Overview
An epic tale of love and war unfolds against the backdrop of a nation in turmoil.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Graphic
- grand
- serious
- romantic
- historical film marathon
- classic cinema night
What critics said
Critics and audiences broadly regard the series as a monumental, highly faithful literary adaptation distinguished by extraordinary battle sequences and production scale.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The invasion, retreat, occupation, and burning of Moscow reshape Russian society and unite people from different social classes.
Its eight-hour structure, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, major battles, and elaborate depiction of Moscow's destruction create an unusually expansive canvas.
Natasha Rostova and Pierre Bezukhov's intertwined emotional story unfolds alongside Napoleon's 1812 invasion and Russia's military crisis.
The Rostova, Bezukhov, and Bolkonsky families anchor the story in Russian high society while the invasion destabilizes their world.
Films like War and Peace, and why
Lawrence of Arabia
sweeping historical war epic combining national catastrophe, battlefield spectacle, and intimate human drama
Gone with the Wind
large-scale period warfare interwoven with romance, aristocratic society, and national identity
The Leopard
ambitious literary adaptation balancing philosophical reflection, ensemble storytelling, and the human cost of war
The Bridge on the River Kwai
monumental classical war drama with immersive combat sequences and emotionally layered characters
Movie Details
- Director
- Sergei Bondarchuk
- Release Date
- 1968-04-28
- Runtime
- 422 min
- Rating
- 7.6 / 10 (168)
Cast
- Ludmila Savelyeva
- Sergei Bondarchuk
- Vyacheslav Tikhonov
- Viktor Stanitsyn
- Kira Golovko
- Oleg Tabakov
- Nikolay Kodin
- Sergei Yermilov
- Irina Gubanova
- Anatoli Ktorov
Common questions
- What is War and Peace about?
- A monumental Soviet adaptation of Tolstoy follows intertwined Russian lives as love, aristocratic society, and national survival collide during Napoleon’s 1812 invasion.
- What is War and Peace like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of War and Peace as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as dense.
- Is War and Peace violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in War and Peace as graphic.
- What did critics think of War and Peace?
- Critics and audiences broadly regard the series as a monumental, highly faithful literary adaptation distinguished by extraordinary battle sequences and production scale.
- Which films are like War and Peace?
- Films with a similar feel include Lawrence of Arabia, Gone with the Wind, The Leopard, and The Bridge on the River Kwai.
- How long is War and Peace?
- War and Peace runs 422 minutes.
