(1968) Russia, 1805-1812: life, love, and death in the Rostov, Bolkonsky, and Bezukhov families: from a desperately wounded man staring up at the clouds in the aftermath of the battle of Austerlitz; to the delirious ecstasy of a young girl’s first ball; to the clumsy, comic, and ironic climax of a duel in the snow; to the monstrous spectacle of the Battle of Borodino (“beyond question the cinema’s best and most elaborate battle sequence” – Chicago Tribune); to the cinders falling like snowflakes at the burning of Moscow; to the endless columns of stumbling men struggling amid the drifts, as Napoleon Retreats. Director/star/co-writer Sergei Bondarchuk’s adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic remains the most expensive movie ever made ($100,000,000 in 1960s dollars — multiply by almost 7 for 2007 equivalent) and arguably the most spectacular, as the camera swoops over gigantic battle scenes (over 100,000 pre-CGI extras culled from the Soviet army). Veteran acting star Bondarchuk cast himself as Pierre, but, on only the second film he directed, took artistic chances as well, triumphantly casting erstwhile teenage ballerina Ludmila Savelyeva — in her first acting role ever — as the enchanting Natasha; and using hand-held point-of-view shots, superimpositions, split screens; and even throwing scarves past the camera. “The greatest film ever made has been made” read the ads for its 1968 U.S. premiere; even cut by an hour and dubbed into English, it still won the Best Foreign Film Oscar (Natalie Wood presented the award in fluent Russian to Savelyeva). We are showing a 7-hour, Russian-language version (subtitled in English). “It is easy enough to praise director Bondarchuk for his thundering battle scenes, or his delicate ballroom scenes, or the quality of his actors. But these were almost to be expected. What is extraordinary about War and Peace is that Bondarchuk was able to take the enormous bulk of Leo Tolstoy’s novel and somehow transform it into this great chunk of film without losing control along the way. . . . He balances the spectacular, the human, and the intellectual. Even in the longest, bloodiest, battle scenes there are vignettes that stand out. Bondarchuk is able to bring his epic events down to comprehensible scale without losing his sense of the spectacular. And always he returns to ToIstoy’s theme of men in the grip of history.” – Roger Ebert.
A SEAGULL FILMS RELEASE.

“THE MOST AWE-INSPIRING THING TO HIT A NEW YORK MOVIE SCREEN IN YEARS! HEAD-EXPLODINGLY MASSIVE!”
– New York magazine


“THE EXTRAVAGANZA OF ALL EXTRAVAGANZAS! Unarguably breathtaking!”
– Stephen Garrett, Time Out New York

“AMAZING! IT'S PURE CINEMA, AND IT WILL TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY!"
– Grady Hendrix, The New York Sun. Click here to read review

“MORE THAN A PRESTIGE MEGA-PRODUCTION... An unprecedented concert of cinematograph, man, beast, and pyrotechnics.”
– Nick Pinkerton, The Village Voice. Click here to read review

“If you live in New York and your filmgoing diet still seems inadequate,
well for goodness' sake get over to Film Forum for Sergei Bondarchuk's legendary WAR AND PEACE!”
– Andrew O'Hehir, Salon

Listen to our podcast:
Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, acclaimed translators of a new edition of Tolstoy’s novel, introduced the 7 pm screening on Friday, October 19.
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This new edition is for sale at Amazon