Sergey bondarchuk, soviet film director and actor born sept. Literary classic to soviet cinematic epic by denise j. Youngblood, university of vermont, usa in 1959 american director king vidors 1956 adaptation of war and peace. Sergei bondarchuks 1967 fourpart masterpieceawarded academy award for best foreign language film and scads of other. Bondarchuk is able to bring his epic events down to comprehensible scale without losing his sense of the spectacular. It is impossible not to compare war and peace with gone with the wind. It certainly had one of the longest gestation periods, with bondarchuk spending seven years filming the project the actors noticeably age from scene to scene. A stage actor as a teenager, bondarchuk entered moscows allunion state institute of cinematography after world war two, where his teachers included sergei gerasimov and vsevolod pudovkin. Along the way, bondarchuk pulled off the impossible the movie is actually good, mirroring the breadth and depth of the novel. Truly epic in scale, this adaptation of tolstoys revered novel balances aweinspiring spectacle with emotionally charged character drama.
Sergey bondarchuk article about sergey bondarchuk by the. Russian director sergei bondarchuks epic version of leo tolstoys war and peace voyna i mir was the most expensive european film ever made for many years. But if you can ignore the technical shortfalls it is still the most brilliant version of war and peace ever made. This book, taking up bondarchuks masterpiece as a cold war film, an. Bondarchuk had attended a theatre school before his studies were interrupted by world war ii. But soviet director sergei bondarchuk somehow managed to pull it off. Reviewing bondarchuks film back in 1969, a young roger ebert wrote. The film, released in four installments throughout 1966 and 1967, starred bondarchuk in the leading role of pierre bezukhov, alongside vyacheslav tikhonov and ludmila savelyeva, who. Conceived as a response to king vidorswar and peace, bondarchuks surpassed that film in every way, giving the ussr one small victory in the cultural cold war for hearts and minds. Literary classic to soviet cinematic epic university press of kansas, 2014. War and peace sergei bondarchuks 5 dvd ntsc language s. Find the perfect bondarchuk war and peace stock photo.
This book, taking up bondarchuks masterpiece as a cold war film, an epic, a. Only a russian, and possibly only bondarchuk, could both direct and star in this sweeping epic. And always he returns to toistoys theme of men in the grip of history. Natasha rostova and andrei bolkonskys waltz from sergei bondarchuks 1967 adaptation of war and peace by leo tolstoy. Conceived as a response to king vidors war and peace, bondarchuks surpassed that film in every way, giving. The grasshopper was followed by the lead role in sergei yutkevichs othello otello, 1955. Sergei bondarchuk, center, both directed and played the role of pierre in the russian film version of tolstoys war and peace, part one of which will play wednesday through may 19 at the robert e. The book concludes with a general overview of bondarchuks two great epics and some critical analysis. Sergei bondarchuk was one of the most important russian filmmakers, best known for directing an academy awardwinning film epic. This book, taking up bondarchuks masterpiece as a cold war film, an epic, a literary adaptation, a. Voyna i mir is a 196667 soviet war drama film cowritten and directed by sergei bondarchuk and a film adaptation of leo tolstoys 1869 novel war and peace. War and peace won all sorts of awards including an oscar for best foreign language movie. Sergei bondarchuk u s s r people s artist acting in the film war and peace moscow, russia.
Sergei bondarchuk article about sergei bondarchuk by the. Find where to watch war and peace and many more fulllength movies from the best streaming services online. Bondarkchuk himself plays protagonist pierre bezukhov, while vyacheslav tikhonov takes on the role of prince andrei bolkonsky, and lyudmila savelyeva plays the immortal natasha rostova. Criterions twodisk bluray release of sergei bondarchuk s war and peace showcases a restoration of what may well be the most expensive film ever made. Cinematography anatoli petritsky, aleksandr shelenkov production designer mikhail bogdanov, gennadi myasnikov. The opening segment of sergey bondarchuks mammoth film series, war and peace, is set in 1805, and introduces the key characters of leo tolstoys epic novel. War and peace by lyudmila savelyeva, vyacheslav tikhonov. Youngblood sergei bondarchuks war and peace, one of the worlds greatest film epics, originated as a consequence of the cold war. Sergei bondarchukswar and peace, one of the worlds greatest film epics, originated as a consequence of the cold war. This paper is adapted from my forthcoming book, bondarchuks war and peace. Another is the great patriotic war of 1812 against the invading napoleons armies.
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. Anyone interested in war film will certainly find this of great value. While it probably isnt for american viewers who requires instant gratification, this film is a must see for those who, like me, love russian literature, and in particular, war and peace. Conceived as a response to king vidors war and peace, bondarchuks surpassed that film in every way, giving the ussr one small victory in the cultural cold war for hearts and minds. For your viewing convenience, were offering war and peace in two parts. Movie premier battle of neretva by stevan kragujevic.
His first film role was in gerasimovs the young guard in 1948, and soon bondarchuk was a. The second part of sergey bondarchuks epic film series based on tolstoys war and peace picks up in 1809. Imagine if bondarchuk had been making this today what a wonderful creation it would have been in this age of technology. With lyudmila saveleva, vyacheslav tikhonov, sergey bondarchuk, boris zakhava. Sergei bondarchuks war and peace 5 dvd set ntsc, english subtitles 3.
This paper is adapted from my forthcoming book, bondarchuk. This work is also available as an ebook, isbn 9780700620401. It certainly had one of the longest gestation periods, with bondarchuk spending seven years filming the. Tolstoy is not dead eighthour epic based on the eponymous book by leo tolstoy.
Winner of the 1969 oscar for best foreign language film, bondarchuks war and peace sets the changing fortunes of several aristocratic families against the backdrop of napoleons invasion of. A towering film adaptation of one of the most epic novels ever written. The russian aristocracy prepares for the french invasion on the eve of 1812. In relating tolstoys complex tale of napoleons invasion of russia. Janus films 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. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. One is the love story of young countess natasha rostova and count pierre bezukhov, who is unhappy in his marriage. Bondarchuks western fame lies with his epic production of tolstoys war and peace, which on original release totaled more than seven hours of cinema, took six years to complete and won bondarchuk, who both directed and acted the role of pierre bezukhov, the. Starring lyudmila savelyeva, vyacheslav tikhonov, and. Street date june 3, 2003 starring lyudmila savelyeva, vyacheslav tikhonov, irina gubanova, antonina shuranova, sergei bondarchuk, oleg tabakov, n. We encourage patrons to buy their tickets for both parts in advance to guarantee seats. Enjoy it in one eighthour marathon, or see sergey bondarchuks epic in multiple sittings your choice. Sergei bondarchuks war and peace, one of the worlds greatest film epics, originated as a consequence of the cold war.
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