MovieChat Forums > War and Peace (2007) Discussion > Just realizing I do not like W+P

Just realizing I do not like W+P


Have been on a Tolstoy kick of late, reading the books and watching the different versions. I am probably reading too much into it but it all seems so contrived, in a place the size of Russia, everyone popping up at just the right moment in the middle of a war. Pierre is always Johnny on the spot to save the Rostovs from any inconvenience, Nicholai turns up handily in order to end up with the rich Princess, Andre being in the Rostov house when he is injured. It is like a Russian romantic comedy made serious. Also in reading the book, Tolstoy seemed a little obsessed with Natasha and young girls in general, and there are borderline incestuous bits about Nicholia and Natasha's feelings for each other. I know it was a different era and all, but it reads a little creepy now.

I still do not understand why Andre loved Natasha. But of course she ended up with fat Pierre, as he was probably Tolstoy in his mind.

Not very many lovable characters in this tale. I liked Count Rostov best even though he was weak and shiftless. The countess was a money-obsessed shrew. Sonja a martyr. Princess Maria was insufferable. Pierre was ridiculous, like some big man child with airy fairy ideals. Nicholai a spoiled mama's boy. And Natasha was a silly self-absorbed debutante.

Still, it is an absorbing soap opera.

reply

[deleted]

I don't share the same thoughts at all.

Yes, Russia is big country but Tolstoy describes files of a small circle of people who get around the same places so it's not hard to believe that some of the characters appear on the right spot when they are needed. They live close to each other and even when they are far from each other such small coincidences are more than possible. To me story itself never seemed pushed in unnatural way at any point.

Now...that thing with love. In world of Tolstoy love is quite different than we think of it today. Can't say was it fashion of that time (it's more possible) or was it Tolstoy's point of view. Natasha's love for Andrej doesn't seem wrong or weird to me. This kind of love between much older man and much younger girl who at the same time have very different personalities happens every day. I witnessed few in my life. It's just that when we read about in few pages we feel it's fast and wrong and weird. That's the only mistake, if I can call it like that, that I think Tolstoy made. He described many things deeply and thoroughly but love that happened between Andrej and Natasha in only a few pages. So their relationship seemed taken so lightly. Even less understanding I have for Natasha's love for Anataol. It happened even faster and among many reasons for such short/fast writing about it, I can find the fact that Natasha was fast creature. She was describes as light and easy to fall in love. So maybe Tolstoy wanted to present it that way buy describing this moments of love in short.
Somehow...among many characters I found Natasha and Andrej as central characters. Their parts didn't take the most of the time but whenever somebody mentions W&P their names come first to my mind. Can't say why.

About characters...I love all of them. I love that old Count Bolkonsky at the most because in his oldness and madness he said many lucid things that are thoughts of an average, now days, man.

I don't think that only Pierre is mirror of Tolstoy's thoughts but that every character is segment of his thoughts and while reading W&P I thought how there are many thoughts in Tolstoy's head that he tries to fight against each other. It's common thing among writers. Sometimes they write about a serial killer and later they say how they at some point justify their work and thoughts. It's just because that serial killer is darkest part of their thoughts.
I like every character in the book, especially their development through the story. Nikolaj Rostov is especially interesting in that field. At the beginning he really seemed to be spoiled and immature. Later his thoughts and everything changed. But he simply is that king of man who doesn't use his mind as Andrei for example. Not for wise thoughts but for little moments that happen at the moment he's in. Natasha is devilish and I don't think Tolstoy liked her at the most. Couldn't conclude that but she was different and somehow refreshing character among many. It's not hard to fall in love with her but I was left with not much of adoration for that girl. To me she seemed to airy to flirty to immature. Her acts seemed as logical movements of her airy thoughts.
But there are all different personalities in this book so all together it comes to fair proportion of everything and Natasha finds her place there.

This adaptation for me is not the best (it's hard to say how good is best) for man reasons I won't write here about because this long post would be even longer. My main objection would be bad acting but choice of actors wasn't bad at all.

reply

I have not read War & Peace and I just recently watched the film on DVD. I found myself fast forwarding in certain scenes simply because it the story was so draaaaaawn out. I guess I'm not used to watching Tolstoy on film, and while I liked it very very much I just wanted to get on with it. I'm sure that's not what Tolstoy had in mind. . . .

reply