Movies, BBC serial, and novel -- recommended order?

[Calidore]

Must have screwed something up the first time I tried this, so let's have another go....

I know it's generally sacrilege to see the movie before reading the book, and I try to do it the right way whenever possible. But, for example, after a half-dozen failed attempts at reading Lord of the Rings over 15-20 years (unfortunately, it reads like what it is, a world-building exercise by a college professor) I was only able to finish it after watching the first film. Once that had set the characters and initial events in my mind, the books were smooth sailing.

That's by way of intro. I'm currently looking to try War and Peace, which I'm told is pretty good for a classic; however, I've heard a lot about about the numerous characters and plotlines, and I know I'm going to have trouble keeping track of everything while reading it in bits and pieces on the bus or before bed.

I have access to all of the 1956 Hollywood, 1965-7 Russian, and 1972 BBC adaptations, and I'm thinking that the best way to pave my mental trails for the novel is to watch the movie and TV versions shortest to longest, with each introducing more of the characters and storylines, before tackling the Big One (which I have in the Norton Critical (second) Edition, BTW).

Can anyone out there who has read the novels and seen many of the filmed versions tell me if this is a good approach for this work (religious convictions on book-movie order aside)? I'm especially interested in whether any of the filmings are actually harder to follow without having read the novel due to what's omitted, and thus would be a bad choice as a lead-in.

Thanks!

[Emil Miller]

Must have screwed something up the first time I tried this, so let's have another go....

I know it's generally sacrilege to see the movie before reading the book, and I try to do it the right way whenever possible. But, for example, after a half-dozen failed attempts at reading Lord of the Rings over 15-20 years (unfortunately, it reads like what it is, a world-building exercise by a college professor) I was only able to finish it after watching the first film. Once that had set the characters and initial events in my mind, the books were smooth sailing.

That's by way of intro. I'm currently looking to try War and Peace, which I'm told is pretty good for a classic; however, I've heard a lot about about the numerous characters and plotlines, and I know I'm going to have trouble keeping track of everything while reading it in bits and pieces on the bus or before bed.

I have access to all of the 1956 Hollywood, 1965-7 Russian, and 1972 BBC adaptations, and I'm thinking that the best way to pave my mental trails for the novel is to watch the movie and TV versions shortest to longest, with each introducing more of the characters and storylines, before tackling the Big One (which I have in the Norton Critical (second) Edition, BTW).

Can anyone out there who has read the novels and seen many of the filmed versions tell me if this is a good approach for this work (religious convictions on book-movie order aside)? I'm especially interested in whether any of the filmings are actually harder to follow without having read the novel due to what's omitted, and thus would be a bad choice as a lead-in.

Thanks!

I haven't read the book but, judging from what I've read on this forum, it is unlikely that any screen version will match the scale and quality of the writing. I haven't seen the televised version or the Russian film but I have seen the American attempt and it simply doesn't measure up to my understanding of what Tolstoy was trying to convey. In fact it was pretty weak all round and even on my limited acquaintance with the story, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Calidore]

Oh, I'm not trying to find a substitute for the book; I just want to be able to get a handle on the main characters and situations so I have a certain level of familiarity going into the book. It's much easier to enjoy the writing if I'm not stopping constantly to check who this person is again.

Best,

Calidore

[Paulclem]

I found this difficult at first, but it does become easier as you go along. I started to make a few character nores, but then found I didn't need them as i got further into the book.

I have found it useful to read around the historical events, and gain a sense of the times. I found it easier to relate to the historical events, and then I could focus on what Tolstoy is saying, and the characrters.

I've got a couple of hundred pages to go on it. Well worth it.

[Paulclem]

There's a documentary on Tolstoy on tomorrow night - BBC inthe UK or on the BBC iplayer. BBC1 10.25 called Imagine: The Trouble with Tolstoy.

Part 2 is on next week. I'm lucky as i happen to be reading it at the moment.

[Paulclem]

The documentary was good on Tolstoy's early life and brought out the themes in War and Peace well.

[Calidore]

So what was Tolstoy's titular trouble?

Best,

Calidore

[WarrenBG]

I read War and Peace the first time back in high school, for fun, not for a class. But I was inspired to read the novel only after watching the multi part BBC version that aired originally in the early 70's. Since then I have seen all the major versions on film and have re read the book in parts several times.

The BBC version is, I think the best, although the book beats them all hands down. A young Anthony Hopkins plays Pierre in the BBC version and it takes its time and captures the characters more effectively than the other two. The Russian version is better visually and the hollywood version, with Audrey Hepburn as Sonia and Henry Fonda as Pierre, is frankly lame on all counts. But, you're right, having the visual cues to picture the main characters, and a general idea of what's important to keep track of when you begin to read does help with a book as big as War and Peace.

The names are the toughest part, and weeding out the minor characters to concentrate on the ones that carry the narrative is key. Just keep in mind that the story is about three families for the most part; the Rostovs, the Bolkonskis and the Bezukhovs. Pierre Bezukhov and Andre Bolkonski are good friends, the Rostov daughters are the important female love interests, Nikoli Rostov is a dashing military lead and Napoleon and the Russian general Kutuzov play important symbolic roles.

Oh yes, I re watched the BBC version recently through Netflix. It was fun to see it again after many years but its not that good after all. Still, I can't read the book now without picturing Pierre as Anthony Hopkins. His brilliance was in effect even then.