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| Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dmh55/p03f5jlt |
I don't think I can overstate how much I loved the BBC's adaptation of War and Peace. In my opinion, the acting, cinematography, and soundtrack were amazing. There, now you have my honest opinion right up front. But I'll be even more honest: I don't think I would have appreciated the book nearly as much if I hadn't watched the miniseries after I read it. To some, I know that might sound blasphemous, but when I read a good classic, I immediately want to see a screen adaptation of it (which is why I was so bummed that there's no adaptation of Frances Burney's Evelina–yet 😏). Check out this post where I go into further detail on the subject of adaptations.
Seeing classics on screen helps me appreciate the story more. The director, Andrew Davies (who also directed my beloved Sanditon), brought forward a couple things in the book that I hadn't picked up on, which I'll get into later, and he also really condensed the story down to its most essential parts. (You'd have to, with a book that massive!) He combined some events and cut out some minor characters, and made the whole thing shine. Here are a few things I noticed (*WARNING: THIS WHOLE POST IS FULL OF SPOILERS*):
- They cut out the whole part about the bridge at the Battle of Shevardino and focused on the important part of the action, which was Nikolai's participation (or lack thereof; not his fault. The miniseries really made me feel sorry for his horse). This was a plus, in my opinion. I really got bogged down reading about the bridge.
- The fencing scene between Dolokhov and Nikolai in Episode 3 wasn't in the book, but it helped show Dolokhov's character better. More about him later.
- In Episode 4, they combined the evening with the uncle at Otradnoe after the hunting trip with the mumming visit to the lady in the countryside and the trip to the barn. This worked pretty well, since the hunting trip wasn't essential to the story at all and didn't contribute anything to the storyline (except maybe foreshadowing Nikolai's interest in farming in the epilogue?).
- They took out Alpatych, the Bolkonskys' steward, and replaced him with Tikhon. It worked fine. You have to consolidate somehow!
- Boris wasn't the one who took Alexander's missive to Napoleon; it was a random dude named Balashov, who only showed up for the purpose of delivering the message and was never seen before or since. I liked having Boris do it instead for the purpose of the TV show.
- Natasha's illness and Prince Nikolai Bolkonsky's death were greatly shortened, as well as Marya's trouble getting away from Bogucharovo. I felt like the show didn't give these events the weight they were ascribed in the story. But again, you have to condense it somehow.
- In the miniseries, they didn't have Pierre didn't refuse to reveal his identity at the end when he was taken prisoner by the French. That's a very small difference, though, and to be honest I wasn't super clear on why he concealed his identity in the book.
- Oh, and one more thing: the miniseries cut out the Rostovs' eldest child, Vera, completely. Which I wasn't mad about. She wasn't important to the story at all and she was kind of nasty, tbh.
All of that being said, I wouldn't watch an adaptation first and then read the book. I'm especially glad that I read War and Peace first, in particular, because I already knew roughly when there would be scenes I didn't want to see (e.g. pretty much the entire battle of Borodino), so I was able to cover my eyes to avoid seeing excessive amounts of blood and gore.
To bring some structure to the rest of my thoughts about the miniseries, I've decided to focus on the characters.
1. Pierre
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| Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dkrts/p03flkys |
2. Natasha
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| Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dmfz7/p03dmq11 |
Ah, Natasha. Lily James portrayed her so well, and her character in the miniseries was pretty much the same as the book, except maybe a little toned down. While I love the entire hauntingly beautiful soundtrack and think it's worth listening to even if you haven't seen the show, Natasha's theme is my favorite; it captures her so beautifully.
Another thing I noticed in the miniseries was that Natasha and Pierre's relationship was set up in Episode 1, which is not according to the book but necessary for explaining how they end up married, I think. (Sonya does tease Natasha, at the beginning of the book, about being in love with the funny man in the spectacles, which is Pierre, so there's some literary precedent for it.) I actually really liked the little hints thrown out in every episode that Natasha cares for Pierre and he is in love with Natasha; it makes Pierre more real and you feel even sorrier that Prince Vasily forced him into marrying Helene. I especially loved the very end of Episode 5, where Natasha is heartbroken over her betrayal of Andrei and Pierre tells her, "'If I were not myself, but the handsomest, cleverest, best man in the world, and if I were free I would be on my knees this minute to beg for your hand and your love.'" That quote is actually from the book, and it's one of my favorite moments in the entire novel, as well as the miniseries.
3. Andrei
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| Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dkspy/p03dmq54 |
At the beginning of the book, I disliked Andrei. I thought he was a horrible character and was prepared to dislike him all the way through. But somehow, without completely changing his personality, Tolstoy brought me to the point where I not only liked Andrei, but he was actually one of my favorite characters. He certainly wasn't without his faults and blind spots, but for the most part he recognized and acknowledged his flaws and strove to rectify them.
Andrew Davies brought several trains of thought straight from the page to the screen in a way I thought was incredible; three of these thought trains were Andrei's. First, there is the moment when he falls at Austerlitz and lies there on the battlefield looking up at the "lofty sky" and realizing he wants to live. Second, the point where he sees the blasted oak tree after Liza dies and likens himself to it, thinking his life is over, but when he comes back from Otradnoe after meeting Natasha for the first time, he sees that the oak is putting out new leaves. Third, when he is dying and explaining to Natasha his feeling of love for all mankind, even Anatole, at Borodino. I'm not sure how well I would have followed along if I hadn't read the book, but having read it, these images are powerful.
While we're on the subject of Prince Andrei, I enjoyed reading this interview with James Norton, the actor who plays Andrei in the miniseries.
4. Marya
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| Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dn4vy/p03dpj8h |
Princess Marya is described as ugly in the book, except for her eyes, so I think Jessie Buckley is too gosh darn pretty to play Marya. Just throwing that out there. Jessie did an amazing job portraying this emotionally and morally sensitive character, though. While Marya is shown to be religious in the miniseries, we don't get quite as much of her inner struggles as we do in the book, or even as we do of other characters in the series (such as Pierre). This makes sense, because while Marya is a recurring character, she's not a main player. One of her moral struggles that was downplayed quite a bit in the miniseries is at the death of her father, when she admits to herself that she prayed for her father to die. (Later on, in the book, Nikolai is glad that Andrei is dying so that he, Nikolai, can marry Marya. I love how Tolstoy gives us these glimpses into each character's faults.)
Marya is a very serious character, so much so that she's crying in almost every scene we see her until the end; she even earned the nickname "tears on tap" on set! I love how she goes from wearing dark colors before her father dies to wearing lighter colors after. (Similarly, Natasha starts out wearing very light colors and switches to dark colors after her not-really-affair with Anatole Kuragin.) In fact, the first time we see Marya smile without tears in her eyes might be at Nikolai in Episode 6, and I think it's one of the sweetest moments in the miniseries.
6. Helene
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| Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dmh55/p03f5j9t |
Can I tell you a secret? Helene is my favorite character in the miniseries. In the book, she was a tad ... flat. But Tuppence Middleton (I love that name) brings so much depth to the character of Helene and plays her to perfection, really bringing out her manipulative charm (Enneagram 3 at its worst). Her constant using of Bilibin and then her "Go away now" made me laugh. (Side note: Bilibin in the miniseries was quite different from Bilibin in the books–less of a witty socialite and more of a prop. He wasn't a very big character in the book, though, so it doesn't bother me too much.)
I was not expecting the subplot of incest between Anatole and Helene, although after looking it up, this Quora post cites some passages that explain why this choice was made. As I mentioned before, Andrew Davies directed Sanditon as well, which also had a slightly incestuous subplot, so it's not too surprising that he would choose to make the most of Tolstoy's few references hinting at it in the book.
Another thing I didn't pick up on in the book was the fact that Helene was pregnant and died of an attempted abortion! After watching Episode 7, I hunted through the book and found this quote: "Everyone knew very well that the lovely countess's illness came from the inconvenience of marrying two husbands at once, and that the Italian's treatment consisted in removing that inconvenience; but in Anna Pavlov's presence not only did no one dare to think about it, but it was as if no one knew it." (pg. 936)
7. Sonya
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| Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dmgly/p03cc91q |
I preferred the way the miniseries ended to the book ending, despite (or more likely because) it was less like real life than the book. Everyone seemed happier, and there were no last-minute, unresolved arguments between the families. But Sonya never did get a happy ending. That scene at the end of the miniseries where Nikolai asks her how she can be so self-sacrificing and she answers, "I suppose I'm used to it", and then the countess calls her name from the other room and she answers, "Coming", with a lifetime of patient servitude in her voice, really hits. We get a shot of her at the end, at the picnic, and she seems happy. But I feel so bad for her. Aisling Loftus, the actress who plays Sonya, says in an interview for The Guardian, "'Sonya really believes that if she’s self-sacrificing, she will be rewarded ... She’ll have this Technicolor romance. We expect that, too, but it isn’t for her. Tolstoy is quite cruel about women sometimes, but he makes an attempt to understand them. At the beginning I think she’s described as a little kitten; at the end she’s a sterile flower.'"
8. Countess Rostov
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| Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dmxsz/p03dmsqj |
The Countess (Natasha Rostov the elder) might be an odd character to include in this review, but her character in the miniseries was different enough from the book that I wanted to focus on her for a minute. Let's be honest, she's not a likable character. At least, I didn't find her so. She has good moments, but she definitely plays favorites with her children and she's rather manipulative. In the miniseries, she is portrayed in a slightly better light than in the book; at least she doesn't ask Sonya outright to write to Nikolai to break off their engagement, she merely hints strongly, and she takes Petya's and Ilya's deaths, and the family's ensuing poverty, a lot better than she does in the book. (Speaking of Petya, he has an even smaller part in the miniseries than he does in the book, and less personality too. In the book, Petya dies because he doesn't obey orders and gets himself killed. In the miniseries, he is shot off his horse during a raid without doing anything at all. I'm not sure which feels more senseless.) In addition, Book Countess turns into a bitter old lady at the end, whereas she seems to find happiness and fulfillment in her children and grandchildren in the miniseries. I preferred that ending for her. Deep down, I don't think she's a bad person; she's just, to put it simply, a person. We all have our flaws, as Tolstoy makes so clear with each and every character in War and Peace.
9. Dolokhov
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| Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dkv7m/p03bh14t |
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