War & Peace

[CremeBrulee]

I came across this BBC production a couple days ago while browsing Primewire. I assume it is a mini series since the the first episode covers Book I. The sets are great and the acting is decent/good. I do have a few concerns. Pierre (Paul Dano) was miscast in my opinion. Mr. Dano does a great job portraying Count Bezukhov's social awkwardness and inexperience. Physically, he just doesn't look the part. The size and red hair appear to be lacking. There is a scene that strongly suggests a sexual relationship between Helene and Anatole Kuragin. I don't recall that part after having just read it (maybe I overlooked it or haven't gotten there yet). Lastly, I find the ladies dresses to be too plain in some cases. The men's clothing is appropriate but the female attire doesn't quite exemplify the elegance or opulence of the period. I guess I am nitpicking. Overall it is off to good start and staying true for the most part to Tolstoy's masterpiece. I haven't finished the book yet and am afraid the second episode will spoil it for me. Need to make sure I am well enough ahead that I can watch the next episode.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

We are on to Episode 3 over here. I quite like it if I am honest but I have never managed to get through the novel so I dont have any issues with that. There is a lot more nudity than I would expect but there you go. I think that Russian tourism will be the big winner though.

 

[NYcarbineer]

I watched E1. I give it a 'watchable' rating. I love anything historical, if done tolerably well.

 

[NYcarbineer]

A worthwhile tie-in, jmho, is that James Norton, playing Bolkonsky, is in Grantchester, a really good series that features the great Robson Green.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Great and Robson Green should not be in the same sentence !!

 

[Moonglow]

If you had never read the novel, or known of the history, it would have been confusing...

 

[NYcarbineer]

Great and Robson Green should not be in the same sentence !!

Oh comon now are you one of our UK friends who has an elitist contempt for Robson Green?

 

[Tommy Tainant]

Great and Robson Green should not be in the same sentence !!

Oh comon now are you one of our UK friends who has an elitist contempt for Robson Green?

We need more elitism. I just remember his butchering the Righteous Bros back cat. He should die for that.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Great and Robson Green should not be in the same sentence !!

Oh comon now are you one of our UK friends who has an elitist contempt for Robson Green?

I'd be curious to know what UK actors in UK tv we should NOT ridicule, in comparison to Robson?

Is this like that UK thing making fun of Alan Rickman?

 

[NYcarbineer]

Great and Robson Green should not be in the same sentence !!

Oh comon now are you one of our UK friends who has an elitist contempt for Robson Green?

We need more elitism. I just remember his butchering the Righteous Bros back cat. He should die for that.

I am not familiar with such. Should we mock Lennie James for going 'American'?

I still dig up old episodes of Wire in the Blood and Touching Evil, most of which I may or may not have seen before but since I'm blessed with a degree of memory loss they almost always entertain me as 'new'.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

The greatest actors of the age are

Anthony Hopkins
Catherine Zeta Jones
Matthew Rhys
Michael Sheen
Ioan Gruffydd
John Rhys Davies
Christian Bale

The rest are just hacks.

 

[NYcarbineer]

The greatest actors of the age are

Anthony Hopkins
Catherine Zeta Jones
Matthew Rhys
Michael Sheen
Ioan Gruffydd
John Rhys Davies
Christian Bale

The rest are just hacks.

Well that's an interesting list. Great actors to me are those who can act, as in, can convincingly portray a vast array of characters,

off hand, such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, and, oddly, Dustin Hoffman.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

The greatest actors of the age are

Anthony Hopkins
Catherine Zeta Jones
Matthew Rhys
Michael Sheen
Ioan Gruffydd
John Rhys Davies
Christian Bale

The rest are just hacks.

Well that's an interesting list. Great actors to me are those who can act, as in, can convincingly portray a vast array of characters,

off hand, such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, and, oddly, Dustin Hoffman.

They aint Welsh though. Its like a gift from God!!

 

[NYcarbineer]

The greatest actors of the age are

Anthony Hopkins
Catherine Zeta Jones
Matthew Rhys
Michael Sheen
Ioan Gruffydd
John Rhys Davies
Christian Bale

The rest are just hacks.

Well that's an interesting list. Great actors to me are those who can act, as in, can convincingly portray a vast array of characters,

off hand, such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, and, oddly, Dustin Hoffman.

They aint Welsh though. Its like a gift from God!!

I'm not well versed in Welshi-ness so I won't pretend to be. I will make a wave or two by saying that Christian Bale's best performance, all things considered, may have been in 'Empire of the Sun'.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

The greatest actors of the age are

Anthony Hopkins
Catherine Zeta Jones
Matthew Rhys
Michael Sheen
Ioan Gruffydd
John Rhys Davies
Christian Bale

The rest are just hacks.

Well that's an interesting list. Great actors to me are those who can act, as in, can convincingly portray a vast array of characters,

off hand, such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, and, oddly, Dustin Hoffman.

They aint Welsh though. Its like a gift from God!!

I'm not well versed in Welshi-ness so I won't pretend to be. I will make a wave or two by saying that Christian Bale's best performance, all things considered, may have been in 'Empire of the Sun'.

I laughed like a drain watching him in American Psycho. Fancy getting murdered to Huey Lewis ? (also welsh i believe)

 

[NYcarbineer]

The greatest actors of the age are

Anthony Hopkins
Catherine Zeta Jones
Matthew Rhys
Michael Sheen
Ioan Gruffydd
John Rhys Davies
Christian Bale

The rest are just hacks.

Well that's an interesting list. Great actors to me are those who can act, as in, can convincingly portray a vast array of characters,

off hand, such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, and, oddly, Dustin Hoffman.

They aint Welsh though. Its like a gift from God!!

I'm not well versed in Welshi-ness so I won't pretend to be. I will make a wave or two by saying that Christian Bale's best performance, all things considered, may have been in 'Empire of the Sun'.

I laughed like a drain watching him in American Psycho. Fancy getting murdered to Huey Lewis ? (also welsh i believe)

I thought both he and Matthew McConaughey (sp?) were great in Reign of Fire one of the best sci fi's ever made,
as scifi's go.

 

[CremeBrulee]

The greatest actors of the age are

Anthony Hopkins
Catherine Zeta Jones
Matthew Rhys
Michael Sheen
Ioan Gruffydd
John Rhys Davies
Christian Bale

The rest are just hacks.

I like that list. I would add Rhys Ifans. What I've seen of Iwan Rheon in Game of Thrones looks promising. What about Luke Evans or Jonathan Pryce?

I have been holding off the second episode until I am sure it doesn't go past where I'm at in the book.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

The greatest actors of the age are

Anthony Hopkins
Catherine Zeta Jones
Matthew Rhys
Michael Sheen
Ioan Gruffydd
John Rhys Davies
Christian Bale

The rest are just hacks.

Well that's an interesting list. Great actors to me are those who can act, as in, can convincingly portray a vast array of characters,

off hand, such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, and, oddly, Dustin Hoffman.

They aint Welsh though. Its like a gift from God!!

I'm not well versed in Welshi-ness so I won't pretend to be. I will make a wave or two by saying that Christian Bale's best performance, all things considered, may have been in 'Empire of the Sun'.

I laughed like a drain watching him in American Psycho. Fancy getting murdered to Huey Lewis ? (also welsh i believe)

I thought both he and Matthew McConaughey (sp?) were great in Reign of Fire one of the best sci fi's ever made,
as scifi's go.

Cheers,will look out for that one.

 

[Tommy Tainant]

The greatest actors of the age are

Anthony Hopkins
Catherine Zeta Jones
Matthew Rhys
Michael Sheen
Ioan Gruffydd
John Rhys Davies
Christian Bale

The rest are just hacks.

I like that list. I would add Rhys Ifans. What I've seen of Iwan Rheon in Game of Thrones looks promising. What about Luke Evans or Jonathan Pryce?

I have been holding off the second episode until I am sure it doesn't go past where I'm at in the book.

Rhys Ifans is one of the good guys. Will look out for the other guys, didnt Pryce pass on last year ?

 

[NYcarbineer]

The fun part of watching British shows is the what's-his-name game. With War and Peace, it's hey there's what's his name from Grantchester, or there's what's his name from Messiah, or there's what's his name from the Musketeers...

...I'm bad with names...lol.