BIG breath: "War And Peace" (1968, Russain) 507 minute version on DVD? (1 Viewer)

[Gordon McMurphy]

A few years ago, I was told thru the grapevine that Sergei Bondarchuk's truly, truly colossul four part epic filmed version of Tolstoy's monumental tome, War And Peace was about to be restored by The Russian Film Institute to it's (apparently) 507 mintute director's cut! Bondarchuk sadly died in 1994, so he wouldn't have been part of the reconstruction/refurbrishment/restoration etc.
It was shot in 65mm. I'm not sure what filmstock was used - possibly Sovcolor or some less-than-great stock. I'm not sure what condition the elements are in - does anyone here know? Anyone got VHS edtions? Was there ever a Laserdisc?
DVD was made for films like this. But how would you put a worthy DVD package of this film together?
Disc 1
Vojna I Mir I: Andrei Bolkonsky (1965)
New 2.21:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer from restored elements
Dolby Digital 5.1 (Russian and French in certain scenes)
DTS 5.1 Surround Sound (Russian and French in certain scenes)
Dubbed English 2.0 stereo
English subtitles
Audio commentary by various cast, crew and film scholars
Disc 2
Vojna I Mir II: Natasha Rostova (1966)
New 2.21:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer from restored elements
Dolby Digital 5.1 (Russian and French in certain scenes)
DTS 5.1 Surround Sound (Russian and French in certain scenes)
Dubbed English 2.0 stereo
Audio commentary by various cast, crew and film scholars
Disc 3
Vojna I Mir III: 1812 God (1967)
New 2.21:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer from restored elements
Dolby Digital 5.1 (Russian and French in certain scenes)
DTS 5.1 Surround Sound (Russian and French in certain scenes)
Dubbed English 2.0 stereo
Audio commentary by various cast, crew and film scholars
Disc 4
Vojna I Mir IV: Pierre Bezukhov (1967)
New 2.21:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer from restored elements
Dolby Digital 5.1 (Russian and French in certain scenes)
DTS 5.1 Surround Sound (Russian and French in certain scenes)
Dubbed English 2.0 stereo
Audio commentary by various cast, crew and film scholars
Disc 5
Brand new retrospective documentary with archive footage etc
Historical material on Napolean's invasion of Russia
The legacy of Tolstoy's novel
Restoration demontration
Photo gallery
Trailers
More...?
Anyone got any ideas? It's one helluva long film, but it is so great - a true epic and deserves a lavish DVD release. But only Criterion would have the guts to release something like what I proposed above!
Thanks for reading,
G.C Morrice

 

[Douglas R]

It's on the way! Check out www.ruscico.com. Running time seems to be 431 minutes. I agree it's a great film. I saw it twice in theatres which meant going 4 times as it was shown in 2 parts. Not sure of the total theatrical running time but it must have been heavily cut.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

Great work, Doug!
http://www.ruscico.com./detail_eng.php?link=22
It's apparently out later this year. Cost: $55.00/£35.19
Is it a 3 or 4 disc set though? The DVD cover example has a "4" on it, but it lists only three running times:
147 (Part 1 was/is 147 minutes) then 200 minutes? (3 & 4 on one disc - NO! Seperate!)
And 84 (Part 4 was/is 84 minutes) These all total, as you say, 431 minutes!
Phew! Golly! And other words to that effect.
Widescreen? Surely! 2.21:1 though?
Dolby 5.1? I think so.
Son Of God I ask thee to speed those there shiny discs to thy abode!
Magical news, Doug! Fab!
Gordy (Not a fan of Michael Bay movies! )

 

[Rain]

I'd love to have this on DVD, but there's no way I'm buying it if it is Ruscico that is releasing it.

I have only bought one title from them in the past and there were so many problems with the DVD presentation that I vowed never to buy one of their discs again.

 

[SteveP]

I believe the 1956 Paramount/King Vidor/Audrey Hepburn/Vistavision version is due out in December.

 

[JayF]

The Paramount/Vidor version of this story is a laugh-riot. Of course maybe my mistake was watching it after watching the Russian version.

 

[Steve Phillips]

I rented this one once (I think the tapes ran about 6 hours) but the dubbing was so awful I gave up after an hour or so.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

IF it's OSL, and the discs are decent I'll bite

 

[Randall Dorr]

The Digital Bits had this:

Kultur Video is releasing director Sergei Bondarchuk's 1968 version of War and Peace on DVD on 11/26. The 3-disc release will contain the entire 6 1/2 hour program for an SRP of $39.95.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I’ve only seen this in the theatre (once). But I still remember the ‘Battle of Borodino’. What a treat. But I’ll be guided by Rain and wait for some technical reviews to appear before a put down any cash.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

In reply to Randall Dorr:
Great stuff! I'll try and find more info on the DVDs. The Kultar website does not list the DVD though, just the VHS! D'oh! Get a move-on, folks!
Great news.
Gord

 

[Steve Christou]

I have a friend who is crazy about Bondarchuk's War and Peace and has the whole thing on tape, his copy is the 6 hour version, I remember him showing me some of the battles, I was gobsmacked, spectacular stuff!
I think he'll want to upgrade to the dvd version when I tell him.

 

[GerardoHP]

Am I missing something? Where do you buy the DVD's for 39.95?

 

[Mark_vdH]

Am I missing something? Where do you buy the DVD's for 39.95?

You can't order it yet, but it has just been announced for release in November:
West Long Branch, NJ (September 26, 2002) - This November, Kultur Video presents the heralded Russian motion picture of Leo Tolstoy's War And Peace on DVD for the first time. Winner of the Academy Award® for Best Foreign Film of 1968, War and Peace is the largest and most ambitious picture ever made. The DVD features the original Russian version with English subtitles and has a running time of 6 1/2 hours. The 3-disk special collector set DVD will be available at local video outlets beginning November 26, 2002 for $39.95.
FULL PRESS RELEASE (from Digitally Obsessed)

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

I hope that the DVDs have superb transfers. Kultar are hardly Criterion, are they? :frowning: I hope I have to eat my words...:b
Gordy

 

[GerardoHP]

So, are the Kultur and the Ruscico releases one and the same?

 

[Randall Dorr]

Here's Kultur's site.

 

[Gordon McMurphy]

I'm sure this film needs a real restoration. It was shot on less-than-great 65mm and processed in less-than-great Sovcolor. The neg(s) are over 35 years old. Maybe I'll be proven dramatically wrong, but I think that the DVDs of War And Peace will be at best, adequete. But I want to be proved wrong!
Bring 'em on!
Gordy

 

[oscar_merkx]

here is some more news from today's http://www.thedigitalbits.com/#mytwocents
with the news that Image Entertainment has announced the release of a DVD version of Sergei Bondarchuk's 1968 version of War and Peace (another version is due from Kultur on 11/26). But Image's 4-disc version - due on 12/3 (SRP $69.99) - is much more loaded. Expect anamorphic widescreen video (2.35:1 aspect ratio), Dolby Digital 5.1 audio in Russian, English and French and 14 sets of subtitles on the 3 movie discs. The 4th disc contains all the extras, such as a "behind the scenes" featurette, cast and crew filmographies, an art direction and set design studies gallery, a documentary on Leo Tolstoy and interviews with the actors, cinematographer, composer and Mosfilms Studios president Karen Shakhnazarov. The film is also the longer, 431-minute version.
this is indeed great news

 

[Mark_Wilson]

Sounds like the Ruscico version. Doesn't Image destribute them or was it Kino?