War and Peace (1956 film)


War and Peace is a 1956 epic historical drama film based on Leo Toltsoy's 1869 novel of the same name. It was directed by King Vidor with a screenplay by Vidor, Bridget Boland, Mario Camerini, Ennio De Concini, Gian Gaspare Napolitano, Ivo Perilli, Mario Soldati, and Robert Westerby. The film, an Italian-American co-production released by Paramount Pictures, was produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti with a music score by Nino Rota and cinematography by Jack Cardiff.
The film stars Audrey Hepburn as Natasha, Henry Fonda as Pierre, and Mel Ferrer as Andrei, along with Oskar Homolka, Vittorio Gassman, Herbert Lom, John Mills and Anita Ekberg, in one of her first breakthrough roles. It had Oscar nominations for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Color and Best Costume Design, Color.
In February 2020, the film was shown at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, as part of a retrospective dedicated to King Vidor's career.

Cast

The film script had to be greatly condensed from the extensive original novel. It is primarily focused on Natasha, Pierre, and Andrei, their complex relationship and personal maturation on the backdrop of the historical events of the Napoleonic invasion.
The film received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 43% of 7 reviews were positive, with an average rating of 4.8/10.
The film is the Italian film with the most number of admissions in Italy with 15,707,723 admissions.
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: