War and Peace Blu-ray - Sergey Bondarchuk

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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r

( aka 'War and Peace', "Voina I Mir" )

directed by Sergei Bondarchuk
Soviet Union 1967

At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet film industry set out to prove it could outdo Hollywood with a production that would dazzle the world: a titanic, awe-inspiring adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic tome in which the fates of three souls—the blundering, good-hearted Pierre; the heroically tragic Prince Andrei; and the radiant, tempestuous Natasha—collide amid the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars. Employing a cast of thousands and an array of innovative camera techniques, director Sergei Bondarchuk conjures a sweeping vision of grand balls that glitter with rococo beauty and breathtaking battles that overwhelm with their expressionistic power. As a statement of Soviet cinema’s might, War and Peace succeeded wildly, garnering the Academy Award for best foreign-language film and setting a new standard for epic moviemaking.

***

"This gigantic motion picture epic, based on the novel of the same name by the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, has won worldwide critical acclaim. For the shooting of the film’s battle scenes, such as the Battle of Borodino or the 1812 Moscow fire, a regular army was mustered into service, as well as a specially created cavalry regiment. Over 12,000 soldiers participated as extras in the crowd scenes. More than 35,000 costumes were made for the production.

The details of 19th-century Russia’s everyday life, the period costumes, society and its traditions, the psychological characteristics and the heroism of the people, the glory of Russian arms – all this attracts the viewer not less than the love story of the delightful Natasha Rostova and the Prince Andrei Bolkonsky."

***

Russian director Sergei Bondarchuk's epic version of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace (Voyna i Mir) was the most expensive European film ever made for many years. It certainly had one of the longest gestation periods, with Bondarchuk spending seven years filming the project (the actors noticeably age from scene to scene). In relating Tolstoy's complex tale of Napoleon's invasion of Russia, Bondarchuk helmed some of the most graphic battle scenes ever seen, one of which runs nearly 45 minutes. So many horses were killed in these sequences that the film was loudly boycotted in some American cities by the ASPCA. While Bondarchuk is slavish to the source material, he does make a few Hollywood-like concessions to popular appeal; his leading lady Lyudmila Savelyeva looks exactly like Audrey Hepburn, the star of King Vidor's 1956 filmization of the Tolstoy novel. Originally clocking in at 507 minutes, War and Peace was pared down to 373 minutes for American consumption. It became a surprise theatrical hit, and a ratings bonanza when it was telecast on the ABC network in four parts from August 12 through 15, 1972. A big film, to be sure -- but few modern critics consider Bondarchuk's War and Peace a great film, citing its many deadly dull passages and its sappy, operatic finale.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

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Comparison:

Ruscico Region 0 - NTSC (with PAL speed-up) vs. Kultur - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

All DVD screenshots courtesy of Ashirg. Thanks Gregory!

1) RusCiCo - R0 - NTSC - LEFT

2) Kultur - R1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) Criterion Spine #983 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray RIGHT

Box Covers

Distribution	RusCiCo Region 0 - NTSC	Kultur Region 1 - NTSC	Criterion Spine #983 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime	Approx. 403 minutes ( 6 hours 43 minutes )	Approx. ( 6 hours 39 minutes )	2:27:07.735 / 1:38:02.877 / 1:21:41.897 / 1:36:38.459
Video	2.30:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen / 16X9 enhanced NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1.33:1 Cropped Aspect Ratio NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,426,667,414 bytes Part I: Andrei Bolkonsky: 27,683,481,600 bytes Part II: Natasha Rostova: 17,559,085,056 bytes Video Bitrate: 20.42 Mbps / 19.02 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video 2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 48,682,680,679 bytes Part III: The Year 1812: 17,630,902,272 bytes Part IV: Pierre Bezukhov: 20,460,509,184 bytes Video Bitrate: 23.98 Mbps / 23.43 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Bitrate Blu-ray
Bitrate Blu-ray
Bitrate Blu-ray
Bitrate Blu-ray
Audio	Russian, English, French (Dolby Digital 5.1 )	Russian (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)	DTS-HD Master Audio Russian 3283 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3283 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
Subtitles	Russian, English, French, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, Swedish, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Herbew, None	English (non-removable)	English, none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Mosfilm / through RusCiCo ( Russian Cinema Council ) Theatrical Release Date: January 1, 1967 Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 2.30:1 Edition Details: on Disc 5: • Cast & crew interviews • Interview with the President of Mosfilm Studio K. Shakhnazarov • Documentary films about Sergei Bondarchuk and Leo Tolstoy • “Making of…” • Photo album DVD Release Date: 2nd Quarter 2003 Keep Case Chapters: Disc 1- 22, Disc 2 -13, Disc 3 - 13, Disc 4 - 20	Release Information: Studio: Kultur Theatrical Release Date: January 1, 1967 DVD Release Date: October 29, 2002 Run Time: 403 minutes Production Company: kultur Package Type: Box Set Aspect Ratio: Full Screen (Standard) - 1.33:1 Edition Details: • In Russian with English subtitles • Sergei Bondarchuk biography and filmography • Leo Tolstoy biography • Full-screen format DVD Release Date: October 29, 2002 Box Set Chapters ?	Release Information: Studio: Criterion 2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,426,667,414 bytes Part I: Andrei Bolkonsky: 27,683,481,600 bytes Part II: Natasha Rostova: 17,559,085,056 bytes Video Bitrate: 20.42 Mbps / 19.02 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video 2.35:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 48,682,680,679 bytes Part III: The Year 1812: 17,630,902,272 bytes Part IV: Pierre Bezukhov: 20,460,509,184 bytes Video Bitrate: 23.98 Mbps / 23.43 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • DISC 1: "Woina I Mir" - 1966 Making-of Documentary (48:36) DISC 2: "Making War and Peace" - 1969 Making-of Documentary (30:52) "Fedor Bondarchuk" (06:41) "Anatoly Pertitsky" (14:20) "Les Sovietiques" (27:19) - Television program from 1967 on actor Ludmila Savelyeva, featuring Sergei Bondarchuk "Cold War Classic" - New program with historian Denise J. Youngblood (Bondarchuk’s “War and Peace”: Literary Classic to Soviet Cinematic Epic) detailing the cultural and historical contexts for the film (46:44) Janus Films rerelease trailer (01:40) PLUS: An essay by critic Ella Taylor New cover by Gary Kelley Blu-ray Release Date: June 25th, 2019 Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 26 / 20/ 14 / 21

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

NOTE: The Amazon UK pre-orders of Criterion's Blu-ray of War and Peace have been cancelled, and the ordering page removed. This is most likely due to BBFC rules restricting the release of a film that features either "the cruel infliction of pain or terror or the cruel goading of any animal to fury".

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (May 2019): Criterion, through Janus films, have accomplished a gargantuan task with a new 2K restoration of the over 7-hour Russian epic, "War and Peace" on two Blu-ray discs. The 422-minute film is a painterly masterpiece, featuring some of the most breathtaking shots ever achieved in filmmaking (right up there with "Andrei Rublev", "Barry Lyndon", "Soy Cuba"). The Blu-ray's 2.35:1 frame is transferred via a modest bitrate, understandably so, given the film's extensive length. Though at first some shots seem to have a slight teal leaning, and faces rather cool and pale, it becomes clear that this is no fault of the transfer, and was a choice for the film's palette. In fact, later shots show a great range of colors with rosy realistic skin-tones. The image can look flat in spots without much depth. The contrast levels are also quite something, with many under-lit scenes showing a fair amount of detail in the shadows and long, dark hallways. The RusCiCo DVD is horizontally stretched in direct comparison. The 1080P grain seems to be the appropriate amount to be expected, maintaining the filmic texture of the rich theatrical presentation.

"War and Peace" is accompanied by a 5.1 DTS-HD Master audio soundtrack as the original used a 6-Track for 70 mm prints. This is a 24-bit presentation, with the surround effects coming into play during the roaring battle sequences scattered throughout the film. The epic is given an equally epic score from Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov (Andrei Rublev, Ivan's Childhood, The Steamroller and the Violin). There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'A' (and hopefully soon 'B') Blu-ray from Criterion.

The Blu-rays of "War and Peace" also contain a number of extras, as well as the 422-minute film. Criterion have included two vintage documentaries covering the making of the film, the second documentary is located with the rest of the extras on disc 2. The sole extra on disc one is "Woina I Mir", a black & white German documentary, made by Thomas Schamoni in 1966. The 49-minute "...Peace" piece details the production and even features an interview with director Sergei Bondarchuk. "Anatoly Pertitsky" is a 2019 interview with cinematographer Anatoly Pertitsky. The talk mainly focuses on the immense challenges faced while lensing such an epic film. "Fedor Bondarchuk" is also a new 2019 interview, this time with the filmmaker discussing the work of his father, Sergei Bondarchuk, including "War and Peace". Originally airing on November 18, 1968, the French television program "Les Sovietiques" profiles actor Ludmila Savelyeva and also features director Sergei Bondarchuk. "Cold War Classic" is a brand new program, produced by Criterion. In this piece, history scholar Denise J. Youngblood (Bondarchuk's "War and Peace": Literary Classic to Soviet Cinematic Epic") spends over 45-minutes elaborating on the cultural and cinematic contexts for War and Peace. Footage from the film is also featured within the documentary. "Making War and Peace" was produced in 1969 by Mosfilm and is a documentary detailing production and post-production work (including the herculean task of editing) for "War and Peace". A trailer for Janus Films rerelease is also on disc 2. There is a new cover by Gary Kelley and an essay by critic Ella Taylor (unavailable to us at the time of this writing).

This is my first viewing of Sergey Bondarchuk's masterpiece, "War and Peace". If you own this film in standard definition, this is a must-purchase upgrade. If you've never seen this film, this is a must-purchase Blu-ray. Though it has its melodramatic moments of histrionics, these moments capture a mood and feature some of the most impressive cinematography every laid to celluloid. Perhaps Criterion's greatest release of the year.

Colin Zavitz

***

ON THE DVDs: To crop a 2.30:1 film to 1.33:1 is tantamount to making an entirely different motion picture. The Kultur Region 1 DVD bears no resemblance to the RusCiCo. The Kultur has burned in subs and minimal extras in comparison. I am so surprised that someone took the trouble to do this and put it in a Boxset. As far as I am concerned the Kultur DVD is a joke of mammoth proportions.

- Gary W. Tooze

DVD Menus

(RusCiCo - R0 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Kultur - R1 - NTSC - RIGHT)

Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

Screen Captures