The centrepiece of Sergei Bondarchuk's 1965-67 War and Peace and the only one not named after a main character, "The Year 1812", as the title suggests, puts the war of Napoleon's invasion of Russia front and centre. And that's part of its power. Bondarchuk, from the word go with his seven-hour film, is relentlessly ambitious, and that shows no more than in the war scenes. To depict this invasion, no punches are held; according to The Criterion Collection, he was given no less than 15,000 real soldiers and 120,000 extras as well as 10,000 smoke grenades. Co-ordinating all this must have taken just short the effort to co-ordinate a real war (but thankfully without the real carnage).
That wealth of resources may not be enough if there was no artistic direction; but from the word go, Bondarchuk is relentlessly and endlessly ambitious in his creativity. That goes for "The Year 1812" too; replacing an explosion with a burst of music and panning to a forest that almost seems to come to life magically (much like the oak in Part I) is impressive.
The sheer scope of the spectacle of war itself is impressive, but a point still comes across. This isn't fun; war is seen as a loss for everyone, and when we see a commander-in-chief totally disconnected with reality, insisting it's a great victory, I felt my heart sink. War and Peace is a work that offers philosophy. It's both pro- and anti-war; the invasion was horrific but once started the Russians are given no choice but to defend themselves, and the turn of tide expressed at the end- the downfall of Napoleonic France- is momentous.
That wealth of resources may not be enough if there was no artistic direction; but from the word go, Bondarchuk is relentlessly and endlessly ambitious in his creativity. That goes for "The Year 1812" too; replacing an explosion with a burst of music and panning to a forest that almost seems to come to life magically (much like the oak in Part I) is impressive.
The sheer scope of the spectacle of war itself is impressive, but a point still comes across. This isn't fun; war is seen as a loss for everyone, and when we see a commander-in-chief totally disconnected with reality, insisting it's a great victory, I felt my heart sink. War and Peace is a work that offers philosophy. It's both pro- and anti-war; the invasion was horrific but once started the Russians are given no choice but to defend themselves, and the turn of tide expressed at the end- the downfall of Napoleonic France- is momentous.