Search - War and Peace on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Not For Children Movie Release: 1956 DVD Release: 12/03/2002 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 3 hrs 28 mins Studio: Paramount Members Wishing: 10 Genres: Drama, Epic, Historical Epic, Romantic Epic See Also: War and Peace [Circuit City Exclusive] [Checkpoint]

War and Peace is a commendable attempt to boil down Tolstoy's long, difficult novel into 208 minutes' screen time. In recreating the the social and personal upheavals attending Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia, $6 million was shelled out by coproducers Carlo Ponti, Dino de Laurentiis and Paramount Pictures. Some of the panoramic battle sequences are so expertly handled by second-unit director Mario Soldati that they appear to be Technicolor-and-Vistavision newsreel footage of the actual events. Still, the film falters dramatically, principally because of a lumpy script and King Vidor's surprisingly lustreless direction. In addition, the casting is wildly consistent: for example, while Audrey Hepburn is flawless as Natasha, Henry Fonda is far too "Yankeefied" as the introspective Pierre. Proving too long and unwieldy for most audiences, War and Peace died at the box office; far more successful was the epic, scrupulously faithful 1968 version, filmed in the Soviet Union. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Audrey Hepburn - Natasha
Henry Fonda - Pierre
Mel Ferrer - Prince Andrei Bolkonsky
Vittorio Gassman - Anatole
Anita Ekberg - Helene

King Vidor's lavish adaptation of Tolstoy's War and Peace comes to DVD with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The closed-captioned English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Mono. English subtitles are accessible. Supplemental materials include the original theatrical trailer, and the trailer for the re-release. This is a decent release from Paramount that should please fans of the film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide