Today, I also found the HD repair and took a closer look. In addition to admiration, I also feel that there are some shortcomings.
Authentic Russian flavor, not to mention the war scenes, every picture is so shocking. So many armies and real Moscow and built models of the Kremlin. And it's not simply a complete set of special effects scenes. The use of many shots is amazing. In addition to the big battle scenes, characters such as the transition of the fan, the composition and movement of the camera during the execution of the French army, such as the scene of Duke Andre's thought change, others are blurred and focused on him, and Andre and Natasha have different scenes The same frame to reflect the affection of the two, the scene of Petya's death turned black and white is wonderful, and the scene of Anatoly seducing Natasha is also beautifully shot. Not to mention the atmospheric shots of the waves, snowfields, and sky with the emotions of the characters and the climax of the story, the long shot overlooking the French army's retreat at the end is breathtaking. Although the color of the picture in the American version is also very good-looking, there are a lot of soldiers and horses, but it is inferior to the Soviet version.
The biggest flaw in the narrative, I think, is that Napoleon's French army's withdrawal from Moscow was not clear enough. The 56th edition did a better job. In general, because it was filmed by the Soviet Union itself, it has a strong anti-war plot compared to the original, and it is more about propagating the grandeur of fighting the enemy.
character
The four roles of Andre, Maria, Pierre, and the old duke were perfectly chosen. The director's Pierre really came out of the book.
The boy Petya is also very good. Russian music and folk songs are very well done. The characters of Pierre and Duke Andre are very complete, and even the psychological activities are presented through lines and lenses.
The heroine was chosen according to Little Hepburn, but there is still a gap compared to Hepburn's beauty. Of course, this version presents Natasha very well. The four loves are much more complete than the 56 version. Except for the unfilmed part of the final marriage, which is mediocre, the whole character restores all the charm of the original. How much it was on the screen in the original book was too embarrassing.
However, what I am not satisfied with is that this version focuses too much on Natasha in the female role, and Sonia Helen Maria is not well presented. On the contrary, Mrs. Andrei Lisa is not bad.
Maria is a very well-chosen actor, an ugly girl with big eyes. But the scene was basically cut off. In the first half, her longing for a secular traditional girl was not reflected enough. For example, Anatoly's marriage proposal was not photographed. The second half and Nikolai's plot were also not filmed, and the whole character only showed the side of piety and silent acceptance of his father's censure and respect for his brother.
Sonia, I am very dissatisfied, I feel that this director does not like seeing Sonia. The famous saying "Love Nicholas for the rest of my life" that was kept in the 56th edition seems to have been deleted from this edition. The part of looking in the mirror was taken, but Natasha was the main focus, and she didn't show her amazingness about Nikolai before. There are so many psychological activities in the front, why is this section not filming Sonya's inner activities. The passage about Anatoly persuading Natasha also deleted the reading letters that were included in the 56th edition. The part that showed Sonia's clever suspicion of Anatoly's lines was filmed, but Sonia showed Natasha with her back to the camera, exaggerating her terrified side rather than her firm side. Not only did Sonia in the original figure out quickly, but she also waited outside Natasha's door, trying to talk to her several times after she went mad.
Here is simply filmed into tears and then ran away. There is also the plot that Sonia told Natasha after finding the wounded Prince Andrei, even the 56th version was filmed, but she didn't shoot only the heard part. In the end, Sonia was also missing, and the 56th edition has always let Nicola and Maria combine to show her nobility. I won't go into many details, help with packing the boxes, and the books to read to the people are all gone here. The American version has a limited space of 3.5 hours, and the Soviet version has a total length of 7 hours. The presentation of this character is not as good as the 56 version. It is simply a weak girl's best friend, which has to be said to be disappointing.
In fact, Sonia does not need much space to present it well. Unlike Maria, she needs to add some psychological descriptions and lines in a separate line, and the whole process will not exceed 20 minutes. I doubt if writing it according to the original will suppress Natasha. Sonia is a true lover to Nikolai, a good friend to Natasha who tries her best to prevent her from making mistakes, and a good niece to the Rostov family. She was still an orphan without a dowry, and in the end she was lonely. There is also a human struggle to keep her from being too Mary Sue. There is no reason for men and women not to feel sorry for such a girl.
The actor's version of Sonia is more in line with the original book as a small black-haired man, but it is not quite recognizable enough from Natasha.
Helen is really, I don't know how to choose someone. The whole old aunt doesn't look good at all. According to the original book, how beautiful and beautiful she is, it is even more disgusting. This kind of character is largely based on beautiful characters. The appearance is so good that the actor's acting skills are useless, not to mention depicting some depth. In terms of scenes, this version of Helen is not much different from the 56 version, but the scene of the first marriage proposal was filmed in detail, and the later scenes showing her remarriage were not filmed much. I think the most failed character in this version is Helen, which is completely incomparable to Anita Eggbo in 56. The appearance is extremely incompatible, and there are few scenes. The characters not only do not show a little brilliance of the original work, but also make people look at the special drama and doubt the director's aesthetics.
Of course, the flaws don't cover the flaws. This series of films is a milestone in the adaptation of the famous novel in general. It's too great.
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