War & Peace (the movie)
Searching online for movie versions of War & Peace, I found American and Russian productions from the 50s and 60s respectively (the links below lead to the same scene, a duel, from each production). Audrey Hepburn, as the female lead, is incandescent in the role of Natasha, but Henry Fonda in the role of Pierre is not only not incandescent, but decidedly muddy. Pierre is a bear of a man; Fonda is a reed (picture Stan Laurel in the role of Tarzan). The Russian Pierre, on the other hand (who also directed), is perfect—as are both actresses playing Natasha (child and adult), radiant as Hepburn, but with a Slavic cast giving them more authenticity—and talent enough to make Streep weep. Add to that a cast of thousands, panoramas as vast as Russia, Napoleon and Kutuzov (rival generals) striding the turf, landscapes of battle like paintings by Breughel, and you have a movie for the ages. I purchased the boxed set of dvds online and watched unendingly (almost 7 hours), among my greatest cinematic experiences. The movie won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language movie of 1967. They should have retired the category subsequently. Nothing comes close.