:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13766207/28891id_006.jpg)
Posted on 03/12/2019 3:17:10 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
It is no exaggeration to say that Sergei Bondarchuk’s 1960s adaptation of the Leo Tolstoy novel “War and Peace” is a singular feat of filmmaking that can never be repeated.
If it were, a director would have to match the resources at Bondarchuk’s disposal — a virtually unlimited budget, props from Russia’s great museums, thousands of extras from the Soviet army — and engineer sprawling battle sequences using no computer-generated effects.
The extraordinary support behind “War and Peace” is apparent in every lavish frame of its seven-plus hours, and it is staggering to witness — even more so in the new, meticulously assembled digital restoration opening Friday at Film Society of Lincoln Center...There’s a reason Lincoln Center is showing it only in Walter Reade Theater, its largest.
“If any film deserves to be seen on a big screen, it’s this,” said Curtis Tsui, a producer with Criterion. “There is no substitute for that.”
The film is not entirely epic spectacle. Tolstoy was a master of juxtaposition, and his novel oscillates between the ugliness of battle and the blissful ignorance of aristocracy. Bondarchuk operates in much the same way: Gunfire can segue abruptly to domestic drama.
“Every shot seemed expansive and titanic almost, but then it would balance that with intimacy,” Tsui said.
In these moments, Bondarchuk’s cinematic curiosity shines. Natasha’s romantic delirium is rendered in jarring cuts and tinkling sounds. Filters and fishbowl lenses show hunting from the perspective of a wolf. Andrei’s spiritual awakening unfolds with a visual poetry that prefigures Terrence Malick.
“The film has undergone a real renaissance,” Denise Youngblood said.
At the very least, it is an artifact of what happens when the ambition of a director is matched by that of his country.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Absolutely stunning.
The most incredible cinematic viewing experience of my life.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13766176/28891id_010.jpg)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13766200/28891id_014.jpg)
TRAILER:
https://youtu.be/3DqanxfecIA
“Good critics avoid hyperbole as a rule, and declaring a single film to be the greatest ever made makes a professional sound like an undergrad who just saw Citizen Kane for the first time. And even some voracious readers are guilty of seeing the writings of Leo Tolstoy as an essential chore. Having said all that: In any serious, sober-minded discussion about what could be selected to exemplify the farthest reaches of cinema’s capabilities, War and Peace — Sergei Bondarchuk’s largely unseen adaptation of Tolstoy’s literary classic — would have to be on the table.
The story of its production, of a man moving heaven and Earth to realize a staggering vision, boggles the mind to this day. The adaptation set a new standard for “epic,” capturing all the passion and tragedy of Napoleon’s clash against the Russian aristocracy in its seven-hour sprawl. Anyone who hears “431 minutes of War and Peace” and imagines an airless museum exhibit passing itself off as a film has another thing coming.
The film’s larger-than-life legend begins in 1961, when Bondarchuk commandeered the largest budget the USSR had ever seen for a single motion picture. Released in four parts in 1966 and 1967, it was a colossal success in its original homeland run as well as a worldwide sensation, and playing as a four-night special on ABC in 1972 after having set a new record for highest ticket cost — as steep as $7.50, the equivalent of dropping $56.52 on a ticket today, and a big step up from the $1.20 rate in place at the time — during theatrical screenings of an abridged six-hour edit in the US. The 1966 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film was just the feather in its cap — er, shako.
But the difficulty of preserving, displaying, and distributing such a massive piece of work (a whopping 20 canisters of film reels made transportation a sizable hassle) all but sealed it away from the public’s access, excepting the occasional repertory run of a badly beaten-up copy. Until now.
The good folks at Janus Films have undertaken the herculean work of rebeautifying Bondarchuk’s footage, and in 2019, they’re getting it back out there: First, a run at New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center starting Friday, then a run in Los Angeles, other major cities, and finally, a video/digital release later in the year.”
- Charles Bromesco, VOX
The greatest Soviet film director after Sergei Eisenstein. Don’t know how Bondarchuk pulled it off.
He suffered two heart attacks helming War and Peace. The stress of bringing Tolstoy’s vision to the big screen nearly killed him.
Its a work of art and a true cinematic masterpiece. The Criterion Collection restoration lives up to its billing.
I loved that movie, particularly the scene where the young girl imagined she could fly.
Have you ever seen “The Cranes Are Flying”?
That’s probably my favorite Russian movie from that era.
Searched to see where it can be found and got Zip.
If you know where it is scheduled to play? I did find that it would be available for purchase in 2019 but I imagine it would be a, “big screen” movie.
I hear the trailer is around 90 minutes......
My favorite Russian movie is the “Golden Sails” based on the novel by Alexander Grim.
Its a love story set in a nineteenth century sailing background. By far the best of the Soviet Thaw Era movies.
LOL! At the theater there was a woman sitting near me who was holding a stack of sparknotes for Tolstoy's book, so that she can be read up before the screening...50 pages total. Just the summary alone!
It will probably come at some point to the Criterion Collection streaming service set to begin April 8.
A blow when Filmstruck was shuttered by Warner but classic film fans can finally rejoice.
The famed Criterion Collection is back. I’ve signed up with them and look forward to the month long free trial next month.
Oops! Meant Alexander Grin.
Yes I remember that line and it does make an impression! What I loved about these moments in the Russian version were how thoroughly un-cheesy or affectated they come off.
Tolstoy mastered mature philosophical probing and capturing the vast military scope of war, all while maintaining the suspense and romance of a compelling love story narrative! Bondarchuk managed to capture all these elements in his film. This was no Downton Abbey-ized BBC undertaking, that's for sure.
I can’t imagine his treatment of the battle of Borodin. Or Moscow. Or the Grand Retreat. Let alone the lavish ball scenes.
Epic ...
Epic ...
I believe the film did the book as must justice as a film possibly could and that Sergei Bondarchuk (who also plays Pierre Bezukhov) just "gets it." He gets Tolstoy. He gets Russia...and Russians. And the French too! hah.
The battle scenes were particularly incredible.
“The stress of bringing Tolstoy’s vision to the big screen nearly killed him.”
Writing the novel almost killed Tolstoy. He had some kind of major break down after he finished it. While he was writing it, he would experience all the intense emotions he was describing.
He wrote it by the light of one candle. His wife would copy his drafts by hand, and sometimes had to use a magnifying glass to see his writing.
She copied that huge novel by hand five times getting it ready for the printers.
I remember the cast being interviewed and stating to the effect the film
Is about Tolstoy’s philosophy.
That what makes it authentically Russian. Foreigners can’t capture this spirit - the essence of what it means to be Russian.
And they’re correct. Bondarchuk’s film is close to capturing what Tolstoy felt and thought in visual form as opposed to the written word.
Its the greatest movie in the world just as Tolstoy’s novel is the greatest novel ever written.
I agree :) and am still buzzing from the viewing last week. Grateful to have taken the journey.
And this timeless gift to us remains.
How could it not be?
How could it not be?
NO comparison.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.