War and Peace [CAUTION: SPOILERS]

[QuizteamBleakley]

Anyone watching? All British actors appearing here...

Be still my beating heart - thanks for the fact about linen shirts :) be still my beating heart.

I was lucky to be in a hotel room on my own when I watched it dinosnores or dp and dd would have mocked me mercilessly.
I only really knew PD by name before, I think he is fabulous, who ever decided that casting, well done. I bet there will have been many people who would have been doubtful about it, at least initially.

it's a shame there's no edit button on posts - the linen shirt has clearly befuddled my brain!

Paul Dano is brilliant. I've seen Little Miss Sunshine and 12years a slave, thought he was good but didn't realise he was the same person. A real character actor. His English accent is faultless.

Just caught up with the latest episode on iPlayer.

Paul Dano is just wonderful. I love Pierre. I'm also loving Ade Edmondson as Papa Rostrov and I'm not usually a fan.

I'm just bewildered as to why Lily James was cast as Natasha. Her acting seems limited to blinking a lot and biting her lower lip slightly or smiling like an idiot. She's basically a toned down version of the character she played in Downton.

Also not feeling the love for James Norton. He needs to be more intense instead of just po faced.

Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that having not read the novel. So glad Sonia and Pierre intervened at the right time.
The scene in question was done beautifully. I hope I'm not being too cryptic but cryptic enough not to give anything away!

I thought it was really well done. Natasha really is idiotic. I can't for the life of me understand why she is a great romantic heroine. I felt like strangling her reading the book, and did again here!

I like the imperfect characters.

I was happy to see Kenneth Cranham as uncle.

I do like Kenneth Cranham. I saw him last year with Marine Peake in the Father and years ago as Oberon. Terrific both times.

Is Anatoly as much of a creep in the book?

Even allowing for Natasha being as dim as a night light why on earth would she fall for him? I could understand if Anatoly had looked like and behaved like the evil, but charming and handsome, Compeyson.

The character I like to dislike is Nikolai Rostov. I feel for young Natasha - stuck at home obsessing over love.

Yes, I would have done a Natasha. She's only young isn't she. And bored.

Aww, Pierre. He's a good man.

What IS going to happen when Andrei gets to Moscow?!!

You really get the feeling of Anatoly being addictive in the book. Natasha doesn't really love anyone. She loves the romance of it all. So it doesn't matter who it is, as long as they can tell her what she wants to hear. Her parents and brother are idiotic as well!

The "lovely" father is winding me up now. I don't particularly remember that feeling from reading about him.

I agree. He's not a ' lovely' father. He's a fool. He's squandered his wife's money and has failed to protect his family. He's turned Nicholas and Natasha into selfish fools. He's failed to protect Natasha from older men who are essentially 'enchanted' by a child.

Loved last nights episode. Natasha is such a fool - Anatoly is completely vile in every way (kudos to the actor playing him - he's doing a great job)

I love Pierre - I so want happiness for him (haven't read the book so don't know if it happens) but Paul Dano is wonderful.

Nikolai definitely getting on my wick, and Count Ilya - started off thinking he was loveable and a bit hopeless, now seeing how he has totally let down his family and made a pretty poor job with his kids, Nikolai is so spoilt and indulged (I think Ade Edmondson is doing a fantastic job in the role though - he's pitching it just right)

And Jim Broadbent is just amazing - I love him (utterly foul character obviously, poor Maria)

Yes I wasn't sure Jim Broadbent would be horrid enough for the Old Prince, but it somehow makes it worse that he is so horrible and is Jim Broadbent

But the Old Prince does love his children and protects Maria from the craziness of society. He made sure Maria didn't marry Anatole for the right reasons which was a lucky escape. I think Jim Broadbent (who I think is brilliant, he was so good in Any Human Heart, made me cry so much) is fantastic in the role.

Agree that increasing the age of Natasha would have been sensible. But we are suppose to be yelling at the screen then aren't we, she was so stupid.

Agree about Nikolai although he does redeem himself, war is good for him really. I'm hating Boris more in this than I did in the book, and they've not even really included all his political manoeuvering. I think in the book there was a kind of charm about how he understood the system and tested it and worked out how to work it whereas here we're just seeing the cold bloodedness.

I love Jim Broadbent, he manages to make the count grumpy and irritable but with glimpses of his love for his children coming through. Yes, he was great in Any Human Heart. I like the actress who plays Marya as well.

I knew what was going to happen but still was hoping Natasha would see sense and recognize Anatole for the creep he is.

Yes agree about liking Boris a bit more in the book.

I felt he was forced by the feeling of being "poor" (it's all relative!) Into living a life he hadn't chosen for himself. I suppose that was shown when he looked across at Natasha at the Opera.

I agree. He is a better father than Count Ilya, who's ongoing indulgence borders on neglect. Even though the enforced separation from Natasha is meant to be seen as cruelty, he is telling his son to be sensible and not tie himself to Natasha just based on lust. He's a middle aged man with a son and responsibilities for the estate and he wants to marry a teenage girl from a family that has gone from opulent wealth to poverty through their own stupidity. He is still cruel to Marya though.

Can I join the thread?

Loving War and Peace. It does make me want to read the book (in my defence I do like Russian literature and I've read Anna Karenina and am nearly finished The Brothers Karamazov :))

I'm loving the huge landscapes, the scenes in the snow, in the countryside, and the sheer opulence of St P and Moscow society. It really was a case of everyone knew everyone else and a blind eye was turned to unfaithfulness and corruption as long as people kept up appearances (e.g. Helene).

I thought the last episode was the weakest, perhaps due to Lily Allen's acting. She can't really do depth. She appeared to have a personality transplant - from being the astute judge of character who distrusted Dolokhov, to being won over by that creep Anatole in a matter of seconds.

I can't believe in Anatole due to his looks (sorry). Is he supposed to be devastatingly handsome in the book? That would make more sense.

Am I the only person who quite fancies Anatoly then?? I think he's hot obviously his personality and his penchant for feeling up his sister is unattractive !!

I think Natasha just loses her head over boys who are in love with her, which Dolokov isn't. She has few redeeming features in the book, so the vacant airheaded portrayal suits my opinion of the character. Other people feel differently about her though so maybe I just don't see it.

Don't fancy Anatole at all. No pun intended. Still, I think Callum Turner does manage to portray both predatory and having charisma vey well, which Natasha is attracted to.

regenerationfez you're not alone, I think he's hot too. It's not especially his looks but he has bags of charisma. I think it may say more about us, though tbh.

There is definitely something about Anatole, isn't there? I can't say that I'd find him attractive normally (and, sleeping with your sister is a definite red flag!), but Callum Turner playing the wicked charisma very well and I can see why innocent young women would be taken in!