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Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Mel Ferrer, Vittorio Gassman, Anita Ekberg ... see more see more... , Oscar Homolka , Herbert Lom , John Mills , Helmut Dantine , Milly Vitale , Barry Jones , Wilfred Lawson , Jeremy Brett , Sean Barrett , Anna Maria Ferrero , Tullio Carminatti , Patrick Crean , Gertrude Flynn , Marisa Allasio , Vincent Barbi , Georges Brehat , Guido Celano , David Crowley , Bob Cunningham , Carlo Dale , Mino Doro , Andre Eszterhazy , Andrea Fantasia , Charles Fawcett , John Horne , Clelia Matania , Enrico Olivieri , Mimmo Palmara , Alfredo Rizzo , Giacomo Rossi-Stuart , Lea Seidl , Robert Stephens , Gualtiero Tumiati , Joop van Hulzen , Michael Billingsley , Gilberto Tofano , Teresa Pellati , Cesare Barbetti , John Douglas , Jerry Riggio , Mai Britt , Geoffrey Copleston , Angelo Galassi , Marianna Leibl , Alberto Carlo Lolli , Piero Palermini , Umberto Sacripante , John Stacey , Michael Tor , Maria Zanoli , Stephen Lang , Richard Macnamara , Paul Davis

War and Peace is a commendable attempt to boil down Tolstoy's long, difficult novel into 208 minutes' screen time. In recreating the the social and personal upheavals attending Napoleon's 1812 invasio... read more read more...n of Russia, $6 million was shelled out by coproducers Carlo Ponti, Dino de Laurentiis and Paramount Pictures. Some of the panoramic battle sequences are so expertly handled by second-unit director Mario Soldati that they appear to be Technicolor-and-Vistavision newsreel footage of the actual events. Still, the film falters dramatically, principally because of a lumpy script and King Vidor's surprisingly lustreless direction. In addition, the casting is wildly consistent: for example, while Audrey Hepburn is flawless as Natasha, Henry Fonda is far too "Yankeefied" as the introspective Pierre. Proving too long and unwieldy for most audiences, War and Peace died at the box office; far more successful was the epic, scrupulously faithful 1968 version, filmed in the Soviet Union. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

64% liked it

7,426 ratings

Critics

40% liked it

5 critics

PG, 3 hr. 28 min.

Directed by: King Vidor

Release Date: August 21, 1956

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DVD Release Date: December 3, 2002

Stats: 269 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (269)

  • MeetMeinMontauk
    February 29, 2012
    MeetMeinMontauk
    Henry Fonda and Audrey Hepburn are a reason to watch, even if it is CRAZY long and boring for long stints.
  • jjnxn
    June 29, 2011
    jjnxn
    Lumbering, stagnant version of an epic novel that could not possibly be covered in 3 1/2 hours. Miscasting is another major downfall of this production, Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda were great stars and very fine actors but they were the wrong ones for this film. Fine productio... read moren design and beautiful photography do not an entertaining film make. A trial to sit through.
  • deano
    January 23, 2010
    deano
    What a very long epic film classic. Really interested drama story of international conflict, spectacular adventure, gripping intrigue and tragic romance set against the sweeping backdrop of Napoleon's invasion of Russia. It's also a bit familiar to 1939's Gone with the Wind... read more>. I found out this took five years to make at enormous cost; it is a cinematic treasure.
  • fb68600877
    February 4, 2012
    fb68600877
    Too long and hated the message, but it looked terrific and I actually liked Audrey Hepburn in this role. It wasn't a perfect fit for her because it's so hard to hate her (which is necessary at times in the story), but she didn't drag the film down. If anything, I was distracted b... read morey Henry Fonda--and, in particular, his eye-liner. What was up with that?
  • scrambledegg7
    June 20, 2011
    scrambledegg7
    Nothing very interesting or special about this movie. It jumps back and forth between following a specific group of civilians and showing the bigger picture of the war. The first is occasionally interesting (Audrey Hepburn in particular stands out) but the latter caused a great d... read moreeal of emotional disconnect. The last third of the film focused almost entirely on the politics and military strategies, all but abandoning the original cast of characters. Too long a movie for not nearly enough payoff.
  • pottsi5
    July 20, 2008
    pottsi5
    I enjoy watching Audrey work with her husband in this film. Yet, I must admit this film in very long.
  • x0hn0th3r4nc0rx
    April 12, 2008
    x0hn0th3r4nc0rx
    I'm sure that compared to Tolstoy's original book, this movie is pretty bad. But it's still entertaining with good performances.
  • wang90
    April 12, 2008
    wang90
    still can't beat brakfast at tiffany's but this is a well made film, especially with audrey hepburn in it.
  • noel1515
    July 24, 2007
    noel1515
    This movie is long but, so is the book. Audrey Hepburn makes the length worth it. Didn't give it 5 stars because in one of the death scenes the guys adam's apple moves 3 minutes after his death. It irks me.
  • ekoons1
    March 3, 2007
    ekoons1
    Though this movie is very long, it's definately worth watching. It's very touching and made me cry.

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Critic Reviews

Bosley Crowther
March 25, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Alas, the human stories that Tolstoy told so significantly in the book are sketchy and inconsequential, despite the time devoted to them. Full Review

Steve Crum
June 1, 2005
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Spectacle galore starring Hepburn and Fonda.

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

August 26, 2006
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Click to read the article Full Review

Robin Clifford
November 19, 2004
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews

No review available.

Frank Swietek
March 24, 2004
Frank Swietek, One Guy's Opinion

No review available.

Jeffrey Gantz
April 23, 2009
Jeffrey Gantz, Boston Phoenix

Click to read the article Full Review

January 26, 2006
Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

May 24, 2003
Film4

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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War and Peace Trivia

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