In 1956, Hollywood released a lavish adaptation of Tolstoy’s War and Peace, directed by King Vidor and featuring stars like Audrey Hepburn. Despite its embellished statistics, the film was a commercial success, leading to a Soviet version helmed by Sergei Bondarchuk, which became a monumental production with an enormous budget and extensive resources. The Soviet adaptation won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and was re-released in 2023 in a restored version, highlighting its enduring legacy.
The Grand Adaptation of Tolstoy’s Masterpiece
In 1956, under the production of Paramount Pictures and renowned Italian producers Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti, Hollywood unveiled its cinematic version of Leo Tolstoy’s literary classic, War and Peace. This ambitious project had been in the works since the 1940s, with a significant budget ranging from 6 to 7 million dollars—an impressive sum by the standards of that time. When adjusted for inflation, this translates to approximately 70 to 82 million dollars today.
A Film that Conquered Hearts Across Borders
The studio capitalized on the grandeur of the film, even embellishing its statistics. For instance, during its re-release in American theaters in 1963, a promotional brochure claimed the involvement of 18,000 extras in the Napoleonic battle scenes, alongside 100,000 uniforms. In reality, the number of Italian extras was between 5,000 and 8,000—still a remarkable figure.
With the captivating Audrey Hepburn leading the cast, alongside Mel Ferrer and Henry Fonda, this epic cinematic experience stretched over 3 hours and 28 minutes, earning three Oscar nominations and grossing over 18 million dollars globally. The film’s New York premiere served as a fundraiser for the Tolstoy Foundation, with the writer’s daughter, Countess Alexandra Tolstoy, in attendance at the Los Angeles showing.
Remarkably, the Soviet authorities acquired the film for just over 100,000 dollars to distribute it within Russia, where it became a phenomenal hit, drawing in more than 30 million viewers after its release in August 1959.
As the 150th anniversary of the patriotic war against Napoleon’s invasion of Russia approached, the success of King Vidor’s adaptation inspired Russian filmmakers to take on the challenge of creating their own version of War and Peace. In an open letter to the Soviet press, they declared, “It is a matter of honor for the Soviet film industry to produce a film that will surpass the American-Italian film in its artistic value and authenticity.”
In early 1961, Sergei Bondarchuk was appointed to lead this monumental project, receiving full creative freedom to craft a film reflecting the prestige and significance of this national literary treasure during the Cold War. To ensure accuracy, forty national museums provided authentic props for the production.
Bondarchuk was supported by three military generals as advisors and was granted a substantial budget. While estimates vary, the film was cited in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1979 as the most expensive film ever made, with a budget of around 96 million dollars—equating to over 417 million dollars today. Other sources suggest a budget as high as 100 million dollars, or approximately 1.04 billion dollars adjusted for inflation.
For the iconic Battle of Borodino, 13,500 Red Army soldiers were mobilized, along with 1,500 horses, 23 tons of explosive powder, 40,000 liters of kerosene, and 10,000 smoke grenades. The sheer scale of this production is mirrored in another ambitious film from the same era, Waterloo, which unfortunately did not achieve the same success.
Filmed between 1962 and 1967, this version of War and Peace, which spans four parts and a total running time of 7 hours and 13 minutes, stands out for its breathtaking staging, stunning reconstruction, and extensive resources utilized. It eclipses its Hollywood counterpart and garnered numerous accolades, including the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1969—a historic first for a Soviet film—as well as a nomination for Best Art Direction.
The film was re-released in 2023 in a beautifully restored version. Following the release of an earlier DVD box set that commanded a high price, it is now available on Blu-ray. If you haven’t experienced this cinematic gem, it’s time to discover it for yourself.