Guerre et paix - Episodes 4 : Pierre Bezoukhov

This time they’re not waiting for anything and open with the sudden depopulation of Moscow, the subsequent occupation, the fire and war-time atrocities, unarguably the most powerful parts of “War and Peace" as a whole. No need to elaborate on the technical quality, scenes with hordes of extras and hauntingly beautiful camera compositions, that’s all the same old stuff of the highest, thus unattainable quality. Bondarchuk excels as director and (finally, I’d like to add) even in front of the camera. The problem concerns the last half hour. Why, after seven years of monstrous work and six and a half hours of footage, why throw everything away and let it blow over without making any real impact? Paradoxically, the whole saga ends exactly how it started. With a dull scene about literally nothing. And that’s a great shame, because it spoils the impression not only of this part alone, but the tetralogy as a whole. (29/09/2008)