in Russia, one has to be used to the British acting as Russians and speaking English with British accent (as opposed to Henry Fonda's American accent). Nonetheless, I would rate this as the best of the three, with John Hopkins/Morag Hood rendition a close second. Dana and James gave superb performances and are probably the best Pierre/Natasha combination ever. Dana's Pierre is an effable, likeable character, but slightly too angelic than perhaps Tolstoy had intended, mainly because a Russian version might be atad more morose than the perplexed Pierre that Dana portrays. All the other actors supported the film extremely well, and everyone seems to have been made for their roles specifically. The war battles are realistic with some gruesome scenes to depict the horrors of the war.

Good

I've seen three other versions of War and Peace besides this one (the one by Bondarchuk, the one where Henry Fonda (?!) plays Pierre, and the 1970's BBC version where Anthony Hopkins plays Pierre). While nothing can compare to the novel I would say that this is the best all-round version. I have minor quibbles with some of the casting but I like how the younger count Rostov's story is given its rightfully prominent place. The other versions had demoted him to a minor character.I don't know why Amazon lists this as 'season 1' because the entire story of War and Peace is contained on these 2 DVDs in eight 45 minute episodes. There are a few extras but nothing much.

Item as described!

The BBC’s 2015 production of ‘War and Peace’ meets the challenge of condensing Tolstoy’s 1,000-page epic novel containing 500 named characters down to six hours of watchable screen time by focussing on 14 main characters at the core of the story. Through their eyes we experience the machinations of the Czarist aristocracy in the early 1800s struggling to increase family wealth through status-enhancing marriages, and the cataclysmic invasion of western Russia by Napoleon’s Grande Armee. These dramatic backdrops are used to frame the core characters’ personal development and interactions as they undergo deep, transformative, life-changing experiences.Tolstoy’s novel is renowned for its discursions on philosophy and social justice, the relationship of the individual to society and our place in the universe, but the heart of the story is about family and the resultant bonds of love & duty. This 2015 production focuses on three of the five families central to the action: the Bezukhovs, the Rostovs and the Bolkonskys. Comparisons have been made with the much longer 1972 BBC series (20 episodes covering 17 hours of screen time), the earlier production a more stretched-out epic offering space for the characters to develop slowly in the framework of a longer narrative and for a larger cast of minor characters in the novel to play meaningful roles, whereas this shorter six-hour 2015 production inevitably forces severe pruning of the peripheral narrative threads in Tolstoy’s book.Cinematically the 2015 production is magnificent: the costuming, the opulent 18th century interiors, the stunning landscapes covered with snow or summer flowers, the banquet tables, carriages and sleighs, and a thousand fine details is a continual feast for the eye and the mind. The state-of-the-art CGI is flawlessly integrated into the action and particularly effective in the battlefield scenes.The casting is faultless: American actor Paul Dano conveys all Pierre’s innocence, idealism and goodness (with an impeccable British accent) plus his social awkwardness and naivety, James Norton the introverted, dutiful and courageous Andrei, Lily James nails the best-ever onscreen Natasha Rostova and Tuppence Middleton as the conniving, self-serving Helene is superb in a difficult and complex role (Tuppence finally gets her come-uppance in a very nasty way). Gillian Anderson is excellent as Anna Pavlovna Scherer; Jessica Buckley impressive as Andrei’s pious & devoted sister Marya; Aisling Loftus, Stephen Rea, Brian Cox all deliver fine, compelling performances. The screenwriting, editing and pacing are also very good.My only gripe is that due to the constraint of six hours’ screen time, this otherwise excellent production feels too rushed. A longer production (like the BBC’s 20-hour 1972 production) does Tolstoy’s novel better justice and enables the deeper themes to be explored, with more time for the character developments at the heart of the book. As an example Pierre’s prolonged encounter with the simple but wise Platon Karataev when both are prisoners of the French Army, so vital to his enlightenment and character transformation in the book, is skipped over in five minutes before the plot again races onto the next scene. However, this production is what it is: a fine piece of work with a coherent narrative & a great introduction to the book for younger viewers unfamiliar with Tolstoy. While too short, this 2015 production is nevertheless another notable triumph for the BBC drama department.The picture and sound quality of the Blu-ray release is superb, the menus basic but functional and easy to use. The brief extras include scenes deleted from the finished edit, a feature about how the orchestral music was integrated into the film and how Count Rostov’s folk dance was designed & choreographed.

There have been many screen adaptations of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, but this BBC dramatization is the equal of any of them. Engaging acting, atmospheric locations, striking costumes and a flowing but thoughtful script enable this production to stand tall with the others.The three principal actors are tremendous in their wildly different roles. Lily James steals the show as she enchantingly develops her Natasha Rostova character from extreme innocence and naivete to understanding and worldliness. Paul Dano is memorable as an understated and continually unlucky Pierre Bezukhov. The journey Natasha and Pierre make to be together at the end is a romance for the ages. And, James Norton is excellent as the dashing and debonair Andrei Bolkonsky. These three central characters react in surprising ways to the events that war and peace throw at them - all three are tremendously captivating and appealing.Jim Broadbent brilliantly brings Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky to life with heavy doses of eccentricity, energy and grand humour. Tuppence Middleton is menacing in her role as the sultry and self-possessed manipulative Helene Bezukhova. And, Adrian Edmondson is overflowing with good intentions as Count Ilya Rostov, vividly highlighting the pressures of war and changed fortunes. Overall, all of the cast are outstanding - no weak performances.The external scenery backgrounds are exquisite - the rolling field and hill landscapes and buildings are reminiscent of Russia in the early nineteenth century. The snow covered forest for the pistol duel scene and the fields and pastures for the battles provide a stunning backdrop. These are vital to the story, as Tolstoy described the Russian landscape in such detail in his novel that they took on the persona and importance of a human character.Even better are the wonderful grand house and palace interiors, shot on location in Eastern Europe. Every scene is bursting with relevance, luxury and colour. Who cannot be carried away by the fairy-tale romantic images created by the royal ball where Natasha is hopeful that any man will ask her to dance. Also, the Rostov family's stopover for the wolf hunt and Natasha's dance with her poor relations is very atmospheric and shows Lily James at the peak of her portrayal of Natasha.Fantastic costumes are on display throughout. From magical fairy-tale ball gowns to accurate and imposing military uniforms, the actors are given every chance to shine. The costume and make-up of the French soldiers and Russian prisoners for the march in the snow when retreating from Moscow is very well done - you almost shiver and feel cold when you are watching this scene!The almost impossible task of transferring one the the great works of literature to the screen is achieved with great expertise. The six episodes are paced wonderfully, sometimes the dialogue and action is dynamic and fast-paced, at other times thoughtful and slow. The writers give ample time for thought and contemplation of what is unfolding - it would have been a mistake to over-fill the script with more action.One weakness with the DVD is the "Extras". Although there are many small sections discussing the adaptation of the script from the novel to the screenplay, comments from the director, some deleted scenes and one or two other trinkets, it would have been more meaningful to have extended interviews with the leading actors - Lily James, Paul Dano and James Norton in particular. I felt a bit let down by the extras on offer.Hats off to the BBC and all involved with this stunning production.

I came to this version of War And Peace with some trepidation and wondered how it would fare against Jack Pulman’s old version starring Anthony Hopkins. In few, it simply blew me away. The BBC are famous for their costume dramas, but they really excelled with this one. The filming was flawless, the locations mind-blowing, the acting exceptional. Paul Dano was amazing as Pierre Bezukhov, the unwilling aristocrat haunted by idealism and James Norton was a passable Andrei Bolkonsky but among the support actors Brian Cox shone in every scene as General Mikhail Kutuzov, Jim Broadbent growled his way satisfactorily as Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky and Stephen Rea was magnificent as the scheming Prince Vassily Kuragin. I had some qualms with Lily James as Natasha Rostova (who pronounced ‘settled’ as ‘seh- tulled’) but she had the right temperament for the flighty heroine. It was important to tackle the war scenes with as much commitment as the drama - Pierre and Andrei both reach enlightenment after great suffering which is cleverly offset by the horrors of war – but this mini-series pulls out the trumps at every turn. Yes, Tolstoy’s masterpiece is cut in several places but as a new interpretation this is difficult to beat. I doubt that anyone will see a better TV rendition in a lifetime. This was dazzling.

If this were a stand-alone, original piece of TV it would deserve a higher rating. Visually it is most impressive and as a colourful, if somewhat superficial costume drama it would work very well. However, one can't get away from the show's source material and, as an adaptation, it falls woefully short of expectations. True, it's probably impossible to do justice to Tolstoy's masterpiece on screen, but this is not so much an adaptation as an assassination! It is many years since I read the novel but, even so, there is so much that I recall which is totally absent from this series. To use the old cliche, this production has a lot of style but far too little substance. As Sunday night TV escapism it possibly fits the bill, but surely Tolstoy deserves better than this.

The 1972 BBC award-winning series starring Sir Anthony Hopkins dealt with Tolstoy's novel in great depth but moved slowly. This 2016 BBC series is faster moving and some characters are missing but on the whole a better production. The only downside is the casting of the American actor, Paul Dano as Pierre. He just totally lacked the gravitas of Pierre's character.If you have read War and Peace and enjoyed it buy both and decide yourself.