War and Peace

War and Peace

10 Episodes

At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet film industry set out to prove it could outdo Hollywood with a production that would dazzle the world: a titanic, awe-inspiring adaptation of Tolstoy’s classic tome in which the fates of three souls—the blundering, good-hearted Pierre; the heroically tragic Prince Andrei; and the radiant, tempestuous Natasha—collide amid the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars. Employing a cast of thousands and an array of innovative camera techniques, director Sergei Bondarchuk conjures a sweeping vision of grand balls that glitter with rococo beauty and breathtaking battles that overwhelm with their expressionistic power. As a statement of Soviet cinema’s might, WAR AND PEACE succeeded wildly, garnering the Academy Award for best foreign-language film and setting a new standard for epic moviemaking.

War and Peace
  • WAR AND PEACE: Part 1

    Episode 1

    ANDREI BOLKONSKY
    Directed by Sergei Bondarchuk • 1966 • Soviet Union

    At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet film industry set out to prove it could outdo Hollywood with a production that would dazzle the world: a titanic, awe-inspiring adaptation of Tolstoy’s classic tome in which the fates o...

  • WAR AND PEACE: Part 2

    Episode 2

    NATASHA ROSTOVA
    Directed by Sergei Bondarchuk • 1966 • Soviet Union

    At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet film industry set out to prove it could outdo Hollywood with a production that would dazzle the world: a titanic, awe-inspiring adaptation of Tolstoy’s classic tome in which the fates of...

  • WAR AND PEACE: Part 3

    Episode 3

    THE YEAR 1812
    Directed by Sergei Bondarchuk • 1967 • Soviet Union

    At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet film industry set out to prove it could outdo Hollywood with a production that would dazzle the world: a titanic, awe-inspiring adaptation of Tolstoy’s classic tome in which the fates of t...

  • WAR AND PEACE: Part 4

    Episode 4

    PIERRE BEZUKHOV
    Directed by Sergei Bondarchuk • 1967 • Soviet Union

    At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet film industry set out to prove it could outdo Hollywood with a production that would dazzle the world: a titanic, awe-inspiring adaptation of Tolstoy’s classic tome in which the fates of...

  • Woina i mir

    Episode 5

    This black-and-white German documentary, made by Thomas Schamoni in 1966, details the production of WAR AND PEACE and features an interview with director Sergei Bondarchuk.

  • Anatoly Petritsky on WAR AND PEACE

    Episode 6

    This 2019 interview with cinematographer Anatoly Petritsky focuses on the challenges of photographing WAR AND PEACE.

  • Fedor Bondarchuk on WAR AND PEACE

    Episode 7

    In this interview, conducted in 2019, filmmaker Fedor Bondarchuk discusses the work of his father, Sergei Bondarchuk, including WAR AND PEACE.

  • Les soviétiques

    Episode 8

    Originally aired on November 18, 1968, this French television program profiles actor Ludmila Savelyeva and also features director Sergei Bondarchuk.

  • Cold War Classic

    Episode 9

    In this 2019 program, history scholar Denise J. Youngblood (Bondarchuk's "War and Peace": Literary Classic to Soviet Cinematic Epic) illuminates the cultural and cinematic contexts for WAR AND PEACE.

  • Making War and Peace

    Episode 10

    Produced in 1969 by Mosfilm, this documentary details the filming and editing of WAR AND PEACE.