War and Peace (2016 TV series)

Plot

The saga begins in Russia in 1805. When Pierre (Paul Dano), Natasha (Lily James) and Andrei (James Norton) are first introduced to viewers, their youthful ambition, despite their privileged circumstances, is to find meaning in their lives. Kind-hearted but awkward Pierre, the illegitimate son of Russia’s richest man, wants to change the world for the better. The spirited Natasha is searching for true love, while handsome and gallant Andrei (James Norton), frustrated with the superficiality of society, seeks a higher purpose.

At the same time, Napoleon’s army edges ever closer to Russia’s borders. Natasha's older brother Nikolai (Jack Lowden) joins the army immediately and matures during the course of the war against Napoleon. Like Pierre, Natasha, and Andrei, he also experiences romantic vicissitudes: despite his childhood love for his cousin Sonya (Aisling Loftus), his impoverished parents insist he marry a rich bride like the superficial Julie Karagina or the religious Marya Bolkonskaya (Jessie Buckley).

Having begun with Napoleon's military campaign against Russia in 1805, the story concludes in 1812 after Napoleon's has failed and he has retreated and withdrawn from Russian territory. The families at the center of the saga have undergone major changes and lost members, but those remaining have experienced a transformation and a new life, with new growth and new families started.

Cast

The cast was announced on 28 December 2014.

Supporting

Production

The series, a British-American co-production, was announced by Danny Cohen on 18 February 2013 and was commissioned by him and Ben Stephenson, the controller of BBC Drama. The production by BBC Cymru Wales, is partnered by The Weinstein Company, Lookout Point and BBC Worldwide.

The executive producers are Faith Penhale, George Ormond, Andrew Davies, Simon Vaughan, Robert Walak and Harvey Weinstein. The director is Tom Harper.

The series was filmed in Russia, Lithuania and Latvia with Arri Alexa digital cameras. Anamorphic lenses were used, for their bokeh focus fall-off effects.

Broadcasts

In the UK the drama consists of five 60-minute episodes and one 82-minute finale, broadcast on BBC One beginning 3 January 2016 at 9pm.

In the U.S. broadcasting began on 18 January 2016 and the series was simulcast across three networks: A&E, Lifetime, and History Channel. It aired in four two-hour blocks over four weeks, at 9pm ET/PT, on Lifetime. In Canada, the show airs at the same time and with the same format as in the United States, but only on A&E.

It aired in Australia on BBC First from 31 January 2016.

The serial will also air in Sweden (SVT), Denmark (TV 2), Norway (NRK), Estonia (ETV), Greece (OTE), Lithuania (LNK), Israel (YES), Russia (Channel One), China (LeEco), Taiwan (LeEco), India (Vuclip), South Korea (KBS and SK), Philippines (ABS and CBN), Belgium (BBC First), the Netherlands (BBC First), Luxembourg (BBC First) , Portugal (RTP) and Japan (NHK).

The show has also been sold to France2, Finland’s YLE, NRK in Norway, RUV in Iceland, Latvia’s LTV and TRBC in Ukraine.

Reception

The series received mainly very positive reviews. The Telegraph placed it as #5 in its list of the greatest television adaptations of all time, stating "[I]t is safe to say that this is the greatest TV costume drama of the past decade and has raised the bar in a genre for which we are already renowned all over the world."

On Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator website, the series received a 81% approval rating with an average rating of 8.3 out of 10. The website's consensus reads: "War & Peace boasts sumptuous visuals and the narrative remains largely faithful to its sprawling source material, even if the pace may challenge less patient viewers and the period detail is slightly lacking."

A world-premiere press screening of the first episode was held in London on 14 December 2015, after which a first-look review in The Telegraph pronounced it "breathtaking". Christopher Stevens gave it 5 stars in the Daily Mail, calling the opening hour-long episode "nothing less than a sweeping victory". Andrew Billen of The Times gave the first episode 4 stars. Viv Groskop in The Guardian wrote "It's tonally perfect, striking exactly the right balance between drama and wit, action and emotion, passion and humour". The second episode received 5 stars from both Andrew Billen in The Times and Claudia Connell of the Daily Mail. "The third episode was by far the most beautiful installment and the most affecting chapter of War and Peace so far", wrote Neela Debnath in The Express. The ball towards the end of the third episode received particular attention, with Digital Spy describing it as "the most spellbinding moment of television we'll see this year". Benji Wilson from The Telegraph described the third episode as a "dazzling mazurka of roiling passions and misplaced affection", giving 5 stars. The feature-length finale received 5 stars from The Telegraph.

DVD release

The entire series of War & Peace was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 8 February 2016 by BBC DVD. Special features include making-of featurettes.