War and Peace

War and Peace is a Soviet adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel, following Russian aristocratic society from 1805 through Napoleon's invasion of 1812. At the centre are Pierre Bezukhov, an awkward and searching young man, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky, who seeks glory in war, and Natasha Rostova, whose romantic entanglements bind the two men to her. Their private lives unfold against the upheaval of the Napoleonic campaigns, culminating in the battle of Borodino, the burning of Moscow and the retreat of the French army.

Sergei Bondarchuk directed and appears as Pierre, with Ludmila Savelyeva as Natasha and Vyacheslav Tikhonov as Andrei; the credited cast runs to 117 names and the crew to 57. Bondarchuk also co-wrote the screenplay with Vasiliy Solovyov. The film was his first directing credit in a career that continued with Waterloo, The Steppe and Red Bells Part I: Mexico in Flames.

The production was made by Mosfilm on an exceptionally large budget and runs 422 minutes. Only a modest share of that outlay was returned at the worldwide box office, which reflects the film's scale rather than its reach inside the Soviet Union. On TMDB it holds a 7.6 rating from roughly 165 votes, indicating a small but appreciative audience on that platform.