Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by Victor Khomenko (M) on December 05, 2003 at 07:22:26

You MUST get the 1956 US version. I spent three and a half hours last night riveted to the plasma set.

Let me start by saying that the movie is awful. Just plain horrible.

And it is an incredible fun to watch, and if you don't fall in love with Audrey the second she appears - then you are probably dead already.

Pretty much everyone in the film is cast poorly to very badly. Fonda? Well, he plays well, and he is believable, but he ain't Pierre.

The rest is mostly laughable. The worst is probably Kutuzov, who looks like the stereotypical unemployed drunken Russian clown.

The script where they "improved" on Tolstoy's text in many places, smells of Hollywood rotten fish.

Vuttorio Gassman as Anatole? I can't recall another such waste of talent.

And yet, as I said, it is an enjoyable viewing. Especially after you had the chance to see the Russian version.

Image quality is pretty good most of the time, costumes are mostly right... well, mostly... as I don't believe the officers wore their swords while dancing at the ball - they usually checked them in at the entrance. A few other goofs. Prince Andrei, being an infantry officer, still wears what looks like the British Naval Officer sword. His eppaulettes could be better made, and best of all - one of Napoleon's marshals wears the French Model 1859 sword... bummer!

But everything having to do with troops and battles is very nice. I was expecting a much more ridiculous effort at Borodino, but it is, even though very small in scale and fragmented, a well done battle... by the Hollywood standards.

Historic flaps are there too. The battle at Berezina, one that is usually considered a brilliant operation by Napoleon, saving almost all his troops in a hopeless situation, is presented as a complete chaos and disaster for the Emperor. I would rather see more truth there.

But Natasha... there has never been a more beautiful woman on the screen than the 25 years young Audrey. She is like a juicy bone to a hungry dog - you simply can't take your eyes off her. She obviously enjoys the attention, she changes dresses often, and they all look heavenly on her, and by the time there's the ball you already feel saturated with beauty, but then Andrei invites her and the sensation is pushed up to even higher level.

For all its faults the film is a visual feast. The director/producer tried to round up every beautiful woman in Hollywood, and it helps. Unfortunately the Nino Rota score is completely unremarkable in this work, so you will most likely not even notice it is there.

For the cost of this DVD ($10, I think) this is one tremendously filled evening that you are not going to regret.

Yes, you will laugh at some times, you will curse at others, you will instantly recall how much better Tikhonov handled the scene before the battle - and all this will be part of your fun too.

To pay $10 for this, or $5 for George Clooney in Solaris... man, this is one hard decision!