Voyna i mir III: 1812 god (1967) - full transcript

MOSFILM

LEO TOLSTOY

WAR AND PEACE

1812

Directed by

Sergei BONDARCHUK

Screen Adaptation by

Sergei BONDARCHUK, Vassily SOLOVIOV

Director of Photography

Anatoly PETRITSKY

Production Designers

Mikhail BOGDANOV, Gennady MIASNIKOV

Music by Vyacheslav OVCHINNIKOV

Sound by

Yuri MIKHAILOV, Igor URVANTSEV

English Subtitles by

Tatiana Kameneva

Starring

Liudmila SAVELYEVA as Natasha Rostova

Sergei BONDARCHUK as Pierre Bezukhov

Vyacheslav TIKHONOV

as Andrei Bolkonsky

Boris ZAKHAVA as Kutuzov

V.STANITSIN as Ilya Andreyevich Rostov

K.GOLOVKO as Countess Rostova

S. ERMILOV as Petya Rostov

I. GUBANOVA as Sonya

A. KTOROV

as Nikolai Andreyevich Bolkonsky

A. SHURANOVA as Princess Maria

A. SYOMIN as Nikolushka

I. SKOBTSEVA as Helen

V. LANOVOY as Anatole

E. MARTSEVICH as Drubetskoy

A. STEPANOVA as Scherer

B. SMIRNOV as Prince Vassily

G. CHOKHONELIDZE as Bagration

V. MURGANOV as Alexander I

V. STRZHELCHIK as Napoleon

G. ZOMMER as Bennigsen

Ya. GRANTINSH as Woltzogen

D. EISENTALS as Clausewitz

P. SAVIN as Timokhin

On June 12, the armies of Western

Europe crossed the Russian border,

and the war began,

an event completely opposed to

human reason,

and human nature.

Will you listen to me, Papa and

Mama? I have decided.

You'll have to let me join the army.

You can't stop me!

- Don't be silly. You should study!

- I’m not being silly, Papa.

Fedya Obolensky's even younger

than I’m and he's going.

And besides, how do you expect me

to study when...

when...

our country's in danger?

You keep quiet, will you please?

I tell you I’m serious.

Nonsense! He's still wet behind

the ears and he wants to go to war!

Just listen to him!

Almighty God!

Take Thou the lance and shield,

and rise up to aid us.

Put to shame and confusion them

that have devised evil against us,

and let Thy mighty angel

confound and destroy their ilk.

Smite down our enemies

and trample them swiftly underfoot.

Our father, the Czar!

Hurrah! Which one is the Czar?

Which one is the Czar?

Kutuzov has done nothing else

but cause annoyance to the Czar.

How is it possible to appoint

as our commander-in-chief

a man who can't mount a horse, who

goes to sleep at council meetings?

His morals are the worst you can

conceive.

I won't even dwell upon his so-

called qualities as a strategist.

At a time like this how can anyone

call on a man who is so old?

Just imagine. A blind general!

He can't see anything. He could

only play blind man's bluff.

Never have our forces fought

with such valor.

But the fate of the army and

of the fatherland

are in the hands of a good minister

and a bad general.

Barclay is delaying action.

The whole army is critical of him.

The French are at Vitebsk.

In four days they may reach Smolensk.

Or they may be already there.

Prince, what do you think of

the situation?

l?

The field of operations may move

so near to us that...

I have said and I still say

the field of operations is Poland,

and that the enemy will never get

beyond the Niemen river.

When the snow melts,

they'll drown in the Polish marshes.

But, Prince, the letter says

that they're at Vitebsk now.

Ah, the letter...

He says the French were defeated.

Near what river did he say?

The Prince never mentioned that.

Mikhail Ivanovich, how do you

want those plans altered?

Go ahead! Take everything!

I’ll set the place on fire myself!

Those devils won't get it!

Nowhere did he seem to be

comfortable.

But worst of all was his customary

place on the couch in the study.

This couch had become a dread,

because of the oppressive thoughts

that kept turning over in his mind

when he lay there.

No, no, not like that!

There's no peace anywhere!

Blast it all!

Yes, there was something important

I was saving to think about in bed.

The bolts? No, it was something,

something in the drawing-room.

Tishka! What did we speak about

at dinner?

About Prince Mikhail.

Will you keep quiet? I know,

about Prince Andrei's letter.

The French are at Vitebsk.

In four days they may reach Smolensk.

Perhaps they're there by now.

Tishka!

No, nothing.

I don't need anything.

Soul's in pain...

The Princess is afraid.

The soul's in pain.

The soul's in pain.

All my thoughts... were about you.

I kept calling you all night.

If I had only known!

I was afraid to come in.

- You weren't sleeping?

- No, I wasn't sleeping.

Why didn't you come, my dear?

Thank you for all you've done,

my child, my dear...

Forgive me, and thank you.

Forgive me, and thank you.

Will you please call Andriusha?

I have a letter from him.

Where is he?

He's with the army, father.

At Smolensk.

Yes, Russia has perished.

They've murdered Russia!

I want to try and sing again.

It’s something to do, anyway.

An excellent idea.

You know, Nikolai's been decorated.

Saint George's Cross.

I’m so proud for him.

I know. I sent him the announcement.

Well, I don't want to interrupt you.

Don't you think it's wrong for me

to sing?

Not at all. Why wrong?

Quite the contrary.

But why do you ask?

I don't want to do anything

you might disapprove of.

I trust you in everything.

You mean a lot to me,

you've been such a help.

The same announcement also said

that Bolkonsky's in the army again.

Do you think he'll be able

to forgive me one day?

Or will he always hold it

against me?

What do you think?

I think he has nothing to forgive.

In his place, I would...

You're different.

There's no one who's kinder and

more generous than you are.

I think if you hadn't been there then

to help me, and now too,

I don't know what would have

become of me.

Because...

Oh, yes, I had forgotten.

I must go home.

Why are you going?

Because...

Simply I have business.

No! Why?

Tell me...

Have you heard the great news?

Kutuzov is field marshal!

All differences have been settled.

I’m so glad, delighted!

At last we have a real leader, a man!

- I’ve heard he's blind, Prince?

- Nonsense. He sees well enough.

He's a very shrewd fellow.

I’ve known him for years.

He's coming!

With such fine men,

why should we keep retreating?

Good morning, Prince. How do you

do, my dear boy? Come with me.

I’ve sent for you because I would

like to keep you with me.

I thank Your Highness, but I’m afraid

I’m no more good for staff work.

I’m used to my regiment. I like my

officers and they, I think, like me.

I’d be sorry to leave

the regiment.

If I decline the honor of being in

attendance to you, believe me...

I regret it. You would have been

of use to me, but you're right.

It’s not here that we want men.

The regiments wouldn't be what

they are,

if all the would-be counselors

would serve in them like you.

I remember you at Austerlitz.

I remember you,

I remember you with the flag.

Ah, counselors and counselors!

There're always a multitude of

counselors, but men are scarce.

Always in haste,

and more haste, worse speed.

It’s easy enough to take fortresses,

but it's hard to win a campaign.

It takes time and patience.

At Rustchuk, Kamensky used his

soldiers, and l, patience and time.

And I took more fortresses

than Kamensky.

And I made the Turks

eat horsemeat.

Give me some time, and the French

shall, too!

Take my word for it,

I’ll make them eat horsemeat!

We shall have to give battle,

though, shan't we?

We must,

if everyone wants to.

What's one to do?

Well, goodbye, my boy,

go your own way, God bless you!

I know your path

is the path of honor.

Remember, with all my heart,

I feel for your sorrow,

and that for you, I’m not his

highness, nor prince, nor commander,

but simply a father to you.

As the girls went to the river,

As the girls went to the river,

Bumblebee, bumblebee,

wonder-wonder-wonder me,

That was Lusha, my honeybee!

Bumblebee, bumblebee,

wonder-wonder-wonder me,

That was Lusha, my honeybee!

They a-stripped of their shirts,

They a-stripped of their shirts...

Well, fellow countryman,

are we to put down here,

or taken out to Moscow?

It’s not soldiers only, but peasants

too, I have seen today!

Peasants, too, they're hunting up,

they can't pick and choose now.

They want to mass all the people

together.

It’s a matter of Moscow, you see.

There's only one thing to do now.

Count, Your Excellency,

how do you come here?

Oh, I wanted to have a look...

- There'll be something to look at.

- It’s awful...

These are from yesterday.

The battle went on well into

the night at the Shevardino redoubt.

A lot of casualties. And we've lost

the Shevardino Mound.

I would like to join. I want to

participate in the battle.

One thing I wanted to ask you.

Where is the position exactly?

That is not in my line.

Drive on to Tatarinovo, there's

a great deal of digging going there.

Come out on a mound,

from there you get a view.

A view from it?

If you would...

I would have shown you the way, but...

I’m racing to the commander.

There's to be a battle tomorrow,

and with a hundred thousand troops,

we must reckon on 20 thousand

wounded at least.

And we haven't the stretchers,

nor beds, nor doctors for 6,000.

There're 10 thousand carts,

but we need other things as well.

- Look at that get-up!

- What's it for?

To scare the French away?

He looks like a doctor.

Pierre's consciousness of

the necessity of sacrifice,

of suffering at the understanding

of the misfortune shared by all,

were drawing him inexorably to

the site of the imminent fighting.

Allow me to ask,

what village is that before us?

- Burdino, isn't it called?

- Borodino.

Are these our men there?

Yes. And further on are the French.

There, you can see them.

- Where?

-One can see them with the naked eye.

- And out there?

- Those are our men.

Ah, ours! I see. And there?

That's him again.

Yesterday it was ours,

but now it's his.

Who are you? A doctor?

No, I’m just looking...

They're bringing it.

They're bringing the Holy Mother,

our protectress!

- The Holy Mother of Iversky!

- The Holy Mother of Smolensk!

O Mother of God,

save Thy servants.

O Mother of God,

save Thy servants.

Glory be to Father, and to Son,

and to Holy Ghost,

now and ever and unto

ages of ages.

O Mother of God,

save Thy servants from calamity,

for to Thee we all fly

as our invincible Bulwark and

Protectress,

Look with favor,

O merciful Mother of God,

upon my shameful thought and

words and deeds

and assuage the pangs of me

the sufferer.

For we have no other helper,

for we have no other hope

but only Thee, our protectress.

Help us, having compassion on us.

In Thee we rest our hopes,

and Thee we glorify.

For we are Thy servants,

and we are not ashamed of Thee.

He knew that the morrow's battle

would be the most dreadful of

all those he had taken part in,

and the plain possibility of death

presented itself to him

vividly,

almost like an awesome certainty.

The fatherland... The loss of Moscow.

And tomorrow I’ll be killed.

What is the trial for,

since I never will be?

I am not!

So for whom is it a trial?

New conditions of life will arise

about which I will know nothing.

I’ll no longer exist.

I won't exist anymore.

I won't exist anymore.

Your Highness, the left flank

of the second battalion

has been brought in closer

to the village of Semyonovskaya.

Sentries have been posted in each

squadron.

Who's there?

What brings you here?

This is really unexpected!

I have come, you know... simply...

It’s interesting.

I wanted to see the battle.

What's new in Moscow? My family?

Have they finally arrived there?

Yes, they have. Julie Drubetskaya

told me they had.

I went to see them, but I missed

them. They've gone to the estate.

Today I rode around

the disposition of the troops.

As a civilian I can't really say

I fully understand,

but I think I’ve understood

the general position.

I believe that our position...

I think that

the left flank is feeble,

while the right flank is extended

too far.

So the whole position of our troops

is clear to you?

Yes, but how do mean?

Victory does not depend,

and will never depend

on arms, nor even on numbers,

and least of all, on strategy.

On what does it depend?

It all depends on a feeling that's

within me, within every soldier.

Why were we defeated at Austerlitz?

Positions?

Absurd. There's no such thing.

We just wanted to leave

the battlefield quickly.

And so tomorrow what will happen?

To me, it's simple enough:

A hundred thousand Russian and

a hundred thousand French troops

will meet to fight. The fact is that

those 200,000 are going to fight.

Those who fight the hardest and

spare themselves the least will win.

Tomorrow, whatever may happen,

we shall win the battle!

Your Excellency, that's the plain

truth! Who would spare himself now?

The soldiers in my battalion

wouldn't drink their vodka!

"It’s no day for that” is what they

said.

Carried into a wide extent of

country.

In that open country I have a father

and son and sister at Bald Hills.

They've given all Europe up to him,

and now they've come to teach us.

Fine teachers!

So you think the battle tomorrow

will be a victory?

Yes. There's one thing I would do,

if I were in power.

I wouldn't take prisoners.

The French have destroyed my home

and are coming to destroy Moscow.

They have outraged and are

outraging me every second.

They are my enemies.

They are all criminals.

And so think all the army.

They must be put to death.

They plunder, they kill my father,

and talk of generosity to a foe.

No prisoners, but go to give

and to meet death!

War is not a polite recreation,

but the vilest thing in life.

And we ought to understand that

and not play at war.

We ought to accept it solemnly

as a fearful necessity.

Enough lying: if it's war,

then it's war and not a game.

They meet together to murder one

another, as we shall do tomorrow;

they slaughter and mutilate

tens of thousands of men,

and then offer up thanksgiving

services

for the number of men they have

killed,

and even add to it in the telling,

and glorify the victory,

supposing that the more men killed

the greater the achievement.

One who succeeds in killing most

people, gets the greatest rewards.

How God can look down from

above and hear them?

Ah, my dear boy...

Life has been a bitter thing for me

of late.

Well, it's not for long.

But you're getting sleepy and it's

time I was in bed too. Go.

You must be off. Before a battle

one needs to get a good sleep.

Goodbye, be off. Whether we see

each other again or not...

I know this is our last meeting.

Go, my dear fellow,

and Christ be with you.

Battalion, forward march!

Come on, a cannon ball!

Permit me to ask you to move out

of the way, sir.

Aren't you afraid? You surprise me,

sir.

- And you? Are you afraid?

- Why, to be sure!

They can blow your insides right

out. You can't help being scared!

It’s a soldier's business, but it's

surprising to see a gentleman here.

Man your guns!

Forward march!

To attack, forward march!

Charge! Fire!

Bravo!

Ready? Fire!

Battalion, in ranks forward march!

- What about the Russians?

- They stand firm, Sire.

They want even more of it.

Let them have it then!

A hot one!

Not this way! Drop on the infantry.

What, bowing to a friend?

Further right.

Again, fire!

Guns number four and five,

grapeshot fire on the infantry!

Look, that one almost blasted

our gentleman's hat off.

Hey, awkward hussy!

Now, you foxes there!

Don't you care for our porridge?

May I venture to suggest

breakfast to Your Majesty?

I hope that I can already

congratulate Your Majesty

on a victory.

Gun number ten! Go ahead!

With your permission, sir,

it's my duty to report

that there're but eight rounds left.

Must we keep on firing, sir?

Grapeshot!

Your Highness, we've recaptured

the advance posts.

Prince Bagration is wounded.

Hurry on to Prince Pyotr Ivanovich,

and find out exactly what happened.

Your Highness...

Prince Andrei's regiment

was being held in reserve.

Without moving from the spot

and without firing a single shot,

the regiment had already lost

a third of its men.

- Tell the men they may sit down.

- Yes, sir.

First battalion, rest!

Second battalion, rest!

Left, left, left...

There's no more ammunition, sir.

Run to the reserves,

bring the ammunition boxes!

I’ll go.

M. I’aide-de-camp,

tell the men not to crowd together.

Look out!

Colonel!

Lie down!

Can this be death?

I can't die, I don't want to die.

I love life! I love this grass,

this earth, this air.

Fellows!

Fellows!

Stand fast!

Forward march! Fan out!

Battery, fire!

Every point in our position

is in the enemy's hands,

and we haven't the troops

to drive them back.

The men are fleeing

and it's impossible to stop them.

I did not consider I had the right

to conceal from you what I saw.

Our troops are in complete

disorder.

How dare you...

How dare you, sir,

tell me that?

You know nothing about it.

The enemy's been repulsed on the

left and defeated on the right flank.

If you have seen amiss, sir,

then don't talk of things

about which you know nothing.

Will you be so kind as to go

to General Barclay now

and inform him of my intention

to attack the French tomorrow.

The enemy is defeated!

Tomorrow we will drive him out

of the holy land of Russia!

Rayevsky! Here he is, my hero!

Your Highness, our men are

holding their ground firmly.

The French are not venturing

a further attack.

Kaissarov! Sit down and write

tomorrow's order of the day.

And you, ride down the line and

announce that tomorrow we attack.

But all that evening,

and next day,

reports came in, one after another,

of staggering losses,

of the loss of half the army.

And another battle

proved physically impossible.

...Sleep, my baby, my Andrei...

Lullaby, lullaby,

Sleep, my baby, do not cry.

Little birdie, don't meddle,

Stop a-rocking our cradle.

Lullaby, lullaby...

My God! What is this?

What is he doing here?

Dark and somber drowsiness

Visits every home and nest.

Lullaby, lullaby,

Sleep, my baby, do not cry.

On the couch, on the bed

Golden slumber in each head.

Lullaby, lullaby...

And not only for that hour and day

were the mind and conscience

darkened in that man, on whom

the burden of all that had happened

lay more heavily than on others.

Never,

down to the end of his life,

had he the least comprehension

of good, of beauty,

of truth, of the significance

of his own acts,

which were too far opposed

to truth and goodness,

too remote

from everything human

for him to be able to grasp

their significance.

He could not disavow

his own acts,

that were lauded by half the world,

and so he was forced

to disavow truth

and goodness and everything human.

Enough, enough, men! Stop!

Consider! What are you doing?

To the men on both sides,

exhausted for want of food and rest,

the doubt began to come

whether they should still persist

in slaughtering one another.

Slay whom you will,

do whatever you will,

but I have had enough.

And yet, some unfathomable

and mysterious force

led these men on

and kept up the fearful work,

which was done

independently of their wills.

A moral victory,

that which compels the enemy

to recognize

the moral superiority of his

opponent, and his own impotence,

was won by the Russians

at Borodino.

The direct consequence

of the battle of Borodino

was Napoleon's causeless flight

from Moscow,

the ruin of the invading army

of five hundred thousand men,

and the downfall

of the Napoleonic rule,

on which,

for the first time at Borodino,

was laid the hand

of a foe of stronger spirit!

End of Part Three