IMDb > War and Peace (1956)
War and Peace
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War and Peace (1956) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   2,638 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Leo Tolstoy (novel)
Bridget Boland (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for War and Peace on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 August 1956 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
The Greatest Novel Ever Written ... Now Magnificently Alive On The Screen! more
Plot:
Napoleon's tumultuous relations with Russia including his disastrous 1812 invasion serve as the backdrop for the tangled personal lives of two aristocratic families. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(16 articles)
The World's Longest Film Is ...
 (From Cinematical. 11 November 2009, 11:15 AM, PST)

AFI Fest 2009: The Last Station, After.Life
 (From Alternative Film Guide. 6 November 2009, 11:22 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Gorgeous to look at / Dreadful to hear more (32 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Guerra e pace (Italy)
more
MPAA:
Rated PG for violence.
Runtime:
208 min
Country:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System) | Perspecta Stereo

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In the scene where the Rostovs invite Prince Andrei to go hunting with them, Jeremy Brett is the only actor never on a mechanical horse: in all his shots he is clearly on a live horse. Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Mel Ferrer, Barry Jones and May Britt are all clearly on mechanical horses in their close shots. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the first battle, Prince Andrei dismounts to take the flag of the shot soldier who is holding it. Then the wounded soldier kneels twice. more
Quotes:
Dolokhov: [about French prisoners] Take them away! You know what to do with them! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Rec: Sensou to heiwa (#1.7)" (2006) more
Soundtrack:
Die Rose von Nowgorod more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
17 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
Gorgeous to look at / Dreadful to hear, 9 April 2003
Author: kinolieber

As another IMDb'er has mentioned, this film is one spectacular visual moment after another, but unfortunately with really terrible sound. The reason for the bad sound is that the film was produced at Cinecitta studios in Rome and at that time, all films there were shot without live sound. Everything was dubbed later: dialogue, music and all ambient sounds. In addition, recording facilities in Italy were primitive (this was only 11 years after the catastrophe of WWII), resulting in the canned quality of most of the dialogue. (One of the reasons Antonioni's films were such a breakthrough in the following decade was his use of live sound recording and location shooting).

Anyway, War and Peace is a most worthwhile film experience for Vidor and Cardiff's Technicolor Vistavision visuals, for the screenplay which is often quite beautifully written, and for many fine performances from some exceedingly charismatic film actors, especially the astonishing Audrey Hepburn. There are close-ups of her that will make your heart stop.

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Which actors today could play the parts? nedbingryerson
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500 million budget victor_gan
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Quote at the end of the movie Laurey_Loves_Curly
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