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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