Reviews

This Mussorgsky opera of the 1872 version was filmed at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1990. It was The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden production by Andrei Tarkovsky (famous for his cinema, "Andrei Rublev"). This DVD version was directed by Stephen Lawless and television version by Humphrey Burton. The leads being sung by Robert Lloyd, Olga Borodina, Alexei Steblianko, Sergei Leiferkus and the orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev of the Kirov Opera of St Petersburg.

The GRAMOPHONE states, "This is masterly on almost every count, musical and visual, and would now be the outright choice for this work in all media...Front stage, as it were, are some of the best of the current generation of Russian singers...Gergiev is another of the recording's heros. Seldom, if ever... has the score sounded so hauntingly beautiful and apt for this huge panorama of seventeenth-century Russia... Don't miss this riveting experience."

Personally,I experienced the comment by my father, Dr. D W Stomberg, many years ago that the San Francisco staged production was boring, he almost fell asleep during the presentation.

Not now, say I, this is all of the aforementioned and more! Thank you Philips for giving us this DVD. It is much appreciated.

Dag Stomberg

If possible, this is a film to be seen before reading the book! When Count Leo Tolstoy wrote War and Peace he was at the height of his mental powers. Tolstoy's in-depth understanding of the Russian people is transmitted ably by the director of the film, Sergei Bondarchuk. Bondarchuk's stress on authenticity as manifested in clever cinematography is perhaps unequaled in modern film making.

One has the feeling to be involved in the battle scenes and also the more intimate drawing room sequences.

The foundations of War and Peace are largely to be found in Tolstoy's keen interest in history.

Bondarchuk said, "We have tried to involve the spectator in the events on the screen to make him experience what Tolstoy's characters experienced and the atmosphere in which they lived." This has been done admirably.

Dag Stomberg

Some of the musical themes are absolutely haunting in this masterpiece. Modest Mussorgsky, has been overlooked, in my opinion, during the past half century.

Maybe the story matter of the opera is difficult to identify with in our present age. Perhaps, this is regrettable in its own right. But, the shear beauty of the music is enough to make one listen to something extraordinary.

This Austrian production with an outstanding cast of top vocalists from Russia and Eastern Europe in all the leading roles and an orchestra par excellent is a must to behold.

Dag Stomberg

This is a film that should be re-released. I mean at the motion picture theaters besides video and DVD. Nothing changed. Ingrid Bergman, Helen Hayes and Yul Brynner do superlative acting performances and the direction, music and the cinematography just could not be duplicated, in my opinion.

Other films have been redone with contemporary actors, some successful and some not so.

It would be very difficult to improve on this one. I have seen this film a few times over the past forty years and I appreciate it more and more.

Wish we could have more quality cinema like it!