War and Peace
Plot
By 1812, Napoleon's (Herbert Lom's) forces controlled much of Europe. Russia, one of the few countries still unconquered, prepares to face Napoleon's troops together with Austria. Amongst the Russian soldiers, are Count Nikolai Rostov (Jeremy Brett) and Prince Andrei Bolkonsky (Mel Ferrer). Count Pierre Bezukhov (Henry Fonda), a friend of Andrei's, and self-styled intellectual, who is not interested in fighting. Pierre's life changes when his father dies, leaving him a vast inheritance. He is attracted to Natasha Rostov (Audrey Hepburn), Nikolai's sister, but she is too young, so he gives in to baser desires and marries the shallow, manipulative Princess Helene (Anita Ekberg). The marriage ends when Pierre discovers his wife's true nature. Andrei is captured and later released by the French, and returns home only to watch his wife die in childbirth. A few months later, Pierre and Andrei meet again. Andrei sees Natasha and falls in love, but his father will only permit the marriage if they postpone it for one year until Natasha turns seventeen. While Andrei is away on a military mission, Natasha is drawn to Anatole Kuragin (Vittorio Gassman), a womanizer. Pierre saves Natasha by telling her of Anatole's past before she can elope with him. Napoleon invades Russia. Pierre visits Andrei on the eve of the battle, and observes the battle that follows. Traumatized by the carnage, he vows to kill Napoleon.
Overall Series Review
Categorical Breakdown
Characters are judged by the content of their soul and moral choices, such as Pierre’s intellectual decency against Helene’s manipulative nature. The casting is historically authentic to the 19th-century Russian and French aristocracy and military. There is no critique of 'whiteness' or forced insertion of diversity.
The central conflict is the defense of Russia against the French invasion, celebrating the Russian struggle and the sacrifices made to protect the nation and its heritage. The protagonist, Pierre, moves from initial admiration of Napoleon to vowing to kill him after witnessing the carnage, affirming a deep connection to his home culture and institutions.
The main female character, Natasha, is vivacious and impulsive, and her arc focuses on a journey of maturity and self-sacrifice, including romantic entanglements and familial loyalty. Her character arc does not portray an instantly perfect 'Girl Boss.' The men are flawed but capable, not bumbling or emasculated, and the social structure is complementarian, with no anti-family or anti-natalist messaging.
The plot centers entirely on traditional male-female romantic and marital relationships, such as the love triangle between Natasha, Pierre, and Andrei. The nuclear family structure is the unquestioned social norm of the era depicted. The film contains no focus on alternative sexualities, queer theory, or gender ideology.
The core theme involves Pierre's deep 'search for truth' and spiritual evolution, which in the source material and film adaptation has moral and philosophical weight. There is no narrative hostility toward traditional religion, and morality is treated as objective, with clear distinctions between honorable and dishonorable behavior.