War and Peace (1967)
The Sovietunion take on the ultimate war epic is unique piece of film history. Where Hollywood could also spend millions on set pieces and extra, it was usually more “safe” because it also needed to be a commercial success. It really feels like Bondarchuk was given a lot more creative freedom with this massive production. It is definitely somewhat more experimental and “artsy” than the American counterparts.
What really sets this apart is the camerawork. It has an active presence and feels almost like a character of its own. Not only because of the many long takes, but how it will move up close, back away, turn to the sides among other various movements - all in the same take. It has a surprising interesting effect on how the film is viewed - again compared to the more traditional neutral observer frame we see in the Hollywood epics from the same era.
The strong parts for me was the first and fourth part. Especially the half hour with Moscow burning in part 4 was stunning and horrific. Maybe inspired by a similar scene in Gone With the Wind when it comes to how to make a massive fire aesthetically interesting. The ending of Come and See was likely inspired from this.
But with such a long running time it did drag quite a bit in the middle parts. Pierre’s character arc was interesting to follow, but I never felt Natasha or Andrei really got under my skin.
I am sure there is some cultural and language barriers at work here, for this long film experience simply looked more epic than it felt. Everyone will be impressed by the sheer massive scale of the production and that is an awe inspiring feeling in it self, but the characters was just too far away for me to be engaged beyond that.
Rating: 3.5