MOSFILM
LEO TOLSTOY
WAR AND PEACE
THE YEAR 1812
Directed by SERGEI BONDARCHUK
Screen Adaptation by SERGEI BONDARCHUK, VASILY SOLOVYOV
Chief Cameraman ANATOLY PETRITSKY
Art Direction by MIKHAIL BOGDANOV, GENNADY MYASNIKOV
Assistant Art Directors SEMYON VALYUSHEK, SAID MENYALSHCHIKOV
Music Composed by VYACHESLAV OVCHINNIKOV
Sound Engineers YURI MIKHAILOV, IGOR URBANTSEV
Cameraman DMITRI KORZHIKHIN
Assistant Directors A. GOLOVANOV, A. CHEMODUROV
A. SHIR-AKHMEDOVA A. ALESHIN
Edited by TATIANA LIKHACHEVA
Costume Design by MIKHAIL CHIKOVANY
Pyrotechnician VLADIMIR LIKHACHEV
Moscow Symphony Orchestra All-Union Radio and TV Chorus and Orchestra
Conducted by VYACHESLAV OVCHINNIKOV
Starring
Natasha Rostova - LUDMILA SAVELYEVA
Pierre Bezukhov - SERGEI BONDARCHUK
Andrei Bolkonsky - VYACHESLAV TIKHONOV
Kutuzov - BORIS ZAKHAVA
Ilya Andreyevich Rostov - V. STANITSYN Countess Rostova - K. GOLOVKO
Petya Rostov - S. YERMILOV Sonya - I. GUBANOVA
Nikolai Andreyevich Bolkonsky - A. KTOROV Princess Marya - A. SHURANOVA
Nikolushka - A. SEMIN Hélène - I. SKOBTSEVA
Anatole - V. LANOVOY Drubetskoy - E. MARTSEVICH
Scherer - A. STEPANOVA Prince Vasily - B. SMIRNOV
Bagration - G. CHOKHONELIDZE Alexander I - V. MURGANOV
Napoleon - V. STRZHELCHIK Bennigsen - G. ZOMMER
Wolzogen - Y. GRANTINSH Clausewitz - D. EIZENTALS
Timokhin - P. SAVIN
On June 12, the armies of Western Europe crossed the Russian frontier,
and the war began.
That is, an event took place that was counter to human reason
and human nature.
Papa, I tell you positively.
And, Mother, you too. I have decided.
You must let me join the army. That's it.
Well, here's a fine warrior.
Nonsense. You must study.
It's not nonsense.
Obolensky's younger than I am, and he's going.
Besides, I can't study now when -
When -
When the country's in danger.
Petya, be quiet, I tell you.
I'm serious. Ask Pyotr Kirilych.
Nonsense. The mother's milk hasn't dried on your lips yet.
Well! Well! I'm telling you -
O Lord our God,
take up the lance and shield and rise up to help us.
Put to shame and confound those who wish us harm.
And may your powerful angels drive them away.
Smite our enemies and put them to flight.
Our father! The czar!
The czar!
Hurrah! Hurrah!
Which one's the czar?
Kutuzov has done nothing but cause the emperor trouble.
How could they make this man commander in chief?
He's incapable of mounting a horse,
he falls asleep at council meetings,
and he has the worst temper.
That's not even to mention his qualities as a general.
At a moment like this,
how can you appoint a decrepit, blind old man?
He's absolutely blind.
A splendid general - a blind man.
He can't see a thing.
Playing blind man's bluff.
"Our troops fight as they never have before.
The fate of the army and the country is in the hands of a good minister
but a bad general.
Barclay delays action. The whole army curses him.
The French are in Vitebsk!
In four days, they might reach Smolensk.
Perhaps they are there already."
What do you think about it, Prince?
Me? Me?
It's possible the theater of war
may move so near to us that -
The "theater of war"!
I have said and still say the theater of war is Poland.
The enemy will never get beyond the Neman.
When the snow melts, they'll sink in the Polish swamps.
But, Prince, the letter mentions they're in Vitebsk.
The letter.
Yes, yes, yes.
He writes the French were beaten?
Near which river?
The prince says nothing about it.
Well, Mikhail Ivanovich, come.
Explain to me how you mean to change those plans.
Take it! Take it all!
I'll set it on fire myself!
Those devils won't get it!
Every place seemed unsatisfactory to him.
But the worst of all was his old divan in the study.
He dreaded it because of the sad thoughts
that kept turning over in his mind when he lay there.
Not like that!
No peace.
Curse you.
There was something important I was saving for bedtime.
The bolts? No, I told him about them.
It was something - something in the drawing room.
Tishka!
What did he talk about at dinner?
- About Prince Mikhail. - Quiet!
Yes, I know.
The letter from Prince Andrei.
The French are in Vitebsk.
In four days, they might reach Smolensk.
Perhaps they are there already.
Tishka!
No. It's nothing.
It's nothing.
My heart is heavy.
The princess is afraid.
My heart is heavy.
Your heart?
His heart. His heart is heavy.
All my thoughts... were about you.
I was calling for you all night.
If only I had known. I was afraid to come.
- You weren't asleep? - No.
My dear.
Why didn't you come?
Thank you,
my beloved daughter,
for everything.
Forgive -
Thank you.
Forgive me.
Thank you.
Send for Andrei.
I have a letter from him.
Where is he?
With the army at Smolensk.
Yes. Russia is lost.
They've ruined her.
I want to try to sing. It's something to do.
- That's fine. - I'm so happy.
Did you know Nikolai has received the Cross of St. George?
I know. I sent him the announcement.
Well, I don't want to interrupt you.
Is it wrong of me to sing?
No. Why should it be? On the contrary.
But why do you ask me?
I don't know myself.
I should not like to do anything that might displease you.
I trust you completely. You mean so much to me.
You have done so much for me.
I saw in the same announcement - Bolkonsky is in the army again.
What do you think? Will he ever forgive me?
Will he always feel bitter towards me? What do you think?
What do you think?
I think...
he has nothing to forgive you for.
If I were in his place - - You?
That's a different thing entirely.
It's not possible for there to be anyone kinder and more generous than you.
If it weren't for you,
I don't know what would have become of me.
Because I -
I forgot. I must be getting home.
Why must you go? Why?
Because - It's just that I have business.
But why?
Why can't...
you tell me?
Have you heard the great news?
Kutuzov has been made field marshal.
That's the end of the controversy. I am delighted.
I'm so happy. At last, there's a man for you.
But they say he's blind?
Nonsense. He sees all he needs to see.
Kutuzov is a clever man. I've known him a long time.
He's coming! There he is!
With men like these, why do we keep retreating?
Good day, Prince. My dear boy.
Come along.
I sent for you because I need you near me.
Thank you, Your Excellency, but I'm afraid I can't work on the general staff.
I'm used to my regiment, and I've grown fond of the officers.
And I imagine they've grown fond of me.
I would hate to leave the regiment.
If I decline the honor of being with you, believe me -
I regret it. You would have been useful to me.
But you're right.
Our best men don't belong here.
Our regiments would be different
if all the advisers served in them,
like you.
I remember you from Austerlitz.
I remember.
I remember you with the standard.
Advisers, advisers.
There are always plenty of advisers.
But not enough real men.
Everything moves too fast.
Nothing is accomplished in haste.
It is easy to take a fortress
but hard to win a campaign.
That requires patience and time.
Kamensky used his soldiers to take Rushchuk.
I used patience and time.
And I took more fortresses... than he did.
I made the Turks eat horsemeat.
Give me time,
and the French shall eat it too.
Take my word for it.
I'll make them eat horsemeat!
But won't we have to engage in a battle?
We must... if everybody insists on it.
There's nothing to be done.
Well, good-bye, dear fellow.
Go with God on your path.
I know that your path is an honorable one.
Remember I share your grief over the loss of your father.
And for you, I am not His Excellency, not a prince, not a commander in chief
but a second father.
The maidens went to the river to bathe
Bumblebee, bumblebee Wonder, wonder, wonder-bee
That was Lusha, my honeybee...
Well, my countryman, are we to put down here?
- Or do we go to Moscow? - Dandies.
It's not only soldiers. Even peasants are fighting now.
They're enlisting peasants too now. They can't pick and choose.
The whole nation is fighting.
One word - Moscow.
There's only one thing waiting for us.
Count? Your Excellency. What are you doing here?
I wanted to see what was going on.
There will certainly be something to see.
How dreadful.
These are from yesterday.
From the Shevardino Redoubt.
There were heavy losses. We surrendered the hill.
I want to join and take part in the fighting.
But I wanted to ask you, where are our positions?
Our positions? That is not my speciality.
Go to Tatarinovo. They're digging there. You can see everything from the hilltop.
I will see everything? Couldn't you -
I wish I could show you the way, but I must report to the corps commander.
This is how it is. There will be a battle tomorrow.
We expect not less than 20,000 wounded for every 100,000 men.
We have no stretchers, no medical attendants,
not even medicine for 6,000.
There are 10,000 carts, but we need more than that.
- Look at that get-up. - What's it for?
It's to scare the French.
Just like a doctor.
Pierre's consciousness of the need for sacrifice,
of the suffering and misfortune everyone shared,
drew him inexorably to the site of the upcoming battle.
Allow me to ask you, what is that village called?
- Burdino or something. - Borodino.
Are those our men?
Yes. And further on, the French.
There, you can see them.
- Where? - There, in full view.
- And over there? - Those are our men.
Our men.
And there?
The French again.
Yesterday, we held it. Today, it's theirs.
Who might you be, a doctor?
No. I'm just...
- They're bringing it. - They're bringing the Holy Mother.
Our intercessor.
The Holy Mother of Smolensk!
Blessed Holy Mother of God
Save us
Blessed Holy Mother of God
Save us
Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost
Now and ever
And forever more
Amen
O Mother of God Save thy servants from calamity
For to thee we all cling
You are our invincible shield and protectress
Look with favor upon us O Merciful Mother of God
Forgive my sinful thoughts and words and deeds
And soothe my agony, for I suffer
He knew that tomorrow's battle
was to be the worst he had ever taken part in.
And the possibility of death
vividly, clearly presented itself to him.
My country. The fall of Moscow.
Tomorrow, I shall be killed.
Then why this trial when tomorrow I shall cease to exist?
I won't exist,
so who is this trial for?
New conditions of life will begin about which I will know nothing.
I will cease to be.
I will no longer exist.
Your Excellency.
The left flank of Second Battalion has moved toward the village of Semyonovskaya.
Sentries have been posted in each squadron.
Who's there?
What brings you here? This is unexpected.
I just came, you know -
It's interesting.
I wanted to see the battle.
What's the news in Moscow? Has my family moved to Moscow?
Yes. Julie Drubetskaya told me so.
I paid them a visit, but I didn't find them in.
They are at your estate near Moscow.
I've viewed the positions of our troops.
I am not a military man, so I can't say I really understand things.
But I think I understand the general disposition.
It seems that our positions -
It seems to me the left flank is weak
and our right flank is too drawn out.
So you've made sense of the disposition of our forces?
Yes. What do you mean?
Success does not depend on positions or weapons
nor even the number of men.
Then on what?
It depends on the feeling within me, within him,
within every soldier.
Why did we lose at Austerlitz?
Positions?
Nonsense. That's not the point.
We had no right to be there. We were in a hurry to leave the battlefield.
What will happen to us tomorrow?
To me, tomorrow will be simple.
100,000 Russian soldiers
and 100,000 French soldiers will meet in combat.
Those 200,000 are going to fight.
The side that is fiercest and spares itself least
is the side that will win.
Tomorrow, whatever the circumstances, we are certain to win.
True, very true, Your Excellency.
We'll not spare ourselves.
The men in my battalion wouldn't touch their vodka.
"This is not the day for that," they said.
The war must spread into the country.
I cannot sufficiently advocate this plan.
Oh, yes. Our only object is to weaken the enemy,
so, of course, we cannot consider the loss to private individuals.
"Spread into the country."
In the country is where my father, my son, my sister are - at Bald Hills.
It's all the same to him.
They surrendered all of Europe to Napoleon and now come here to teach us.
Fine teachers.
So you think we will win tomorrow's battle?
Yes, but if I had it in my power, I would do one thing.
I would take no prisoners.
The French destroyed my home and mean to destroy Moscow.
They have insulted me and continue to insult me every second.
They are my enemies. They are criminals.
Timokhin thinks as I do. The whole army too.
We must punish them. They plunder and kill our children.
How can we talk about rules of war and mercy?
We must take no prisoners, but kill and be prepared to die.
War is not about decency. It is the lowest thing men stoop to.
One must realize this and not make a game out of war.
War is a dreadful necessity.
Cast off the lies and see war as war. It is no game.
Men come together, like they will tomorrow, to murder one another.
They will kill each other, maim thousands upon thousands
and then hold sacred services and offer up their prayers
for having killed so many human beings.
And they'll exaggerate it in the retelling and embellish the victory.
The side that kills the most people wins the most honors.
Whoever succeeds in killing the most people gets the greatest rewards.
How can God bear to witness such things?
Ah, my dear friend.
Life has become...
unbearable of late.
But it won't be for long.
We must both get some sleep. Go now.
- But no. - Go, go.
Before a battle, you need to sleep.
Good-bye. Go!
Whether we see each other again or not -
I know that this is our last meeting.
Be off with you, dear boy, and God be with you.
Battalion, forward!
- Bring the ammunition boxes. - The cannon ball.
Sir, please make way. Anything can happen.
Aren't you afraid, sir?
- Are you afraid? - Of course I am.
There's no mercy out here. Turn around and your guts get blown out.
It's a soldier's work, but it's odd to see a gentleman here.
To your posts!
Forward march!
Load quickly!
Fire!
Bravo! Bravo!
Ready! Aim! Fire!
In rows! Division, march!
What about the Russians?
Standing firm, Your Excellency.
So they want more? Give them more.
A live one!
Not there!
The infantry!
What? A friend of yours?
More to the right!
One, two! Once more!
Numbers four and five!
Charge the guns with grape shot! Load! Quickly!
Our gentleman nearly had his hat knocked off.
That was a nasty one.
Hey, foxes, don't you like our porridge?
What's this?
A little shorter.
Sire, the Russians will be routed if you give me another division.
You are very fiery, Belliard.
In the heat of battle, it is easy to make a mistake.
Have another look and return to me.
- Sire, the prince would like - - Some reinforcements?
We must send in reinforcements.
Who do you think should be sent?
Sire, send Claparède's division.
No, I can't send Claparède.
Send Friant's division.
May I venture to suggest lunch to Your Majesty?
I hope I may congratulate Your Majesty on a victory.
Go away!
Number ten! Forward!
Permission to speak, sir?
It is my duty to report there are only eight rounds left.
Are we to continue firing?
Grape shot!
Forward!
Your Excellency, we've recaptured our positions.
Prince Bagration has been wounded.
Hurry to Prince Pyotr Ivanovich and find out exactly how things are.
Your Excellency.
Prince Andrei's regiment was held in reserve.
Without moving from the spot or firing a single shot,
the regiment lost almost one third of its men.
Tell the men they may sit.
First Battalion, at ease!
Left! Left! Left!
Sir, there are no more cartridges.
Robbers! What have they done?
Run to the depot. Bring the ammunition boxes.
I'll go.
Adjutant, order them not to crowd together!
Look out!
Colonel Bolkon -
Lie down!
Can this be death?
I can't. I don't want to die.
I love life!
I love this grass, this earth, this air!
Brothers!
Stand fast!
Forward! Disperse!
Batteries, fire!
Every point in our position is in enemy hands.
We haven't the troops to drive them back.
The men are in a rout. There's no stopping them.
I have not considered it right to conceal from you what I saw.
The troops are in complete disorder.
How - How dare you!
How dare you say that to me!
You don't know anything!
The enemy's been repulsed on the left and defeated on the right flanks!
You have seen badly, sir.
Do not talk about what you do not know.
Ride to General Barclay
and inform him that I intend to attack the enemy tomorrow.
The enemy is defeated!
Tomorrow, we'll begin driving him out of our holy Russia.
Rayevsky! Here is my hero.
Excellency, the troops are firmly holding their ground.
The French cannot maintain their attack.
Kaisarov! Write out the order for tomorrow.
You, ride down the line and say that tomorrow we attack.
That very evening and the next day,
reports were coming in of unheard-of losses,
of the loss of half the army.
Another battle was physically impossible.
Go to sleep
Little Andrei
Slumber now
Lullaby, lullaby
Lullaby
Lullaby, my baby, lullaby
The little doves have flown to you
Perching on your little cradle
Lullaby, lullaby
Lullaby
Lullaby, my baby, lullaby
My God. What is it?
Why is he here?
Not for just that day and that hour
were this man's mind and conscience darkened.
On him the responsibility of what was happening
lay more heavily than on all the others involved.
Never, even until the end of his life,
could he understand goodness,
nor beauty nor truth
nor the significance of his actions
which were too contrary to goodness and truth,
too remote from everything human,
for him to be able to grasp their meaning.
He could not disavow his actions,
lauded as they were by half the world,
and so he had to repudiate truth, goodness
and all things human.
Enough. Enough, mankind.
Stop. Come to your senses.
What are you doing?
Exhausted by want of food and rest,
the men on both sides began equally to doubt
whether they should continue to slaughter one another.
You may kill whoever you please,
do whatever you want, but I don't want to be part of this.
Yet some incomprehensible, mysterious force
continued to control them,
and the terrible work continued
independent of the will of men.
It was a moral victory,
one that convinced the enemy of his opponent's moral superiority
and of his own impotence.
Such was the Russian outcome at Borodino.
A direct consequence of the Battle of Borodino
was Napoleon's senseless flight away from Moscow,
the ruin of the invading army of 500,000
and the downfall of Napoleonic France
where, for the first time at Borodino,
the hand of an opponent of stronger spirit had been laid.
END OF FILM 3
© FSUE Cinema Concern "Mosfilm", 2017