SummaryCountess Natasha Rostova (Lily James) becomes engaged to Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (James Norton) but eventually falls in love with Pierre Bezukhov (Paul Dano) in this adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel by Andrew Davies.
SummaryCountess Natasha Rostova (Lily James) becomes engaged to Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (James Norton) but eventually falls in love with Pierre Bezukhov (Paul Dano) in this adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's epic novel by Andrew Davies.
Davies’ dialogue feels so organic to the characters it’s written for that it seems almost to bond to them, as naturally as if it was their skin or hair color. Actors in Davies’ production invariably rise to the level of the words placed before them. They certainly do here.
This version of War & Peace may not have all of its parts intact, but it keeps the structure of the plot in place, giving a nice overview of Tolstoy’s novel, and keeping a tight pace for TV. It’ll be interesting to see whether the series can sustain throughout its six-part run, but the first few hours are an enjoyable way to pretend to digest great world literature.
I'm not usually a particularly massive fan, of the ostentatious period drama's, however the story was so so charming and so wonderfully acted, the costumes and the set pieces were breathtaking. And Paul Dano's performance was superb and heart wrenching at times, However James Norton was an pleasant surprise an absolutely must watch
All's fair in love and war!
SEASON 01:
The war and wealth, the romance and deceives, the fictional Russia of the 1800s.
First of all I've never seen the series or film adapted from theis book. This is my first version of any format. So it's high excitement time, since I like Leo Tolstoy works. It did not disappoint me. The BBC had done it again. Yep, another wonderful adaptation. Great casting and shot in location, or to say the graphic works were done wonderfully. Nice costumes show as well, in the original Russian classic style.
It starts with war and ends with the same. Surrounded by lots of historical figures. Basically, it's about five royal class families. How their lives turn out during the Russian war against the Napoleon's France. Focused on the younger generation who are about to take over everything from their elders. So they have to decide, very big decision that's going to change their lives and the nations forever.
The romance is also the part of the tale. Being very rich or about to lose their wealth, they have to find true love. But in some cases, the love is a game plan for a better future. So there's deceive and cheats involved. Patriotically, and sentimentally the tale unfold, where the Russian fate hangs.
I enjoyed it thoroughly, but one thing that bothered me was the English adaptation. Imagine if it was entirely in Russian with subtitles, that would have been so awesome. Particularly that sound of the language and musics and locations, all would have matched so perfectly.
In the poster, Lily James in the front, but that's done for the marketing purpose, because of her popularity among other cast. While watching the series it was a different experience. A well balanced characters, lots of things happened, like that takes us to the real 19th century. One of the best periodic drama which overwhelmed by war and romance theme. I think it is a muse see.
8/10
It clips along in leaps and bounds, and the speed at which events occur can make them seem dramatically obvious, more declared than developed. Much of the time you don't feel the characters' pain so much as take it as read. But the key moments of spiritual revelation are handled well and the production gains power in the home stretch, just where you want power gained.
It's a march through epic battles, epic romance and epic intellectual discovery, but viewers are probably going to have to take that old Tolstoy off the shelf ito fully understand what's so epic about it. Onscreen, it remains a fine, fast-moving yarn, but you don't have to have read the book to nod sagely and say, "The book is better."
This series starts out with promise but ultimately ends up ordinary, another historical drama with well-regarded actors, fancy costumes and not much to distinguish it from all the others.
At no time will the viewer feel that he or she has been transported to 1805 Russia, the drawing rooms of St. Petersburg, or the blood-soaked battlefields of the Napoleonic wars. That said, it’s not entirely a bad time. This is because directed Tom Harper and screenwriter Andrew Davies are far less interested in Tolstoy’s take on the individual’s place in the universe than they are in the who’s-sleeping-with-whom school of world literature and the more sentimental aspects of Tolstoy’s story. Neither are they much interested in subtlety.
Best TV since Fargo season 1 and True Detective season 1. Cast is awesome and the general feel and pace of the show is really captivating. Just wish it went longer than 6 episodes :(
'Guerra y Paz' es una magnífica producción sobre la aristocracia rusa, durante el intento de invasión de Napoleón Bonaparte. Pero esto no es nada más que un marco histórico donde se sitúa la serie. Está centrada principalmente en el personaje de Paul Dano y muestra su evolución a medida que se lleva a cabo la ocupación.
Paul Dano está rodeado de magníficos actores secundarios durante el desarrollo de la historia, entre los que destacan: una soberbia Lilly James, James Norton... ( ¡Ojo con este chaval! ) La serie tiene una magnifica fotografía, aunque bueno, en los aspectos técnicos me parece maravillosa en todos. También, está escrito muy bien, con un guión muy bien trabajado.
En conclusión, es un "Tv-Show" que no es de mi estilo, no es mi tipo de televisión. Este tipo de dramas centrados en la aristocracia es un tema que todavía, a día de hoy, no me convence y me llega a aburrir bastante. Por lo demás, la serie es cojonuda.
The English are at it again. A bloated, class obsessed sumptuous looking but not particularly interesting adaption of the novel. What would be more iritating than a bunch of self absorbed aristocrats with Russian accents? One featuring a load of the same thing English style. Dano is not particularly well cast, but then again he's not much of an actor. I'm sure the Downtown Alley crowd will lap this stuff up. Don't think this is Tolstoy.
This show is just another one of those British exports that are drawn out with too many characters; some that are just boring.
While I like historical movies, documentaries and TV shows, this one is just too slow-paced for me.
After enduring the first two episodes I decided that enough was enough. My goodness the actual war between Napoleon and the Russians took less time than this television program.
From what I've seen so far (4 hours) this is more like Real Housewives of Early 19th Century Russia than it is War & Peace. The creative team of Davies and Harper has served up a juicy set of scandalous women dressed as how J. Peterman might have imagined them, with a combination of nabobs and cads for men. Pierre Bezukhov, the heart and soul of the novel is reduced to a doleful young man who turns to Free Masonry to find some purpose in his miserable life. Of course, one has to wonder how a man who has inherited such great wealth could be so sad. There seems no room for philosophical asides in this bedroom drama. Davies and Harper are more interested with who is sleeping with whom and for how much. It is hard to imagine the second half will be any better, as Moscow finds itself buried under the full weight of Napoleon's Grand Armee, but at least it will bring back Brian Cox as Gen. Kutusov, one of the few compelling performances in this mini-series.