tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847974343100499783.post4036276091109130479..comments2023-05-12T11:35:09.502-04:00Comments on The Second Sentence: War and Peace (1956)Elisabeth Grace Foleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02073159989691222645noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847974343100499783.post-15806969633802479352014-07-30T19:01:44.004-04:002014-07-30T19:01:44.004-04:00Mine is a New American Library copr 1968, translat...Mine is a New American Library copr 1968, translated by Ann Dunnigan from the Goslitizdat publishing house, Moscow, 1963.Jacqueline T. Lynchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11047941886908178350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847974343100499783.post-45317938412758351062014-07-25T08:52:57.801-04:002014-07-25T08:52:57.801-04:00Oh my goodness! Younger than when he played Fredd...Oh my goodness! Younger than when he played Freddy, even? Wow. I think my parents have this, so maybe next time I visit them I'll get to watch it :-)Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847974343100499783.post-55178282725741637982014-07-24T18:57:18.129-04:002014-07-24T18:57:18.129-04:00Jacqueline - Ten or twelve—wow! Do you have a favo...Jacqueline - Ten or twelve—wow! Do you have a favorite translation? We read the Pevear/Volokhonsky one.<br /><br />Prashant - Thank you; I'm glad you liked it! I've read/watched a lot of literary adaptations, but <i>War and Peace</i> strikes me as one of the hardest to adapt, not just because of its size but its scope—so many different characters and plotlines (not all of which made it into the movie).<br /><br />Hamlette - Yes, he plays Audrey Hepburn's brother! You won't believe how young he looks (I think it was his first credited film role, actually).<br /><br />Now that's a good way of looking at the book/film comparison...come to think of it, I've enjoyed quite a few books after seeing the movie versions. I guess I suspected that if <i>War and Peace</i> turned out to be only a so-so adaptation, it might be a little harder to grasp the plot without already knowing what was going on.Elisabeth Grace Foleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02073159989691222645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847974343100499783.post-71532005239046099312014-07-24T14:37:57.948-04:002014-07-24T14:37:57.948-04:00Wait a minute -- Jeremy Brett is in War and Peace?...Wait a minute -- Jeremy Brett is in <i>War and Peace</i>?!?!?! How did I not know that! Okay, now I definitely need to see this. I actually tend to prefer watching the movie version before reading the book for most things -- that way I don't spend the movie mourning things that were left out, but instead, I read the book rejoicing over all the new things.Hamlette (Rachel)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11961916847426233995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847974343100499783.post-9018709597958733472014-07-24T08:25:24.602-04:002014-07-24T08:25:24.602-04:00Elizabeth, thank you for an absorbing review of &q...Elizabeth, thank you for an absorbing review of "War and Peace." I have not read the book or seen the film. I'm always amazed how filmmakers manage to contract a vast book such as this into a two- or three-hour film even if that means leaving out several parts that may seem important to many readers. I felt similarly about DOCTOR ZHIVAGO though I liked Pasternak's translated version better than the film which stands on its own. I agree that it is always better to read a book first and then watch its film adaptation.Prashant C. Trikannadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16079354501998741758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-847974343100499783.post-91952196679640832802014-07-24T07:56:09.541-04:002014-07-24T07:56:09.541-04:00One of my favorite books, I think I must have read...One of my favorite books, I think I must have read it 10 or 12 times. I agree that the movie has good points for what it is, but it's just impossible to capture the whole story on film. A BBC series of several parts did pretty well several years ago, with Anthony Hopkins as Pierre. The movie is more like the Cliff Notes, despite its longer-than-usual length for a film.Jacqueline T. Lynchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11047941886908178350noreply@blogger.com