War And Peace (1 Viewer)

[Robin9]

Waterloo (1970) was(is???) distributed by Paramount...as is at least one other Bondarchuk movie

Fair enough. Then read posts 2 and 3. I repeat: it's pretty obvious which version of War And Peace this thread is about.

 

[Keith Cobby]

I think it's a fair point about suffixing the date when referring to a film. On another thread there was some confusion about Summer Holiday!!

 

[schan1269]

Fair enough. Then read posts 2 and 3. I repeat: it's pretty obvious which version of War And Peace this thread is about.

Cause it was asked in post 2.As you can tell, nobody likes the Vidor version. It is a neutered version of a classic book. I put the Vidor/Hepburn movie in the same wasteful dreck clasd as Anna and the King(how Foster/Yun-Fat got roped into that thing...)

 

[Matt Hough]

Well, I wouldn't say NOBODY likes it. If one is looking for a full account of the Tolstoy book, no, it won't do, but it's not without its entertaining moments, and the production is splendid. Done properly, it would be an eye-popping Blu-ray disc.

 

[Alan Tully]

Well, I wouldn't say NOBODY likes it. If one is looking for a full account of the Tolstoy book, no, it won't do, but it's not without its entertaining moments, and the production is splendid. Done properly, it would be an eye-popping Blu-ray disc.

Yup, photographed by Jack Cardiff, & with Herbert Lom as Napoleon. I've never seen it, but I'm a sucker for 50's movies. As for the Russian version, I'm not so sure. I saw the same directors, Waterloo, & thought it was rubbish, & very, very long doesn't necessarily mean very, very good.

 

[schan1269]

Yup, photographed by Jack Cardiff, & with Herbert Lom as Napoleon. I've never seen it, but I'm a sucker for 50's movies. As for the Russian version, I'm not so sure. I saw the same directors, Waterloo, & thought it was rubbish, & very, very long doesn't necessarily mean very, very good.

So I take it you won't like Barry Lyndon either...

 

[Alan Tully]

So I take it you won't like Barry Lyndon either...

I loved it, but then I never saw the eight hour cut! Did you see the word, neccessarily in my post, try looking it up.

 

[schan1269]

I loved it, but then I never saw the eight hour cut! Did you see the word, neccessarily in my post, try looking it up.

Have no idea what you are talking about by "word"...Also Waterloo, while good, is not in the same league as War and Peace.

 

[Ed Lachmann]

I love the Bondarchuk WAR AND PEACE but also really enjoyed the King Vidor WAR AND PEACE after a recent viewing of it. It's easy to dismiss the latter if you especially like the former and haven't seen the Vidor one for some years. The casting is really quite good, with an especially outstanding turn by Oscar Homolka as Kutuzov. Both Audrey Hepburn and Henry Fonda are fine in their roles. Most literature taken to film is neutered to a great extent, which is a compliment to Bondarchuk, as his version is certainly as true to the book as possible. Personally, I've ended up a fan of both versions and am looking forward to this release since I'm sure it will be a sumptuous and colorful BD and 50s epics are exactly my sort of thing. It will be released in early September in Japan, too, and on the same day as SAMSON AND DELILAH and HATARI. I've never purchased a Japanese BD of an English language film the had non-removeable subs, so I'm sure that one will be safe.

 

[Andrew Budgell]

Take a look at the Japanese cover art here.

 

[Alan Tully]

Looking at Amazon.de I see they have the Samson & Delilah Blu-ray for release on the same date as War & Peace, 4th October.http://www.amazon.de/Samson-Delilah-Blu-ray-Hedy-Lamarr/dp/B00DW0H9B8/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1_GBJQ

 

[Keith Cobby]

Has anyone received the French or German blu-ray of War and Peace (1956)?

 

[Ed Lachmann]

And there are those of us(raising my hand) who couldn't care less about the Vidor/Hepburn version...

And, there are those of us who LOVE the Vidor/Hepburn version. So there!

 

[john a hunter]

Has anyone received the French or German blu-ray of War and Peace (1956)?

No but it is released in Australia on 5 November.Probably it will not be dubbed into Australian so a safer bet than those issues from Europe!

 

[John Hermes]

Has anyone received the French or German blu-ray of War and Peace (1956)?

I have the German one. I was somewhat disappointed. It looks down the generation train a ways. It's okay but certainly doesn't have the "VistaVision" look of the "White Christmas" BD, or "The Geisha Boy" BD for that matter.

 

[Robin9]

I have the German one. I was somewhat disappointed. It looks down the generation train a ways. It's okay but certainly doesn't have the "VistaVision" look of the "White Christmas" BD, or "The Geisha Boy" BD for that matter.

Some of the "reviewers" on Amazon Germany don't like it much either. I'm holding off buying it.

 

[Richard V]

Also Waterloo, while good, is not in the same league as War and Peace.

I agree, that Waterloo is a good movie, and think it deserves a BD treatment.

 

[Keith Cobby]

Thanks John and Robin for your comments. It is disappointing that the picture quality is deficient. White Christmas is one of my favourite discs and Geisha Boy is the best of the Olive VistaVision titles. VistaVision releases have been slow recently and I had hopes for War and Peace. It's a pity that Warners are still not releasing the good stuff.

 

[OliverK]

Thanks John and Robin for your comments. It is disappointing that the picture quality is deficient. White Christmas is one of my favourite discs and Geisha Boy is the best of the Olive VistaVision titles. VistaVision releases have been slow recently and I had hopes for War and Peace. It's a pity that Warners are still not releasing the good stuff.

I will report back about War and Peace when I get my loaner from lovefilm but I would think that a comparison with Geisha Boy is a bit unfair as Geisha Boy has cinematography that makes it look good even though its transfer to Blu-ray is not top notch.

I could personally live with less releases but in better quality - if the VistaVision titles look as if they were shot in regular 35mm they are not special anymore.

 

[RolandL]

caps-a-holic has a comparison of the Blu-ray to the DVD