“War and Peace” is the film version of the 1869 novel of the same name by Leo Tolstoy, a melodrama of Russia’s aristocracy set in the backdrop of the French invasion of that country in 1812. Though much of the novel was left out of the screen adaptation, director King Vidor (“The Fountainhead” 1949) still had a film with three hours and 28 minute running time. Due to his crisp direction, and the excellent screenplay, of which he was one of eight writers, the film moved rapidly.
The cast includes Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Mel Ferrer, Vittorio Gassman, Herbert Lom, Barry Jones, Milly Vitale, May Britt, John Mills, Jeremy Brett, Anna Maria Ferrero, and Anita Ekberg as Helene Kuragina, her big breakout role. She would continue to act in films until 1998. “War and Peace” was a success in theatrical release for producers Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti, Paramount Pictures, and Pont-De Laurentiis Cinematografica. It was nominated for three Oscars: Best Director, Best Costume Design, and Best Cinematography/Color (Jack Cardiff). It was primarily filmed in Cinecitta Studios in Rome.
War and Peace (1956)
cinema
My Review
“War and Peace” is the film version of the 1869 novel of the same name by Leo Tolstoy, a melodrama of Russia’s aristocracy set in the backdrop of the French invasion of that country in 1812. Though much of the novel was left out of the screen adaptation, director King Vidor (“The Fountainhead” 1949) still had a film with three hours and 28 minute running time. Due to his crisp direction, and the excellent screenplay, of which he was one of eight writers, the film moved rapidly.
The cast includes Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Mel Ferrer, Vittorio Gassman, Herbert Lom, Barry Jones, Milly Vitale, May Britt, John Mills, Jeremy Brett, Anna Maria Ferrero, and Anita Ekberg as Helene Kuragina, her big breakout role. She would continue to act in films until 1998. “War and Peace” was a success in theatrical release for producers Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti, Paramount Pictures, and Pont-De Laurentiis Cinematografica. It was nominated for three Oscars: Best Director, Best Costume Design, and Best Cinematography/Color (Jack Cardiff). It was primarily filmed in Cinecitta Studios in Rome.