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 Official Website (BBC) | Wikipedia (Miniseries) | Wikipedia (Novel) | IMDB Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-BCmUeHE5c War and Peace is a BBC drama television adaptation of the epic 'War and Peace' by Russian author Leo Tolstoy, and was written by Andrew Davies (House of Cards (BBC), Pride & Prejudice), directed by Tom Harper (Peaky Blinders, Misfits) and co-produced with The Weinstein Company. It has taken more than two years to make, filming in Russia, Latvia and Lithuania and requiring several armies of extras and hundreds of costumes. synopsis posted:Russia, 1805. Napoleon Bonaparte's French army marches West invading Austria, drawing Russia into the war against him. Everyone in aristocratic Russian society is rattled - except idealist Pierre Bezukhov, illegitimate son of a wealthy count, expresses admiration for Napoleon, a view not widely held in St Petersburg whilst Pierre's friend Andrei Bolkonsky, tired of high society and marriage to the pregnant Lise, decides to enlist and fight the French. Cast: Interviews & more character bios - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/pcqw2nXWtYmwZ4SL1YTDRB/characters  Pierre Bezukhov (Paul Dano) is an outcast. The awkward, illegitimate son of a dazzlingly wealthy Count, he was educated abroad but returns to Russia now his father’s health is in decline. Polite society shuns him for his hero-worship of Napoleon and enthusiasm for the politics of revolution. But his blundering sincerity charms Andrei, his truest friend; and Natasha, who delights in his presence.  Natasha Rostova (Lily James) is a breath of fresh air and laughter who knows instinctively that life is for living. As the beloved only daughter of Count and Countess Rostov, she has been raised in Moscow with all the love of a close family. Now, though, she is growing into a spirited teenager. When she sees romance blossoming between Nikolai and Sonya, she knows at once she must experience it for herself.  Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (James Norton) is a brilliant young man from a noble family. His beautiful wife, Lise, is pregnant with their first child. Yet he despises the silly, shallow world of St Petersburg society. When war breaks out, he enlists as an adjutant on General Kutuzov’s staff and leaves his wife at his fierce father’s remote country estate. For Andrei, it’s the chance he has been waiting for to find glory and purpose.  Sonya Rostova (Aisling Loftus) is good-natured and endlessly patient. As a young girl with no money, she was taken in by the Rostov family and has grown up with her cousins Nikolai, Natasha and Petya. Over time, she has fallen in love with Nikolai. But she knows that without a fortune behind her she is far from Countess Rostova’s first choice to marry her son.  Nikolai Rostov (Jack Lowden) is the headstrong oldest son of the Rostov family. Eager to get out and see the world, he is excited to join the Russian army against the French and show he is a man.  Fedya Dolokhov (Tom Burke) is a wolfish young man with a dangerous glint in his eye. His family is not hugely distinguished, but he makes up for it in Anatole’s hard-living set by being the most extreme and reckless member. He can cause plenty of trouble for the people around him, but nothing seems to stick to Dolokhov himself. He makes his own luck.  Helene Kuragina (Tuppence Middleton) is the toast of society: a beautiful, witty and charming young woman from a great family. She is not yet married, but her father Prince Vassily intends to find her a brilliant, wealthy match.  Boris Drubetskoy (Aneurin Barnard) is the only son of Anna Mikhailovna and the apple of her eye. While he winces at her schemes for his advancement, he also reaps the rewards – winning an impressive position on the Russian Tsar’s staff in the campaign against Napoleon.  Anna Pavlovna Scherer (Gillian Anderson) is a glittering society hostess. Her salon in St Petersburg is the place to be for gossip, scandal and speculation. Unmarried herself, Anna is much more interested in other people’s affairs & Prince Vassily Kuragin (Stephen Rea) is a rich and influential player in society, and expected to become wealthier still on the death of his relative Count Bezukhov. Photos:             Videos: Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-BCmUeHE5c Australian Teaser - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4us048ZpGI War and Peace: How the BBC filmed the 'unfilmable' epic - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35204477 ('making of') Episodes: The series started to air on BBC One in the UK as six 60-minute episodes, beginning at 9pm on January 3, 2016. Episode 1 - Russia is drawn into war with France, changing the lives of three young people forever. - 3rd Jan, 2016 (BBC) Episode 2 - As Andrei prepares for a great battle, Pierre struggles with married life. - 10th Jan, 2016 (BBC) Episode 3 - TBA - 17th Jan, 2016 (BBC) Episode 4 - TBA - 24th Jan, 2016 (BBC) Episode 5 - TBA - 31st Jan, 2016 (BBC) Episode 6 - TBA - 7th Feb, 2016 (BBC) In the US it will air in four two-hour blocks on A&E, Lifetime, and History Channel simultaneously at 9pm ET/PT, beginning on January 18, 2016. Part 1 - 18th Jan, 2016 (A&E/Lifetime/History) Part 2 - 25th Jan, 2016 (A&E/Lifetime/History) Part 3 - 1st Feb, 2016 (A&E/Lifetime/History) Part 4 - 8th Feb, 2016 (A&E/Lifetime/History) The UK premiere had strong live ratings with ~25% share and 6.3 Million live viewers. Spoiler rules: As this is an adaptation of an existing book, please put book plot points or comparisons in spoiler tags at least for the first week after the show airs. And because it is airing differently across regions keep specific episode discussions under spoilertags with a note saying which episode you are specifically discussing (much like netflix spoiler rules)    
drunkill fucked around with this message at 11:20 on Jan 7, 2016 |
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Jan 5, 2016 13:34
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Holy poo poo where did this come from. I've just begun watching the first episode and it looks beautiful, though everyone in Russia having British accents is annoying. But I guess they're also speaking English and not Russian/French, so whatever blue squares fucked around with this message at 15:26 on Jan 5, 2016 |
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Jan 5, 2016 14:23
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I won't get to watch this till tonight, but I can imagine a US exec. making GBS threads themselves now a days for a 25 share.
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Jan 5, 2016 16:38
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blue squares posted:Holy poo poo where did this come from. It would be more annoying if they all spoke English with Russian/French accents, it would be like Allo Allo. Just imagine that they are speaking russian/french but through a star trek universal translator. Mr Beens fucked around with this message at 23:36 on Jan 5, 2016 |
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Jan 5, 2016 17:18
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Having watched this over my lunch hour I have to say the BBC decided to remind everyone who is the kind of historic dramas.
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Jan 5, 2016 20:05
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I sense shakos, men exclaimining Bonaparte! and crazy uniforms. This is going to rule.
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Jan 6, 2016 00:21
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sbaldrick posted:Having watched this over my lunch hour I have to say the BBC decided to remind everyone who is the king of historic dramas. Yeah, this is their biggest production, taking two years to film and no doubt costing quite a lot due to all the amazing costumes and hundreds of uniforms. I haven't read the book (neither had many of the actors involved, apparently) but I gave it a shot because I know the BBC make some great period pieces and this blew me away. I just had to make a thread because I saw nobody else in TVIV discussing it, apart from a few comments in the British TV thread. I'm very much looking forward to the other 5 parts of this. blue squares posted:Holy poo poo where did this come from. drunkill fucked around with this message at 10:09 on Jan 7, 2016 |
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Jan 7, 2016 10:07
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After Jonathan Strange last year, I'll have to check this out.Mr Beens posted:It would be more annoying if they all spoke English with Russian/French accents, it would be like Allo Allo. Just imagine that they are speaking russian/french but through a star trek universal translator. I kind of prefer this. It makes it easier to get context as to who belongs with who with such an elaborate cast. Normally I wouldn't mind the English accents for aperiod piece but not when it involves multiple nationalities. It doesn't need to be Allo Allo, it'a possible to do it with some class.
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Jan 7, 2016 11:32
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It is a strange irony reading people talking about this when you know how xenophobic and confused the Russian nobility of this era were. I can confirm the upperclasses enjoyed speaking French with each other a lot, which is amusing to think about when the anti-French and Bonaparte sentiment hits the fan. Saw it myself the other day, good stuff. Handles the pacing of the family drama, internal politics and the little bit of war we have seen it quite well.
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Jan 7, 2016 17:51
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drunkill posted:Yeah, this is their biggest production, taking two years to film and no doubt costing quite a lot due to all the amazing costumes and hundreds of uniforms. I haven't read the book (neither had many of the actors involved, apparently) but I gave it a shot because I know the BBC make some great period pieces and this blew me away. I just had to make a thread because I saw nobody else in TVIV discussing it, apart from a few comments in the British TV thread. I'm very much looking forward to the other 5 parts of this. It hasn't aired in the US yet and won't until the 18th. TV critics are going are more then likely going to push it hard starting then as it's on three networks (A&E, Lifetime and History) SeanBeansShako posted:It is a strange irony reading people talking about this when you know how xenophobic and confused the Russian nobility of this era were. I can confirm the upperclasses enjoyed speaking French with each other a lot, which is amusing to think about when the anti-French and Bonaparte sentiment hits the fan. The Napoleonic war basically signals the end of French cultural domination of Europe and the start of British domination, it's a weird time period.
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Jan 7, 2016 18:09
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It is, shortly before his fall Napoleon himself dealt the final death blow to the struggling Spanish Empire and ended the Holy Roman Empire in his own regime. I'm kind of hoping this will lead to the revival of Hornblower now, Ioan Gruffudd can easily take up the role again.
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Jan 7, 2016 18:44
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I have some .gif(v)s of the battle sequence and cavalry charge. I mean, the music and sound makes this but it still looks cool: http://imgur.com/gallery/LTcri If only I could embed them here (as gifvs)
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Jan 8, 2016 07:49
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Thanks for the GIFS, here take this fanatastic YouTube clip of a battle from the Soviet film which is one of the few films that tries to capture the massive scale of a Napoleonic battle. I like how the fife and drums tempo and speed increase the closer they get to each other and death. Also, for anyone who doesn't know much about the history of Russia and it's crazy nobles there is a embarassing extra bit of salt to the wound to poor Nikolai Rostov's moment of cowardice as he fled dehorsed and was saved by the Russian Infantry skirmishing. A Russian soldier in this era is in a lower position socially than a serf.
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Jan 8, 2016 18:18
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Episode 2: Dolokhov and Kuragina's family planned all that to kill Pierre and take his wealth, right? I haven't read W&P or seen any adaptation of it before, just a wild guess with how quickly Dolokhov accepted the duel and the mysterious note. Also loving that they aren't doing any of the tell-tale signs of battles on TV shows. There's no close up shots where you can tell they just grouped up a bunch of people, it genuinely looks like a sprawling battle field. I don't know if this is typical BBC because I don't watch much of it but I was really getting tired of shows doing the HBO (Rome, a lot of GoT) method of building up a battle, not showing it, then having people talk about it as if that's anything but a let down. And any idea what the main ominous sounding song the show has?
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Jan 11, 2016 16:06
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Yes, I do appreciate they are actually building up and showing the fight now, even if the scale is small it stills looks rather nice close up.
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Jan 12, 2016 22:23
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Botnit posted:Also loving that they aren't doing any of the tell-tale signs of battles on TV shows. There's no close up shots where you can tell they just grouped up a bunch of people, it genuinely looks like a sprawling battle field. I don't know if this is typical BBC because I don't watch much of it but I was really getting tired of shows doing the HBO (Rome, a lot of GoT) method of building up a battle, not showing it, then having people talk about it as if that's anything but a let down. Rome was a co-production between HBO and the BBC, actually. And the BBC doesn't have money coming out of its ears so no they don't normally do huge battle scenes.
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Jan 12, 2016 22:27
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Seems like American channels should start importing its entire production crew from the UK then because they're doing great with what they have.
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Jan 12, 2016 23:53
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The most awkward of pistol duels.
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Jan 18, 2016 20:59
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Botnit posted:Episode 2 Dolokhov and Kuragina's family planned all that? SeanBeansShako posted:The most awkward of pistol duels. Definitely up there But the climatic final pistol duel in Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, what with lengthy fear-vomiting, uncontrollable tears, a very stupid amateurish accidental discharge and a spoiler im not going into must be the most cringe-worthy and awkward duel on film.
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Jan 18, 2016 22:38
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crowoutofcontext posted:But the climatic final pistol duel in Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon, what with lengthy fear-vomiting, uncontrollable tears, a very stupid amateurish accidental discharge and a spoiler im not going into must be the best duel on film. ftfy
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Jan 18, 2016 23:06
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crowoutofcontext posted:No, Dolokhov is just a hosed up guy who likes to cuck his friends Yeah, dumb guess on my part because if that had actually happened it would've felt like a completely different story . I'm really liking the show, only in the last two episodes have I started to get a little annoyed at the  of the pretty people. Every time they call Andrei's sister ugly it pulls me right out of the show because god drat. Still haven't been able to find out the main theme of the series they keep using different iterations of.
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Jan 25, 2016 17:01
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One of the best shows I've seen in a while. I haven't read War and Peace so maybe it's just the story but goddamn.
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Jan 26, 2016 14:12
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The scene in the cottage where Natasha was dancing and singing folk music was very unnerving, the camera work seemed handheld at one point and put at some sinister angles at others. The surface of the scene was a joyous family reunion but the way it was shot really hinted that Natasha's mind was elsewhere and beginning to get a bit unhinged. It helped me reconcile her somewhat surprising change of heart afterwards. Also the occult barn scene and the meteor was a weird and wonderful yet understated build-up to her complete loss of control. Anatole was disgustingly predatory and it was a bit difficult getting on board with Nathasha's falling for him, as I had to start reading her as a person deeply out of touch with her feelings instead of the earthy, intelligent character she was in all the other episodes. The show was bound to have problems selling it IMO, women in the "throes of sudden passion" are written much differently in the 21st century. Botnit posted:Every time they call Andrei's sister ugly it pulls me right out of the show because god drat. 
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Jan 26, 2016 18:28
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This latest episode was really good. I'm sad it is ending next week. I wish it were a 7 or 8 episode series because some things have been a little time-jumpy. But hey, still good.
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Feb 2, 2016 12:05
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So my DVR suddenly stopped recording episodes and none of them are appearing on demand. Did History channel somehow end up losing the rights to this between parts 2 and 3?
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Feb 2, 2016 17:40
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speshl guy posted:So my DVR suddenly stopped recording episodes and none of them are appearing on demand. Did History channel somehow end up losing the rights to this between parts 2 and 3? For my part I had been recording it on A&E, but found that the latest episode only aired on Lifetime.
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Feb 2, 2016 22:37
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Had the same problem and ended up just pirating it. No other choice except to wait for the bluray that BBC already put up for pre-order. I liked the show enough that I'm contemplating actually reading the novel. Anybody have any opinions or advice on which edition or whatever else I should be going for?
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Feb 2, 2016 22:51
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I think it's reasonable to say that this episode's big theme was forgiveness.
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Feb 3, 2016 00:34
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Botnit posted:I liked the show enough that I'm contemplating actually reading the novel. Anybody have any opinions or advice on which edition or whatever else I should be going for? I read the Constance Garnett translation, and while I've been told it wasn't the best one out there, I thought it was pretty passable. I've heard Dunnigan's is by far the best, and it seems to be backed up by wikipedia. Though I did enjoy knowing that I was reading a translation completed by someone who actually knew Tolstoy. The book does a great job of really going into the character's heads and explaining all of the underlying motivations for each of their actions. Dolohkov in particular becomes a scary, scary individual when you read why he does the things that he does as the action unfolds.
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Feb 3, 2016 03:54
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speshl guy posted:Dolohkov in particular becomes a scary, scary individual when you read why he does the things that he does as the action unfolds. That should be good then because I didn't really understand why Drunkill had that description of him since it didn't really seem to fit the show's. Getting bested by Pierre in a duel was yakkity sax level. Only really saw him semi dangerous playing swords for a split second, then he's back to begging forgiveness before battle. I'm guessing the show did a poor job with his character?
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Feb 3, 2016 04:26
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Botnit posted:That should be good then because I didn't really understand why Drunkill had that description of him since it didn't really seem to fit the show's. Getting bested by Pierre in a duel was yakkity sax level. Only really saw him semi dangerous playing swords for a split second, then he's back to begging forgiveness before battle. Pierre got extremely lucky in the duel, both in the book and in the show. Pierre getting lucky does nothing to diminish Dolohkov's incredibly dangerous, vindictive mindset. One thing that I'm actually pleased the show left unsaid: he manipulated Nikolai while simultaneously cheating at cards to make him owe a very specific amount of money (Dolohkov's age plus Sonya's age in thousands. No more, no less), financially ruining the family that took him in and helped him recover. Later He completes several missions and serves with Nikolai's younger brother Petya in the next war, building a rapport with the young boy who happens to worship him as a war hero and is brimming with excitement to be so close to him. After Petya takes a bullet to the head, Dolohkov is totally unmoved upon coming across his body. He even seems to derive some level of satisfaction from the boy's death and the thought of how it will affect the Rostovs.
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Feb 3, 2016 04:57
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I found Dolokhov pretty dangerous, but wish he would have had more screen-time. He does seem to have the air of an actual psychopath, as opposed to the popular media portrayal of them. I mean people like that often enjoy and are motivated by their moments of friendship, affection and clowning around its just there's no pang of guilt to stab someone in the back if and when they find it opportune or even amusing. That coupled with the fact of inevitably being huge narcissistics, creates these spiteful yet ingratiating ticking time bombs fellows like Dolokhov. That's why the questionable earnestness and bromance hugs and kisses, for me, make him more unpredictable especially since so many of the idealists and moral character's of the show are screwed over by their own innocence (Pierre, Natasha, Maria) I found Anatole's motivations a little less psychological believable and would like to see how the novel explores his actions.
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Feb 3, 2016 18:29
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I've only just finished episode 2, but I am so impressed with this miniseries thus far. I'm a big fan of the book - it's probably my very favorite actual novel. I even took a semester-long course on it in undergrad. And while some of the plot has been simplified, it's nevertheless way more faithful to the book than I expected. All the performances are superb. I just hope its meandering nature can hold the attention of everyone who's watching. My wife is watching it with me, and she's never read the book, but she says she's enjoying it, and she seems to be following the story, even if she can't keep the character's straight. Not that that's a problem for people who read the book, of course.  e: I'm especially glad the miniseries hasn't shied away from tackling the religious/philosophical aspects head-on, since for Tolstoy, that was the most important part of the story. I like how they did Andrei's internal monologue on the field of Austerlitz, and Pierre joining the Masons. I think if there's any one character who is getting a little bit of short shrift, it's Marya, but I'm sure that will change before long. Majorian fucked around with this message at 03:38 on Feb 8, 2016 |
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Feb 8, 2016 03:31
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My immersion has been irreparably sullied by the fact that almost none of these 18th century Russian gentlemen are sporting mustaches
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Feb 8, 2016 05:26
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speshl guy posted:My immersion has been irreparably sullied by the fact that almost none of these 18th century Russian gentlemen are sporting mustaches Uhhhh, hey now, Alexander I never had a mustache. Are you trying to suggest that Imperator Aleksandr Pavlovich, true heir to the Eastern Roman Empire and Byzantium, protector of all Orthodox peoples worldwide, could be wrong in his choice of facial hair? I hope you like Siberia, you Turk spy. (in all seriousness, mustaches were only kind of coming into vogue at the time)
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Feb 8, 2016 05:33
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speshl guy posted:My immersion has been irreparably sullied by the fact that almost none of these 18th century Russian gentlemen are sporting mustaches This is the early 19th century, not the late. Facial hair was for soldiers and the lower types.
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Feb 8, 2016 05:38
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Anyone else deep into the novels now, after watching the show? I'm about halfway through now and the names don't really bother me now; probably because the show gave face to so many of the characters. Reading it so soon after seeing the show feels a bit like when I reread Les Miserables, which I do every ten years or so. I know much of the story and the characters feel like old friends, but there are still large gaps in my memory and plenty of story to rediscover.
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Feb 24, 2016 17:13
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