War and Peace

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War and Peace

PG

1956

3h 28m

History

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

56%

Tomatometer

9 Reviews

63%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In the years leading to Napoleon's invasion, members of the Russian aristocracy face a myriad of personal tragedies. After his father dies, Count Pierre Bezukhov (Henry Fonda), a friend of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (Mel Ferrer), receives a substantial inheritance. When he decides to marry, Bezukhov unwisely chooses a conniving princess (Anita Ekberg). As for Bolkonsky, his wife dies during childbirth, after which he falls in love with Natasha Rostova (Audrey Hepburn) but is soon called to war.

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Jordan Hoffman

amNewYork

Feb 20, 2019

4/4

War and Peace can look intimidating on a library shelf, but this particular version is engaging, fresh and feels nothing like homework. An opportunity to see it in a theater like this doesn't come around often.

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

Mar 25, 2006

Alas, the human stories that Tolstoy told so significantly in the book are sketchy and inconsequential, despite the time devoted to them.

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Frank J. Avella

Edge Media Network

Jan 21, 2022

B-

... the film is quite decent (although the script is fairly facile), mostly because the focus is largely on Natasha, and Hepburn brings a grace but also a sexiness to the role that she hadn't yet shown - especially with her scenes with Vittorio Gassman.

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André Bazin

L'Éducation Nationale

Dec 8, 2021

The film seems to me to be an acceptable approximation of a great novel -- one that will win thanks for King Vidor from a few hundred thousand new readers.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Oct 23, 2021

2/4

Henry Fonda possesses the mettle to fill the shoes of Pierre Bezukhov, but no amount of squinting will camouflage the sight of this 50-year-old American playing a 20-something Russian.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Feb 17, 2014

C+

A stilted and ponderous epic about Napoleon's failed Russian invasion of 1812.

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King Vidor

Director

Audrey Hepburn

Natasha Rostova

Henry Fonda

Pierre Bezukhov

Mel Ferrer

Prince Andrei Bolkonsky

Vittorio Gassman

Anatole

John Mills

Platon Karatsev

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Synopsis

In the years leading to Napoleon's invasion, members of the Russian aristocracy face a myriad of personal tragedies. After his father dies, Count Pierre Bezukhov (Henry Fonda), a friend of Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (Mel Ferrer), receives a substantial inheritance. When he decides to marry, Bezukhov unwisely chooses a conniving princess (Anita Ekberg). As for Bolkonsky, his wife dies during childbirth, after which he falls in love with Natasha Rostova (Audrey Hepburn) but is soon called to war.

Director: King Vidor
Producer: Dino De Laurentiis
Screenwriter: Ennio De Concini, Leo Tolstoy, Robert Westerby, Bridget Boland, Mario Camerini, Gian Gaspare Napolitano, Ivo Perilli, Mario Soldati
Distributor: CIC Video, Paramount Pictures, CIC-Taft Home Video, Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica [it], Associated British Picture Corp.
Production Co: Dino de Laurentiis Corp.
Rating: PG
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 21, 1956, Original
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2012
Runtime: 3h 28m

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