War & Peace

After Anna Karenina, I was looking forward to War and Peace being more epic and heart rending. And I have not been disappointed so far. The story line seems a little bit rushed at times, but this was a truly mammoth story and Andrew Davies has a reputation for making fine series out of monumental classics.

So far there is rather more peace than war, but the three central characters, Pierre, Prince Andrei and Natasha seem remarkably well cast and the eternal triangle is forming in a complex way, as expected. The series does not feel terribly Russian but clearly the culture and problems that existed at the time were peculiar to continental Europe. Napoleon was terrorising all of Europe and like many before and after him, thought that Russia would fall under his spell. Its therefore no wonder that characters like Prince Andrei found the military a perfect vehicle for their ambitions and patriotism. But the war was clearly going to decimate many of the leading members of Russian society.

Tolstoy's ability to tell a complex love story is already showing through, and the lesser characters like Prince Vassily, Andrei;s sister Marya and Jim Broadbent's wonderful cameo as Andrei's father make this first rate entertainment.

My only complaint would be that there is not more of this spellbinding story.

Mary Gumsley

Andrew Davies' latest BBC production, War & Peace, is an absolutely splendid TV adaptation of the epic novel.

First things first: do not compare a six hour adaptation to the book. Of course there can not be the same level of detail either in character development or plot. This adaptation should be taken on its own merits.

In my option, the outstanding components of this version are:

1. Paul Dano is well suited as Pierre, particularly in his well- practised range (from meek and mild to a raging temper) as seen in, to name one example, There Will Be Blood.

2. The cinematography is stunning. There are beautiful close-ups of couples dancing, for instance, sprawling vistas and an impressive symmetry to various shots.

3. The score is impressive in its variation and poignancy.

4. The costumes are, as you would expect, incredible.

I'm looking forward to seeing the remaining three episodes!

Anybody who even as much attempts to adapt Leo Tolstoy's magnum opus 'War and Peace' deserves at least a pat on the back for trying, regardless of how successful it is in doing so or not. The novel is one of the greatest there is, but because of the enormous length (one of the longest novels I've ever read, and it was admittedly not the easiest to immediately get gripped at first), very rich story and dialogues, and complex characterisations and themes it is also one of the most difficult to adapt.

Of the major versions, the best version is the 1972 mini-series with Anthony Hopkins, not only an ideal adaptation of the book and as faithful as one could get but also brilliant in its own right, one of the best the BBC ever produced. The 1966 Russian one directed by Sergei Bondarchuk, while not as accessible, is a close second, a towering achievement and contains the best battle and ballroom scenes of all the War and Peace adaptations. The 1956 King Vidor film has a number of good things, like the production values, the music score, Audrey Hepburn and some of the supporting cast but the sound quality and two male leads are very problematic and the story is not as riveting as it could have been. Faring least is the 2007 adaptation with Clemence Posey as Natasha, beautiful production values and some impressive supporting performances but sunk by the problematic performances of the three leading characters, awkward and underwritten script-writing and bland storytelling.

This latest offering from 2016 courtesy of BBC is not as good as the 1972 mini-series or the Sergei Bondarchuk, but is far more successful than the 1956 film and 2007 adaptation. It isn't one hundred percent flawless, agree with Andrew Davies himself that the mini-series could have been two episodes longer as the final episode did feel a little rushed and Helene's story too hastily and conveniently wrapped up. Although the production values are wonderful on the whole, some of the costumes don't fit as well with the period and are not as lavish as the rest and some of the make-up is 21st century-ish.

However, considering that adapting 'War and Peace' is a mammoth task and virtually impossible to be word for word, detail for detail this does very well as an adaptation. It is condensed and not one hundred percent faithful, but the heart and soul of the book is there and while focusing predominantly on the relationships between the characters and the characterisations it is very intelligently written and everything feels coherent and emotionally investible. Even if the Sergei Bondarchuk film has more beautiful ballroom scenes and more powerful war scenes, this adaptation hardly underwhelms in either.

'War and Peace' (2016) stands brilliantly on its own, and shouldn't be marked down solely for it not being a completely faithful adaptation, that is not fair on the adaptation as they are two different mediums and deserve to be treated as such. It is wonderfully made for starters. The photography is some of the most beautiful personally seen all year on television, almost poetic and heart-breaking in its beauty (episode 3 is particularly striking), the settings, interiors and period detail is sumptuous in every sense and it's always special when scenery is like a character all of its own and the Russian landscapes is one of the greatest examples of that, as well as looking exquisite, seen anywhere on film or television not just this year but possibly ever.

Another standout is the music score, words cannot describe how amazing it is. Not only is it so dynamic with every scene, with the haunting choirs, chilling ambiance, poetic nuance and rousing bombast even enhancing the impact, but it serves as an amazing score on its own and one of the best music scores for television this year as well as worthy of its very own soundtrack album. The script is very literate and intelligent, the characterisation meaty and the dialogue always flowing beautifully. The storytelling throughout is engrossing with a lot packed in but elaborated upon enough to make it fascinating and easy to follow.

Performances are top-notch, regardless of any reservations as to whether certain actors are right physically. Paul Dano's sensitive and multi-faceted portrayal Pierre is one of the most successful ones of all 'War and Peace' adaptations, and is one of his best overall performances. Wasn't sure about Lily James at first, but as the character grows James grows too and becomes enchanting. James Norton is a handsome, commanding and tragic Andrei. In support, standouts are an outstanding Jessie Buckley, Tuppence Middleton as a Helene that's somewhat both a villain and a victim and Jim Broadbent's incredibly powerful and affecting Bollonsky (especially his breakdown).

Overall, a very successful adaptation of 'War and Peace'. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I have read some of the reviews, and seen previous versions so looked forward to this with both hope and trepidation. I loved Anthony Hopkins in the 70s as Pierre, Sergay Bondachuk in the Russian version and Henry Fonda earlier than that. The character is one of my all time favourites, so it took me a while to take to Paul Dano, but once I had, I found it to be a sensitive performance that had its own merits, and deserves praise. Jim Broadbent, Ade Edmondson and the rest of the cast also make it worthy of your time.

All I can say is enjoy the show, lap up the scenery, wallow in the wonderful characters and costumes, charge in your minds eye to battle and dance at the balls. Visit Old St Petersburg without leaving your armchair and be entertained. The book has too much to ever do justice to, (unless perhaps Peter Jackson took it under his wing).

The poor reviews that I've seen seem to betray either delusion or a complete misunderstanding of the book. This is an excellent adaptation.

War and Peace is a story of mortals, fallible, corrupt, and yet full of love and hope. Some of the reviewers seem to have gotten in their head that Prince Andrey or Natasha should be like gods and goddesses when Tolstoy could not have intended anything farther from that. Tolstoy meant for us to see how the lives of admirable men and women are yet filled with foolishness. We are meant to see that in the end, the foolishness shouldn't matter.

Others seem to be aghast that there's infidelity, violence, and dishonesty. My God, I can only imagine that these reviewers would be better off watching Barney and Friends. This adaptation captures brilliantly Tolstoy's view of how terrible the course of human interaction can run, and yet there is something magical to life.

As far as the casting goes, I personally thought Sonya was a little too plain, Princess Marya a little too attractive, and Pierre rather too skinny, but these physical quibbles are nitpicky. Each performance seems true to Tolstoy's characterizations, if not the idealizations people have conjured in their minds. In my view, Denisov, though a minor character, is particularly brought to life. The old Prince Bolkonsky also is terrific.

Finally, I am no expert on 19th century Russian aristocratic dress or interior design, but frankly I saw nothing particularly out of place. I would be quite surprised if any of the reviewers who took issue with the costumes or the decorations were far more knowledgeable.