War and Peace (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

The first screen adaptation of Война и мир produced by the Russians during the sound era as the Soviet government's response to the 1956 Dino de Laurentis-King Vidor photo play, no expense was spared to ensure that this epic was a thundering success. The arduous behind-the-scenes drama during pre-production, production, and post-production, and video releases has been covered extensively elsewhere. This seven hour feature, split into four parts, is a masterpiece, not only because of the innovative ways used to film many spectacular sequences, but also in its faithfulness to the source material. I cannot comment on the previous video releases to compare them to this one, but the general consensus is that the Blu-Ray release is superior in every way, though the Ruscico DVD seems to have more special features than the Blu-Ray, oddly enough. But what IS included is excellent. Most of the special features are in German, French, and Russian with English subtitles. My only criticism is that the first documentary is included on Disc I with Parts I and II of the movie instead of on Disc II with Parts III and IV, which would have been better, in my opinion, along with putting the re-release trailer on Disc I. That way, the 172 minutes of special features can be viewed without having to switch discs after seeing the four-part epic. This film stands witn D.W. Griffith's The Birth Of A Nation, The Thief Of Bagdad (1924), Die Nibelungen (1924), Gone With The Wind, Citizen Kane, and 2001: A Space Odyssey as an epic masterpiece in every way, and like them, appropriate for family viewing. There is violence, with little of it being graphic, and three or four mild profanities, and NO blasphemy, sexuality, or nudity. War And Peace is Not Rated.

Have never given a movie 5 stars before. Plenty of 4-star...but this one's different. The rating is for the new Criterion release. 4 stars for sweep and spectacle. Stunning. The epic of all epics remains unmatched in cinema history, even now, half a century after it was finally (took 5 years) finished. Yes, I've lost the open-mouthed wonder with which I watched this movie on VHS cassette tape, way back in the late 80s. But looking at it now, I have an even greater appreciation of the incredible achievement. Every one of those thousands of figures on the immense battlefields are REAL PEOPLE! In spite of new, lighter camera gear, digital audio magic and computer generated whatevers, this still beats everything out there. There you go: 4-star movie. One additional star for the new made-in-Moscow restoration. My eyes went wide. Unbelievable difference, not only from the dull, soft visual images on the VHS, but from the dark, muddy images on the DVD I watched for a couple of hours before I learned that Criterion was ready to release this. (I put the DVDs back in the box and waited until the mail-lady came before watching the rest of the movie over the following two days.) There you go: 5 star movie. Too long? For some. A little...old-fashioned in its story-telling technique? Yeah, could be. Not gripping enough--too "detached" with that distancing voice-over narration? Maybe. Pick away. But you can't down-grade the good stuff. And the good stuff has never been surpassed. Many film-makers (and film buffs) dream the big dream: what could you do if money was no object? ("Don't worry about the bucks--just do what you want!")? This is one man's answer, and don't think there weren't plenty of envious producers and directors in L.A. when this one first hit the screen. Probably still are. Probably always will be.

Perfect example of the marriage of literature and cinema. The classic film of the classic novel of the Napoleonic War era Russian aristocrats beautifully captures the social and philosophical views at the heart of the story-as well as the joys and sorrows of humanity and the wonders of nature. A grand, opulent and exciting epic, as good -if not better- than any spectacle to ever come out of Hollywood. Extremely ambitious, state funded production becomes an unprecedented 1960's blockbuster that makes it's contemporaries look anemic. Huge palatial sets (including The Kremlin), awesome battle sequences- the Battle of Borodino is mind-blowing (and contains far more explosions than I ever thought I'd see in a 60's movie), thousands of extras, extraordinary costumes, and breathtaking artistic and creative cinematography. A truly remarkable film in nearly all regards! Definitely a celebration of Russian culture. An excellent way to inspire one to finally finish reading this most notoriously vast 1,200+ page novel- no easy feat (just ask Snoopy). This beautifully restored Criterion Collection Blu Ray set also contains several documentaries on the film's gargantuan production and release. An amazing masterpiece and a must see film. The 2015 BBC miniseries is also highly recommended. If only they could do justice to Tolstoy's other masterwork and make a version of Anna Karenina this good.

The only issue I had with my order is that I ordered it new on Blu-ray, and the discs came used. They play fine, so it isn't a big deal, but there were finger prints all over the play side of the discs, and one of them looked like it had been previously buffed or something. It was strange. Anyway, great film.

Ne surtout pas acheter si vous êtes en Europe. Le blu ray est protégé par le code régional A (pour les USA entre autres). C'est lamentable que ce ne soit pas précisé dans la description du produit... 3 étoiles tout de même pour cet excellent film.

Regionlocked to Region A/1 (I guess?), so unusable in EU

Having read War and Peace earliier this year, I was impressed with how well this film conveys Tolstoy's central ideas and brings the historical and individual stories to life in a riveting and believable fashion. The acting, cinematography, sets, costumes, subtitles and sound are all extremely well done. The film had the full support of the Solviet regime thus providing unlimited access to relevant resouces (museums for artifacts and period designs and to the military for advisors and troops). The battle scenes are extraordinary, with the scope of CGI but the individual interactions that provide a reality that is not available with simulated scenes. The fog of war and the importance of motivation and morale are very well portrayed. In short this film is a true epic in the best sense of the word. It is well worth seeing. There are a couple of minor caveats. First, it is best to have some familiarity with the plot and characters in order to get the most from the film. It was crafted for a public which was very familiar with Tolstoy's work. Second, the menu on the blue ray discs is somwhat idiosyncratic. The 4 films are chosen by clicking on the names of the principal chacacters or 1812 instead of Part1, Part 2, etc). The three doumentaries that are included are very well done, and well worth viewing (particularly the one in Engish, which provides many insights into the politics and personalities intrumental in shaping the film). Enjoy.

When I heard that Criterion had restored War and Peace for Blu-ray I was very excited. This was a film I had loved since seeing it in the 70's and had owned originally as pan-and-scan VHS and later as a DVD. None of these had done justice to scale of the production due to poor quality transfers from what I believe was degraded film stock. Sadly, however, the UK release of the Blu-ray never saw the light of day due to a dispute over horse falls which would have required cuts in the footage for which the producers were unwilling to compromise on. Recently though, I heard through the grapevine that later releases of the film were being produced region free, and when I saw the US import on Amazon I thought I'd give it a go. Unfortunately what was delivered was region A, only playable in North America so I had to return the product. Not wanting to give up so easily I contacted Criterion directly via their help line. They were able to confirm that they did indeed produce a limited run of multi-region copies, and, although they don't advertise as shipping outside North America on their webpage, were were happy to post me a copy for $50 including international postage. This I have now received after 1 week and I can confirm that it does indeed play in the UK and looks rather good, with far better picture quality and sound than any version I've seen before. So, if acquiring a copy of this film, make sure that the region A/B/C logo (as shown in the picture) is displayed om the back of the box. Good luck!

Fantastica película.