War and Peace

The love story of young Countess Natasha Rostova and Count Pierre Bezukhov is interwoven with the Great Patriotic War of 1812 against Napoleon's invading army.

War and Peace (2016) is a British television miniseries created for BBC One, a six-episode period drama adapted from Leo Tolstoy's novel. Its central pairing follows young Countess Natasha Rostova (Lily James) and the awkward Count Pierre Bezukhov (Paul Dano) as their lives entwine with the war that Napoleon's invading army brings to Russia in 1812. Alongside them, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (James Norton) marches toward the front, while Gillian Anderson's Anna Pavlovna Scherer hosts the salons where gossip and ambition circulate. The engine of the series is the push and pull of marriage prospects, family fortunes and inherited pride, all set against the grinding logistics of a nation at war. Each episode moves through ballrooms, country estates and battlefield camps, so the romance and the conflict constantly shape one another. The tone is sweeping yet intimate, melancholic and romantic, with a strong sense of longing and loss. Its scale is that of a single continuous story told in six hours, rather than a case-of-the-week format. Fans of Downton Abbey, Anna Karenina and Sharpe will find resonance in its lush costumes and its blend of personal drama with historical upheaval.

Viewers broadly admire this BBC adaptation of Tolstoy's novel for its lavish costumes, strong casting and faithful, emotionally rich storytelling.

• Downton Abbeyshared period costume drama, intertwined aristocratic romance and historical war
• Anna Karenina (2012)shared literary adaptation of a sprawling Russian novel with war and romance
• Sharpeshared Napoleonic-era historical war backdrop with personal drama

Release Date

2016-01-03

Episode runtime

45 min

Rating

8.1 / 10 (255)

What is War and Peace about?

A six-episode BBC miniseries adapting Tolstoy's novel, weaving a young countess's and a count's romance through Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia.

What is War and Peace like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of War and Peace as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as dense.

Is War and Peace violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in War and Peace as moderate.

What did critics think of War and Peace?

Viewers broadly admire this BBC adaptation of Tolstoy's novel for its lavish costumes, strong casting and faithful, emotionally rich storytelling.

Which shows are like War and Peace?

Shows with a similar feel include Downton Abbey, Anna Karenina (2012), and Sharpe.

How long is War and Peace?

War and Peace: 1 season, 6 episodes.

Is War and Peace still running?

No, War and Peace has ended.

Where can I watch War and Peace?

In United States, War and Peace streams on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Britbox Apple TV channel, Criterion Channel, BritBox, BritBox Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus.