War & Peace (1972): episodes 11-12

Men of Destiny

Men of Destiny

Fouche, former chief of police in France, brings the Emperor a memorandum in which he explains why the French army should not invade Russia. However, Napoleon decides to ignore his advice and proceeds with the campaign against Russia, as planned. Meanwhile, Andrei goes to Bald Hills (his family home) to see once again his family before he rejoins the army. The Natasha issue comes up as a conversation topic and he confesses to his sister that he cannot forgive her.

New Beginnings: episode 7 of War & Peace

Dolohov provoking Pierre

After Sonya refused Dolohov marriage proposal, he goes back to his old ways (affairs with an awful lot of ladies mostly married). Pierre finally learns (or better admits to himself with the helping hand of an anonymous letter) that Dolohov is Helene’s lover and when he meets him at a banquet hosted by Count Rostov in Kutuzov’s honor, although he tries really hard not to he allows himself to be provoked by Dolohon in a duel. Dolohov was really unfair and mean to Pierre, after all Helene was his wife and he is a rich man so there was really no reason to provoke him in that way.

Austerlitz (War & Peace episode 5): Recap

The Battle of Austerlitz also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, is the main theme of this epidose. This battle was one of Napoleon’s greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition (an alliance of Austria, Russia and others). On 2 December 1805 (20 November Old Style, 11 Frimaire An XIV, in the French Republican Calendar), a French army, commanded by Napoleon, decisively defeated a Russo-Austrian army, commanded by Tsar Alexander I, after nearly nine hours of difficult fighting.

This episode starts with Napoleon who sends General Savary to the Tsar to tell him that his support of Austria deplywounds him. Of course he also send him as a spy so he can find out Marshal Kutuzov’s next move.

Napoleon & General Savary

War & Peace: A Letter and Two Proposals

War & Peace (1972): episode 4

The Russian army has fallen back to Austerlitz. The Rostov household gets a letter containing the news that Nikolai has been wounded and made an officer. Vasili Kuragin is considering Pierre Bezuhov as a suitable prospect for his beautiful daughter Helene and he does his utmost to accomplish his goal.

Pierre & Helen: 1st proposal

*SPOILER: He even congratulates Pierre for  a proposal that he never made!!!!!! And that is how he gets them enganged*

War & Peace (1972)

War & Peace (1972)

It seems that Leo Tolstoy’s War & Peace («Война и миръ», Voyna i mir) novel is like the holy grail of every director who respects himself. It has been adapted for film, TV, opera, radio.  Imdb list 9 War and Peace adaptations including 2 silent films. The novel was first published in 1869. The work is epic in scale and is regarded as one of the most important works of the world literature. It is considered Tolstoy’s finest literary achievement, along with his other major prose work Anna Karenina (1873–1877).