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War and Peace

(136 Posts)
grumppa Mon 04-Jan-16 10:44:34

A good solid BBC production, but I have a question for knowledgeable Gransnetters.

Is it the anatomists or the costumiers who decree that women in costume dramas can survive in so many fewer layers of clothing than men, even in huge draughty palaces in Russia?

Jalima Thu 14-Jan-16 20:12:38

I didn't know who Jessie Buckley was, so had to look her up - Marya Bolkonskaya !
Yes, she is very good, I like her portrayal.

rosesarered Thu 14-Jan-16 22:02:59

Greyduster agree with you about the 'myopic 13 year old', had to laugh when my DD said when watching it with me last week ' he needs a slap'.grin

jinglbellsfrocks Thu 14-Jan-16 22:12:13

Yes. Jessie Buckley does quite a bit of Shakespeare on stage in London. The Globe a couple of years back, (the Tempest) and The Garrick at the moment (The Winters Tale)

HannahLoisLuke Mon 18-Jan-16 08:53:11

I'm still enjoying it and I think Pierre is developing into an interesting character. He still looks too young but I'm getting used to that.

Tegan Mon 18-Jan-16 13:32:28

Yes; I'm glad I stuck with it because I'm enjoying it. I hadn't realised that it was an Andrew Davies interpretation. Is the actress playing Pierre's wife the same one who plays Miss Havisham in Dickensian?

gillybob Mon 18-Jan-16 14:00:15

I found it on BB4 thank you Tegan and watched 2 episodes back to back. I will catch up with the 3rd sometime during the week. Thoroughly enjoyed it too. smile

I am loving War and Peace. I couldn't believe it when Pierre asked his vile wife to come back home. How much humiliation can one man take?

annodomini Mon 18-Jan-16 14:36:00

It's taken three episodes for me (maybe I'm a bit thick) to sort out who's who and who's married to whom. Except for Pierre of course.

Jalima Mon 18-Jan-16 14:54:02

annodomini I have to google them every time I have watched an episode smile
Now I know who has married whom and who will marry whom in the future, but I won't tell because I have forgotten again already.

Jalima Mon 18-Jan-16 14:55:07

Yes, she is Miss Havisham Tegan and she is also in Mr Selfridge apparently, although I have never watched that.

Tegan Mon 18-Jan-16 15:11:14

Thanks Jalima.

HannahLoisLuke Thu 21-Jan-16 15:23:38

Watched the third episode again and absolutely entranced with the beautiful romantic ballroom dance with Andrei and Natasha. So much sexier than the naked romps usually served up nowadays. Love this dramatisation of W&P

Greyduster Thu 21-Jan-16 16:33:21

It's the uniforms - all that frogging and tight trousers! ?

HannahLoisLuke Thu 21-Jan-16 21:13:22

Nothing wrong with a bit of frogging and tight trousers Greyduster. It's the longing looks that got me though.

HannahLoisLuke Sun 24-Jan-16 22:10:54

Well, thank goodness for Pierre but is it too late? Got to wait for a week or reread that bit of the book, just can't remember what happens next.

Badenkate Sun 24-Jan-16 22:51:43

I want to travel through the snow in a horse-drawn sleigh at night, wrapped in furs ?

Tegan Sun 24-Jan-16 23:01:00

I don't think the chap she tried to elope with was gorgeous enough; I certainly wouldn't have wanted to risk my reputation for him confused.

Nelliemoser Sun 24-Jan-16 23:47:51

I think Sonya was said to be about 15 when the story started. She was an orphaned cousin living in the household and had no private means and very poor prospects of a decent, (ie wealthy) marriage she would probably go for the first reasonable guy who came along.

HannahLoisLuke Mon 25-Jan-16 08:20:19

It's Natasha not Sonya who was about to elope with the slimy seducer Anatole. Will it damage her chances with Andrei? Silly naive girl.
Pierre showed he's not the bumbling idiot we first thought. He just needs to ditch his devious scheming wife.

Maggiemaybe Mon 25-Jan-16 09:02:02

Same here, Tegan. I don't think he's at all handsome, and he's got a shifty look about him. He'd not cause any fluttering in my stays.

POGS Mon 25-Jan-16 09:02:28

I watched the first 3 episodes back to back yesterday and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The costumes, scenery all excellent. I have never read the book (feels uneducated emoticon) so I have nothing to compare it with. I know by reading the various write ups in one form or another that it has been supposedly 'hotted up' so how much of what has been aired is true to the book would anyone say?

Greyduster Mon 25-Jan-16 09:10:32

We'll i never! Our Pierre has found his **'s at last! I take my hat off to him. But did you ever see such an amoral, licentious pair as Pierre's wife and her brother? Like a couple of spiders - she binds them up in silk and he eats them!

Maggiemaybe Mon 25-Jan-16 09:14:52

I've had a three volume set since I was at school, POGS - you can tell I was very young as it's backed, with my name inside grin I bet I only got 20 pages in. Many years later I put it on my list of 60 things to do before I was 60 - and didn't...

Could anyone tell me whether it's worth the commitment?

f77ms Mon 25-Jan-16 09:15:10

W&P is my favourite Drama so far . I think it is so well done , I can`t wait for Sunday evenings "Call the midwife " followed by "War and Peace" . I too wondered about the skimpy outfits the women wear and how realistic this is . I also noticed it in Dickensian , off the shoulder dresses in those huge draughty houses must have been so uncomfortable .
There really are some great British dramas this year so far !

HannahLoisLuke Mon 25-Jan-16 09:47:39

Maggiemaybe. The book is well worth a read, it's not difficult as has often been said, just very long. I admit to skipping some of the battle strategy scenes, and some of Pierre's farming stuff is a bit too much but all in all a good read. In fact I'm thinking of giving it another go to fill in the gaps of the very excellent tv series.

trisher Mon 25-Jan-16 09:54:48

Great drama! I was really hooked-so relieved when Natasha was prevented from running off and then Pierre turned into a super hero-loud cheers. But now Andrei is back can't wait to see what will happen.