War and Peace Movie

[samah]

I heard about war and peace movies the american and the russian ones but I've never seen anyone of them , so I thought that hollywood maybe should make a new movie about this novel , and now I am thinking about the actors who are going to act in this movie , so I'm playing a game of who is going to play whom? and I 'm thinking that maybe Emmy Rossum should do Natasha because she is young and cute ,Kiera Knightly as sonya , Ryan Phillipe as Prince Andrey ( but I'm not sure) , Milla Jovovich as Helene and James Franco as Nicolay , well , thats all I could think about and I have no idea about the actors who are going to do all the other characters , its really hard thing to do .

[Boris239]

I've seen the Russian movie and it's pretty good. Let's be honest- Hollywood won't be able to cast a good movie based on "W&P"- they will change evrything, cut all the the important conversations(obviously the average guy wouldn't like to listen to this boring stuff) and leave only action connected to romance and war.

[Daniel A. C.]

Hollywood did to a production of War and Peace in 1956, you can check out the details here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049934/

I only saw pieces of it in class, but I thought they did an alright job. The two characters that I thought were pretty well done were Natasha (Audrey Hepburn) and Pierre (Henri Fonda - somehow they get him looking like a big guy!)

[Boris239]

I've never seen this movie, but it's written that it was made in Italy anyway, and wasn't a Hollywood movie

[Idril]

... Kiera Knightly as sonya...

No, not Kiera Knightly, then all I would see when I watched that movie was her teeth.:rolleyes:

I don't think a Hollywood movie could do justice to the novel, like Boris said, they would mess with the story and the characters so they would fit a certain formula and I can't imagine how they would fit all that story into 2 or 3 hours. When I think of LOTR and all the things that were cut in the name of time, it makes me realize that these long epics should not be adapted for screen, you just lose too much of the 'heart' of the story. They do some amazing mini-series now, it's not the cheesy medium it once was, when you tell a story as complex as War and Peace, a well done, foreign mini-series is the only way to go.

[samah]

well Idril I agree with you somehow that they cant make a movie of 2 or 3 hours of this novel but I disagree with you and Boris about Hollywood I mean if they gave it to a good director he would make it a good movie , just like what Jackson did with " The Lord Of The Rings " maybe they should make a trilogy of "War and Peace".
And by the way I think you are right about Kiera Knightly she has a big teeth but without them she is a pretty girl .

[Idril]

... I disagree with you and Boris about Hollywood I mean if they gave it to a good director he would make it a good movie , just like what Jackson did with " The Lord Of The Rings " maybe they should make a trilogy of "War and Peace".

That, of course, is assumming I like what Jackson did with LOTR, which I didn't. ;) It was visually very impressive, yes, but story wise is was something of a disaster. He didn't stay all that true to the book, he did a lot of editing and some of it was necessary because of time constraints and part of it was because he apparently assumed he was a better story teller than Tolkien but I think it's a perfect example of what happens when you take a big epic book and try to make a blockbuster out of it, it may look good, it may sell a lot of tickets but it often seems to lose it's soul along the way.


And by the way I think you are right about Kiera Knightly she has a big teeth but without them she is a pretty girl

She's a fine looking girl and I don't have any quibbles with her acting abilities, I just find her enormous, numerous teeth terribly distracting.

[Boris239]

well Idril I agree with you somehow that they cant make a movie of 2 or 3 hours of this novel but I disagree with you and Boris about Hollywood I mean if they gave it to a good director he would make it a good movie , just like what Jackson did with " The Lord Of The Rings " maybe they should make a trilogy of "War and Peace".
And by the way I think you are right about Kiera Knightly she has a big teeth but without them she is a pretty girl .

LOTR is completely different from "War and Peace"(not in terms of better or worth). There is so much action in Tolkien, so it was reasonably easy to make a decent movie- people like to watch special effects, huge sieges and epic battles. In Tolstoy's book there are of course epic battles (although no goblins, trolls, etc. :( ), but the most important things are conversations, character's thoughts. I think that Hollywood won't be able to make a good movie out of it, not because of the book's size, but because of its content- people like to see mostly action and romance. The same will be with let's say Dostoevsky's books- no epic battles at all, and even no romance in some of them :D

[Idril]

LOTR is completely different from "War and Peace"(not in terms of better or worth). There is so much action in Tolkien, so it was reasonably easy to make a decent movie- people like to watch special effects, huge sieges and epic battles. In Tolstoy's book there are of course epic battles (although no goblins, trolls, etc. :( ), but the most important things are conversations, character's thoughts.

That is so true and the place where, I think, LOTR failed was in establishing the relationships between the people, it failed in bringing to the screen all those wonderful, little moments that made the characters who they were. It focused on the battles and the creatures because that's what was more exciting than developing characters and relationships. If Hollywood made a movie of War and Peace it would feature a lot of battles and Pierre and Natasha and that would be about it.

[xiaoding]

I would dread a hollywood version, it would be awful. In the Russian version, they spend 20 minutes on the thoughts of Prince Vronsky as he drive's by a tree!

Hollywood seems to think making three movies of something is a big deal. And forget about acutally getting two armies for the battles, as was done in the Russian version. Computer effects are so fake, after you have seen the real thing!

[Boris239]

I would dread a hollywood version, it would be awful. In the Russian version, they spend 20 minutes on the thoughts of Prince Vronsky as he drive's by a tree!

Hollywood seems to think making three movies of something is a big deal. And forget about acutally getting two armies for the battles, as was done in the Russian version. Computer effects are so fake, after you have seen the real thing!

Khem, I think you meant Prince Bolkonsky, not Vronsky :D

The scene about the oak is considered classic. My parents and sister were forced to learn the whole episode by heart in their school time- I am lucky I was spared

[Sarka]

Ryan Phillipe as Prince Andrey ( but I'm not sure)
Hmm. I could picture Ryan Phillipe as Emperor Alexander...

[blank_frackis]

Well I agree with the concensus, I don't see how Hollywood could make a movie of War and Peace, I would really love to find a copy of the Russian version though. I think I'm going to have to fork out for a region free dvd player though.

[Zelda Regina]

The BBC did a rather nice version in 1973, with a young Anthony Hopkins as Pierre. He is the Pierre for me now, rather as Audrey Hepburn is my favorite Natasha, and I have seen the Russian version as well.

[xiaoding]

Well I agree with the concensus, I don't see how Hollywood could make a movie of War and Peace, I would really love to find a copy of the Russian version though. I think I'm going to have to fork out for a region free dvd player though.


Get the Russico DVD, it's very good.

[Evi]

I just wanted to ask if someone has seen the version with Audrey Hepburn. all my friends who have seen this one told me that it is good. When you have a 1.200 pages book you cant be satisfied with a 2 hours movie. You need a TV series then. Anyway, i am sure that Hollywood will make a romactic story of the whole thing! Of course it will also depend on the director. And the actors and others.

Evi

[Idril]

I found the Russian miniseries from '69 or something like that on netflix so I added it to my queue. There's something like 6 discs so it's going to take awhile to get through but I'm anxious to see what it's like.

[Evi]

Idril,
I also saw it at movieline and i am thinking to order it. Which was the price in netflix? Do you know if there are english subtitles in it?

Evi

[Idril]

I just rent it through Netflix so I have no idea what the pricing would be like if you were to buy it and yes, it does have English subtitles. I'm hoping it won't be like the Crime and Punishment dvd from the same period I just rented in that it switched constantly between subtitles and dubbing, it was very distracting.

[olichka]

I've always thought that Natalie Wood would have made an excellent Natasha, much better so than Audrey Hepburn. I think she had both the fire and the softness. Audrey Hepburn, although perfect physically, was a bit tomboyish and smart-alecky, while the Russian actress Ludmilla Savelyeva, although a graceful dancer and very charming was sometimes too ditzy.

I think that Hollywood could try making a mini-series, but then I doubt that the general population in the U.S. would be interested in seeing it. Perhaps the BBC should try making another one : the first one was too boring, although the young Anthony Hopkins is my favourite Pierre. Considering what they did with "Pride and Prejudice" ( starring Colin Firth ), I think they could make a gorgeous and moving new mini-series of W.and P. !!!

What do you think ???

[Idril]

I would love to see a more updated version of War and Peace and I do think BBC would do a better job with it than any American network would. I haven't seen the older BBC version of it, nor the hollywood movie version of it...Henry Fonda as Pierre?! The only version I've seen was the Russian version which I didn't really care for when it was all said and done because the guy they had playing Peirre was a very odd choice.

Oh, and after doing a little searching, it looks like you're going to get your wish. Check out this posting on imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0495055/).

[olichka]

I would love to see a more updated version of War and Peace and I do think BBC would do a better job with it than any American network would. I haven't seen the older BBC version of it, nor the hollywood movie version of it...Henry Fonda as Pierre?! The only version I've seen was the Russian version which I didn't really care for when it was all said and done because the guy they had playing Peirre was a very odd choice.

Oh, and after doing a little searching, it looks like you're going to get your wish. Check out this posting on imdb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0495055/).


Thanks for the update ! I'm actually surprised that there's another one coming out already ! Let's see how it turns out !

[conniekat8]

I think Mel Gibson should make it, in Russian ;)
If not him, then Nikita Mihailkov. or two of them could collaborate :)

[bazarov]

Bud Spencer would be Pierre, I guess?

[conniekat8]

LOL, Bud Spencer...
As long as we're daydreaming...
Remember Boris Dvornik? Would he not make the perfect Pierre?
or.. Gerard Depardieu or Marlon Brando?

As long as I can have younger Omar Sharif as Andrey Volkonsky...
Napoleon... Al Pacino?
As Kuritsov.... Anthony Hopkins perhaps... I'm not so sure on that one yet.
Reese Whitherspoon as Natasha...

[bazarov]

Boris Dvornik is still alive:D
It's Bolkonsky, not Volkonsky...Translation from cyrillic, I guess.
Maria Sharapova as Sonya.
De Niro as...He has to be someone!
Who is Kuritsov?

[conniekat8]

Boris Dvornik is still alive:D
It's Bolkonsky, not Volkonsky...Translation from cyrillic, I guess.
Maria Sharapova as Sonya.
De Niro as...He has to be someone!
Who is Kuritsov?

I was noticing different namers too, must be the translation I'm reading...
Kuritsov is the general... kutuzov
Bald Hills are called Bleak Hills...
Which is exactly why I'm now curious about other translations.

DeNiro could also be Napoleon.

[bazarov]

I was noticing different namers too, must be the translation I'm reading...
Kuritsov is the general... kutuzov
Bald Hills are called Bleak Hills...
Which is exactly why I'm now curious about other translations.

DeNiro could also be Napoleon.

Croatian is great, and easy to get it.

[manicmom1]

The BBC did a rather nice version in 1973, with a young Anthony Hopkins as Pierre. He is the Pierre for me now, rather as Audrey Hepburn is my favorite Natasha, and I have seen the Russian version as well.
I agree--and I think that Alan Dobie was a terrific Andrey as well. I recently bought a DVD of the BBC version, and despite the cheesy early 70's special effects and Morag Hood's annoying young Natasha (she grows into the role, though), I think it's an excellent adaptation. It's certainly the only one that devoted enough time to telling the entire story.

[olichka]

Speaking of " War and Peace " movie versions, does anyone know when the new version of " War and Peace " ( year 2007 ) is finally coming to Canada ? That's the one that is a European collaboration starring Chantal Poesy and Alessio Boni. It's already made a debut in the European countries back in November of 2007. I've been checking the T.V. guide every week, but no luck.

I would really appreciate a helpful reply, or a pointer to a site.

[bazarov]

Speaking of " War and Peace " movie versions, does anyone know when the new version of " War and Peace " ( year 2007 ) is finally coming to Canada ? That's the one that is a European collaboration starring Chantal Poesy and Alessio Boni. It's already made a debut in the European countries back in November of 2007. I've been checking the T.V. guide every week, but no luck.

I would really appreciate a helpful reply, or a pointer to a site.


It's a mini serial, not a movie.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0495055/

And there is always good old http://www.mininova.org/search/?search=war+and+peace

P.S. If it's against the rules, delete it; please.