Six authors, 65 doctors, 500 pages of script and 18,000 military personnel – these are some of the numbers that surround the historical epic War and Peace with Audrey Hepburn. The large-scale production from 1956 spared no expense or effort to bring Leo Tolstoy’s novel to the screen. Today you can watch the worth seeing representatives of Hollywood’s monumental cinema watch on television.
War and Peace takes you back to the Napoleonic era
First of all, this War and Peace should not be confused with the even more elaborate and even better Soviet miniseries that appeared about ten years later. But without the film adaptation by master director King Vidor, the sequel might not have existed. After the American-Italian co-production, Tolstoy’s homeland felt compelled to go one step further.
The story begins in 1805, during the Napoleonic era. The focus is on a broad ensemble of more or less noble people, including the aimless Pierre (Henry Fonda), his friend Andrei (Mel Ferrer), who will meet Napoleon (Herbert Lom) personally as an officer, and the young Natascha (Hepburn), who is in love with Pierre. Her and other Fates are followed over several yearsso that great emotions and battles follow one another.
This is how you can watch War and Peace tonight on TV and via stream
The classic with Audrey Hepburn is on Pluto TV tonight. The free, ad-financed provider has our Moviepilot TV channel. Only films that are well received by the Moviepilot community are shown here. The historical epic is one of them, with a good 6.7 points from over 400 votes cast.
The film will be shown today, September 19, from 8:15 p.m. on the live channel Moviepilot TV with Pluto TVwithout a subscription or additional costs. You can watch Pluto TV via the app on your TV or via stream, directly here at Moviepilot.
Watch War and Peace today at 8:15pm here on stream:
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Why the historical epic is worth it
Whether gigantic panorama or difficult emotional worldsMaster director King Vidor has directed influential classics in a wide variety of genres. With The Big Parade he made a the War films of the silent era, but also presented the melodrama masterpiece Stella Dallas.
In War and Peace, the talents are united, with an excellent Audrey Hepburn in the lead role. Natasha is one of the iconic figures in literary history and the Breakfast at Tiffany’s star embodies her youthful energy and tenderness as captivatingly as only Hepburn can.
But what is most impressive about Vidor’s film is its scale. The 1950s were the heyday of epic films on both sides of the Atlantic, and War and Peace, shot in Italy, is one of the most lavish films of its time. Up to 18,000 Italian army personnel were used as extras, including for the reenactment of the “conquest” of Moscow (via AFI). There were also numerous doctors among them to treat any injuries.
So if you have a heart for first-class cinema or want to see how Hollywood gigantic battles before the age of computer effects realized, should not miss War and Peace.