War and Peace The Criterion Collection Disc 1 05/19 Blu-ray (Rental)

At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet film industry set out to prove it could outdo Hollywood with a production that would dazzle the world: a titanic, awe inspiring adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic tome in which the fates of three souls—the blundering, good hearted Pierre; the heroically tragic Prince Andrei; and the radiant, tempestuous Natasha—collide amid the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars. Employing a cast of thousands and an array of innovative camera techniques, director Sergei Bondarchuk conjures a sweeping vision of grand balls that glitter with rococo beauty and breathtaking battles that overwhelm with their expressionistic power. As a statement of Soviet cinema’s might, War and Peace succeeded wildly, garnering the Academy Award for best foreign language film and setting a new standard for epic moviemaking. TWO BLU RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES | New 2K digital restoration, with 5.1 surround DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack | New interviews with cinematographer Anatoly Pe