Voyna i mir AKA War and Peace Part II 1966

Few people have been daring enough to even read Leo Tolstoy s epic piece of literature, War and Peace (18651869), let alone adapt it to the cinema screen. At over 1000 pages in length, the novel is notorious for its intimidating thickness, but those who have read it will usually agree that it is one of the finest achievements in the history of literature. I ve never been courageous enough to attempt the story myself, but Sergei Bondarchuk s 1960s adaptation, Voyna i mir (1967) seems an equally ambitious undertaking. At over eight hours in length usually divided into four parts the Soviet film defines epic in every sense of the word, and, with a budget of 100 million over 700 million when adjusted for inflation, it is also the most expensive movie ever made. Watching such a lengthy film in one sitting seemed a rather daunting task, so I ve instead decided to segregate my viewing into the picture s original four parts, over four consecutive nights if possible.