War and Peace [CAUTION: SPOILERS]

[QuizteamBleakley]

Anyone watching? All British actors appearing here...

so as this has spoilers, I wont be able to read it now.
fgs is it unreasonable not to read bloody war and peace.

I guess if I really want to discuss this I could start my one, without spoilers thread.
hmph

Yes, I couldn't work out who was fighting who, and when Nickolay crawled up to one army, they said something like, 'you're alright darling..?' Weren't they British??

War and Peace is apparently the top book that people lie about having read (and 1984?? - I dunno why)
Kudos to those who actually made it through!

I did enjoy it, although I had several criticisms. Ade Edmondson as Rostov is inspired casting, however. Rebecca Front was also excellent. It really gives the impression of how important patronage was at that time.

I loved the book, and have read it twice! I also loved the 1970s adaptation with Anthony Hopkins as Pierre.

The absolutely best version is the Russian one which was made in the 1960s. It has the most stunning battle sequences I have ever seen.

Cheesyweez - Mummytime has it spot on. It's also why in the first episode Pierre talks about the French having the right idea about having a revolution and says something about "at least they can speak their own bloody language" - all of the nobility spoke French, not Russian.

I did watch some of the Russian version, in Russian (I am a Russian grad, hence having to read W&P in the original!) but I think it's 60 hours long or something.....so 6 seems too short, but 60 a bit too long...!

60 hours would need real commitment.

My DD was disappointed they didn't sound Russian.

I didn't think there were many spoilers here? If you'd seen anything you'd have known the Incest. And knowing the Russians fight the French is pretty obvious, from basic history.

I don 't think anyone would click on this thread until after they'd seen the latest episode.

I do agree about Abe Edmondson.

We can discuss the episode we've just seen without that being called 'spoiler' can't we?

I need all the help I can get!

I think to discuss after the episode is fair enough, but to be told what will happen in the future is not on.

So all the nobility spoke French, then? I suppose that explains why Pierre is called Pierre and not....Piotr?

Why French, though, and not another European language?

They spoke French (as would a lot of other nobility in Europe), at times it was fashionable to also speak German or English (there was a time when the latest fashion accessory was an English Governess for your children).

German was especially fashionable when the Grand Duchess was German.

The first translation I read was very confusing as it used different variations of their names depending on context - you kind of needed a key to keep track of people, which is always a problem as there are so many characters in the book - the TV series will have cut them down drastically.
For example Pierre Bezukhov could also be called Pytor Kirillovich, as well as Count Bezukhov once his father dies. They also have diminutives which may not be obvious:Masha for Marya.

There aren't any spoilers in this thread just people discussing the first episode. I think when it comes to book adaptations spoilers is a silly word to use anyway and if you don't want to know what happens next or what happened in the episode recently screened you avoid the thread.

Was Russian identity as a nation fairly new?

What were they before the craze for speaking French?

I'm guessing that, thanks to Peter the Great, Russia in those days was quite "European" and sophisticated. St Petersburg certainly has the appearance of a city European in its architecture; Moscow perhaps less so. Maybe Europe equated to sophistication hence the adoption of French etc.

I'd rather see some more of the "real" Russia of the time referred to in the programme

I watched this last night (recorded), but I found it difficult to keep up with. I always find anything with so many characters and no obvious narrative hard. In this respect, it reminds me of Indian Summers. I'll give it another go next week, but it's not must see tv for me. And no, I haven't read any Tolstoy.

French was the lingua franca of educated Europe in the 17th- 19th century especially in the arts, literature, and diplomacy and at royal courts. The Russian, German and Swedish courts spoke French as their main or official language, with national languages as the language of the peasants.

St. Petersburg, Stockholm and Oslo look like French cities which provincial cities don't.

French was also spoken in the North American colonies.

Oh and French would have been spoken in Prussia as well.

I haven't read the book although like others have read a fair few classics! I don't think discussing the latest episode or talking about things in the book can be classed as a spoiler. If I wanted to watch something before hearing about it I wouldn't click on threads about it! Bit of common sense you know..

I'm half tempted to read the book but the sheer amount of characters is putting me off.

The book is very easy to read if you skip the battle chapters. I did that the first time I read it as a teen and then re-read the whole thing later.

Something feels very un-Russian about the series and I can't work out what. I really enjoyed Eugene Onegin directed by Daniel Day-Lewis's sister but somehow that felt more authentically Russian.

Is it that it's too similar in style to adaptations of English books or is that cast can't help acting English? There's an intensity and vigour to the Russians I know that's missing here. It's a bit like tepid tea. I think Russians would find it very amusing to watch themselves rendered through British eyes.

I had no idea how old Lily James was and I couldn't tell from the show, I don't have a problem with her age, not sure how good an actress she is.

I thought Pierre was excellent as were Steven Rea, Brian Cox, Jim Broadbent...

But all in all it reminded me of'Ambassador you are spoiling us'.

It should have been ravishing with that cast, scenery, costumes and location. I don't particularly want a "Phwoor and Peace" production so hopes Mr Davies resists spicing it up further.

Really liked James Norton in last year's "Grantchester" - a more testing character here.

Casting Natasha is like casting Elizabeth in P & P, they nearly always choose someone too old.

(Sorry for typos can't edit very slickly this afternoon).

It's a bit like a Reader's Digest Condensed Book. It gives you an idea of the real thing but is unsatisfactory. You can't do a proper War and Peace in the time allowed.

I've just started reading the book and when Natasha kissed Boris she is about 12 so I suppose they can't really cast that IRL!

No, but they made her as young and costume and make-up would allow.

I liked the playing of Andrei Bolkonsky. Old Count Rostov was unpersuasive but there is time yet.

I like all of the actors actually now I've started reading the book. I can see them when Im reading which is annoying but also helpful,as there are so many characters!

The spoilers which were upthread revealed something that happens at the end of the fictional book, not what just happened in the last tv episode or what's a known fact of history.

MNHQ delete them as a matter of course.