War and Peace is the first English-language film version of the novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It is an American/Italian version, directed by King Vidor and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti. The music score was by Nino Rota and the cinematography by Jack Cardiff. The film was made by Dino de Laurentiis Productions and distributed by Paramount Pictures.

The film stars Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, and Mel Ferrer, along with Vittorio Gassman, Herbert Lom and Anita Ekberg, in one of her first breakthrough roles. It was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film and it had Academy Awards nominations for Best Director (King Vidor), Best Cinematography, Color (Jack Cardiff) and Best Costume Design, Color (Maria De Matteis).

Differences from the novel[link]

The film script had to condense the extensive original. It is primarily focused on Natasha, Pierre, and Andrei, their complex relationship and personal maturation on the backdrop of the historical events of the Napoleonic invasion. In Moscow, most of the scenes take place at the Rostov residence, and episodes at the country estates are curtailed, with some exceptions such as the hunt where Natasha first meets Andrei. There are no scenes from St. Petersburg. The relationship between Nikolas, Sonya and Mary is toned down. Historical figures that are retained are General Kutuzov and Napoleon. Minor battles are omitted, while Napoleon's crossing of the Berezina is added. The concept of the inner dialogue is retained, notably in regard to Natasha, however, the extensive use of French is not retained in the movie. Events of the epilogue are not included in the movie, nor are Tolstoy's discourses about history.

Cast[link]

• Audrey Hepburn as Natasha Rostova
• Henry Fonda as Count Pierre Bezukhov
• Mel Ferrer as Prince Andrei Bolkonsky
• Vittorio Gassman as Anatole Kuragine
• Herbert Lom as Napoleon
• Oscar Homolka as General Kutuzov
• Anita Ekberg as Helene
• Helmut Dantine as Dolokhov
• Tullio Carminati as Prince Vasili Kuragine
• Barry Jones as Count Rostov
• Milly Vitale as Lise
• Lea Seidl as Countess Rostova
• Anna-Maria Ferrero as Mary Bolkonskya
• Wilfrid Lawson as Prince Bolkonsky
• May Britt as Sonya Rostova
• Jeremy Brett as Nicholas Rostov
• John Mills as Platon Karataev
• Patrick Crean as Denisov
• Sean Barrett as Petya Rostov
• Alan Furlan as Russian Officer

Gallery[link]

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  Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer in the set of War and Peace in 1955

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  Screenshot of Audrey Hepburn in the role of Natasha and Mel Ferrer as Prince Andrei

See also[link]

• War and Peace - 1965 film directed by Sergei Bondarchuk
• War and Peace - 1972 TV 20-part BBC Production.
• War and Peace - 2007 TV 4-Part Mini Series.
• War and Peace - 1941 Opera composed by Sergei Prokofieff.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: War and Peace

• War and Peace at the Internet Movie Database