War and Peace (1966-1967) – Criterion Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Ronald Epstein]

I was blown away by this film. Never saw it until two years ago and I was just amazed at the spectacle of it all.

 

[lark144]

I was blown away by this film. Never saw it until two years ago and I was just amazed at the spectacle of it all.

"War and Peace" was my favorite book when I was growing up, and though the rule of thumb is to stay away from the film version of a book you love, this comes pretty close.

While I'm critiquing the overall visual effect of the Blu-Ray as underwhelming compared to how it looked in 70mm in a theater 54 years ago, for those who have never seen this, it's a must see. On Blu-Ray, it retains a lot of its epic sweep, though of course it's not the same experience. It also helps if you project. I don't, but I saw this as a DCP at Lincoln Center a few years ago, and it was fairly impressive visually, though not as immersive or mind-boggling as it was at the DeMille.