War and Peace (Paramount Pictures) (1963)

Leo Tolstoy's ‘War and Peace’ One of All-Time Great Films (Review) If it is at all possible to make a simple statement about an epic motion picture that deals with one of the most tumultuous periods in European history, it would have to be said that “War and Peace,’ which bowed in yesterday at the Theatre, is one of the greatest films of all time. There is no point of departure in reviewing the mammoth production that does not end in superlatives, whether spectacle, performance, story, color, camera work, or just plain entertainment value. It is not merely a huge motion pic ture, it is a hugely engrossing, tremendously moving one, a milestone in movie history. The Ponti-DeLaurentiis Production, presented by Paramount, is based on Leo Tolstoy’s 1400-page novel, generally considered, the greatest work of fiction ever written. An outstanding cast, headed by Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer and co-stars Vittorio Gassman, Herbert Lom, Oscar Homolka, Anita Ekberg and John Mills, create a gallery of unforgettable portraits that bring the novel to living, breathing life. Broken down into its components, “War and Peace” is a dozen inter Still No. 47008-250 Mat 1C The Swedish beauty Anita Ekberg portrays a scheming, unscrupulous member of the Czarist nobility in “War and Peace”, the mammoth Technicolor and VistaVision filmization of Tolstoy’s great novel due oe ok eae Te at the ................ Theatre. The epic film stars Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer. woven stories, revolving around the three loves of Miss Hepburn and Fonda’s search for a meaning to Life. The background to this vast panorama of human emotions and endeavor is the glittering world of the Russian Imperial court of 1805 —pictured in photographic splendor that often surpasses museum painting—a world of hunts, balls, sleigh rides, carousels, duels and gay irresponsibility that is suddenly thrown into turmoil by the invasion of Napoleon. Through seven years of war, from Austerlitz, through bloody Borodino, the burning of Moscow, Napoleon’s retreat from the holocaust and his final defeat at Berezina, the VistaVision, Technicolor cameras of director King Vidor create some of the most awesome military and human spectacles you will ever see on a motion picture screen. You'll never forget “War and Peace.” Still No. 47008-30 Mat 4A Audrey Hepburn as Tolstoy’s immortal heroine, Natasha, in Paramount’s Ponti-DeLaurentiis production of “War and Peace,” opening Arie lala: at: the:.2-) 2. Theatre. Miss Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer star in the VistaVision, Technicolor colossus. Still No. WPS-62 Mat 2B Henry Fonda as an idealistic young heir, Anita Ekberg as the most beautiful woman in Moscow, who lures Fonda into marriage, in scene from the mammoth Ponti-DeLaurentiis production for Paramount of “War and Peacer edule sah at the 72 = ee Theatre. Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer, star with Fonda in the VistaVision, Technicolor colossus. Still No. 47008-263 Mat 2D John Mills and Henry Fonda enact the classic roles of Platon the peasant and Pierre Bezukhov in a scene from the filmization of Tolstoy’s immortal novel, “War and Peace” which opens... .. at the Theatre. Directed by King Vidor in Technicolor and VistaVision, the epic film also stars Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer. SHORTS and FILLERS An entire village was constructed in northern Italy to house the 11,000 people involved in filming the Battle of Berezina for the production of “War and Peace,” now atthe wee) eee Theatre. Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer star in the mammoth film. a ste ste *k % Herbert Lom, who portrays Napoleon in Paramount’s Ponti-DeLaurentiis production of “War and Peace,” due)..2 ). eee Ab tne eee eae Theatre, learned about dictators the hard way when he was forced to flee Czechoslovakia to escape Hitler’s armies. Lom is co-starred in the epic film, which stars Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer. The more than 100,000 uniforms, costumes and hairpieces required for the mammoth VitaVision, Technicolor production of “War and Peace dues ss AuNthe ce en cuces Theatre with Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer starred, were accurately reproduced from original drawings. Some ninety Florentine tailors, an entire Swiss button factory and a huge staff of researchers were kept busy night and day for nearly two weeks to manufacture costumes for the film. Paramount’s massive Ponti-DeLaurentiis production of “War and Peace” has sixty speaking parts, eighteen of which are major castings, and a total of over 18,000 in the prodigious cast. The filmization ate The ets Theatre, stars Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer. Still picture coverage during the shooting of the mammoth filmization of “War and Peace” was hardly less phenomenal than the movie coverage. Eighteen famous “still men” worked on the job and took a total of more than 40,000 negatives. “War and Peace” opens........ = nana at the cs. heatre: Still No. 47008-198 Mat 1B Portraying the idealistic and sensitive Pierre Bezukhov, Henry Fonda stars along with Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer in the massive Ponti-DeLaurentiis production for Paramount of “War and Peace,” ALTIVING 2)... Seen at tnecse.....¥ Theate. Directed by King Vidor, the VistaVision, Technicolor filmization of Tolstoy’s monumental novel offers Fonda the greatest role of his career as a young heir married to Moscow’s most beautiful woman, Anita Ekberg, during the Napoleonic invasion of Russia. Napoleon at Borodino Military Immortals Vividly Portrayed In ‘War and Peace’ The dramatization of the epic battle of two great historic figures, matched against each other in the stupendous military engagements recreated in “War and Peace,” has resulted in a pair of superb supporting performances by Herbert Lom and Oscar Homolka. Portraying Napoleon Bonaparte and the Czarist general, Kutuzov, in the mammoth production currently playing to capacity audiences atthe... Se Theatre, Lom and Homolka present portraits matching the level of stars Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer. In the hands of Lom, Napoleon becomes a power-mad man working his military miracles more for the sense of supreme personal triumph than for the glory of France, an interpretation faithful to Leo Tolstoy’s intent and dramatically underlined during scenes of Moscow’s occupation. Having expected a rich plum to fall into his hands, Napoleon is infuriated to find the city deserted and burning. Lom unerringly pinpoints the underlying pettiness of the man as he frenziedly demands that his officers turn up someone, anyone, to surrender officially to him. Kutuzov, on the other hand, is presented as an aging lion at bay, in a performance by Oscar Homolka that has been called “stunning.” Canny, wily, but surrounded by fumbling advisers, he is badly outmatched. The turning point in Napoleon’s campaign and career came at Borodine, where he won the battle at a tremendous cost of soldiers. He and his army never recovered from the heavy losses sustained at Borodino, and this battle foreshadowed his ignominious defeat at Berezina, and his’ subsequent defeats in France. The film has no more moving scene than that of Homolka falling to his knees in thanksgiving on hearing the retreat of the French has finally begun. Still No. 47008-282 Mat 2E Herbert Lom, as Napoleon, reviews his troops and broods over his battle plans before Borodino, one of the three tremendous and historic battles that punctuate the majestic story of “War and Peace” opening _at the ighean ltrs Theatre. Directed by King Vidor in Technicolor and VistaVision, the mammoth film stars Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer with Vittorio Gassman, Anita Ekberg, and Helmut Dantine. 5