The Kuragin family is a characteristic. Characteristics of the Kuragin family in the novel "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy Values \u200b\u200bof the Kuragin family

In all the great works of Leo Tolstoy, the family theme runs like a red thread, but, perhaps, only the Kuragin family in the novel "War and Peace" evokes so many negative emotions in the reader.

Characteristics and description of the Kuragin family in the novel "War and Peace"

Let's consider, point by point, what this family is, what are their goals, occupations, interests, relationships with each other and with others.

Where do the Kuragins live

Prince Vasily, the father of the family, appears in the first lines of the novel in the salon of Anna Scherer. This is a circle of high society, a place where aristocrats and dignitaries close to the emperor meet. They all have a huge impact on the fate of the country.

It is inconceivable that they lived anywhere else if not in the capital of the Russian Empire, St. Petersburg. Except for Anatol Kuragin, who was "sent" by his father to Moscow for the fact that he cost him too much money - forty thousand rubles a year. In Moscow, Anatol lived more modestly, in the horse guards barracks.

Relations in the Kuragin family between children

The younger generation of the princes Kuragin is a type of secular, spoiled by wealth and nobility of young people. They are cheerful and easy-going, they can be carried away, but even among themselves they are not capable of high feelings.

Anatole and Helen are connected by the attraction of two beautiful, healthy animals. They sympathize with each other and sometimes help "like brothers" in achieving their passions associated with lust and money. Each of them is successful in its own way: Anatole is a well-known rake in high society, Helen is a beauty and socialite.

They admire each other and feel the practical benefits - the role of one enhances the role of the other. Their mutual sympathy even caused impartial rumors in the world (perhaps not without reason, as the author hints), partly because of this Anatol was sent to Moscow.

The eldest son Hippolytus is given less attention in the novel. He is depicted as a degenerate, incapable of any sincere feelings. Everything in him for show, with the most confident look, he utters complete nonsense. However, this does not prevent him from occupying a diplomatic post.

His brother and sister are quite happy with Ippolit simply because he is Kuragin, one of them. They would be ready to help him in his career, if it was required, because all Kuragin must live well and have a decent position in society, otherwise it is simply impossible. In addition, his brother and sister appreciate him for being a harmless fool, he is not dangerous to them, as a competitor.

The problem of the fathers and children of the Kuragin

The attitude of Prince Vasily to his children captivates with his open, good-natured cynicism. He wants to marry Anatol profitably, because he costs him too much. Helene marries Pierre, as she hopes to profit by millions of Bezukhovs himself.

Children consider the practicality and lack of spirituality of parents to be the norm, they understand the father perfectly and contribute to all his undertakings.

Paradoxically, there are no problems of fathers and children in the Kuragin family. Almost complete harmony reigns here. Almost - because, although there are no ideological contradictions between them, there are contradictions of interests at the level of wealth, nobility, pleasure.

Princess Kuragina (a character rarely appearing in the novel) suffers from envy of her daughter when Helene enters into a “brilliant” marriage with Pierre Bezukhov. Anatole is angry with his father when he does not give him money.

Attitude to the servants of the Kuragin

For the Kuragin princes, servants are simply servants, almost inanimate creatures designed to provide their comfort. The princes do not enter into human communication with them, this is "not comme il faut."

The tone of relations with them is lordly-contemptuous. This is an approved form of communication, which is taboo to overstep.

Kuragin's attitude to the war and Napoleon

Any political or religious views in the Kuragin's universe are not so important in comparison with their personal interests. Prince Vasily, by virtue of his social position, expresses certain political views, always close to the general direction of thought of his entourage. Even during the war, he seeks only his own benefit.

Hippolytus is able to tell a patriotic anecdote that elevates his Emperor over other European rulers. Before the war, he contemptuously spoke of Bonopart, considering him an unworthy upstart. Anatol and Helen, the youngest children of the Kuragin, were not at all interested in politics.

When the war broke out in 1912, it affected all Russian people. But the Kuraginas only wanted to survive in it, which not everyone succeeded in. Anatol was wounded at the Battle of Borodino, his leg was amputated, after which he died. Helene escapes abroad and subsequently dies of a shameful illness.

Author's attitude to the Kuragin

Lev Nikolaevich, as an antithesis to other heroes, brought unprincipled individualists into the images of the Kuragin. In the days of difficult trials, they turned out to be useless and even harmful to the Fatherland. The people defeated Napoleon in spite of such people.

According to Tolstoy's deep conviction, the family should have a warm, human principle based on mutual love, patience, and disinterested help to one's neighbor. Only such a union can be called a true family.

Analyzing the fate of his heroes, Tolstoy comes to the conclusion that the life philosophy of the Kuragin leads to their own death and harms others.

Anatole seduces young naive Natasha, being married himself, thereby destroying her future marriage with Andrei Bolkonsky. Hélène's dissolute behavior leads Pierre to the brink of life and death, and then to a deep spiritual crisis.

Comparative characteristics of the Bolkonsky, Rostov, Kuragin families

The Bolkonskys' family relations are dramatically and touchingly described. An old formidable prince, whom his children both fear and sincerely love. Anxious Marie, who adores her brother. When Andrei Bolkonsky realizes that he wants fame, human veneration, he, having passed severe trials, repents of this, changes his life. Reflection is not peculiar to the Anatol. He not only about other people, but also does not think about himself.

Tolstoy described the Rostov family with particular attention. Love reigns here. Ardent, charming Natasha is the soul of this family. Even the servants adore her, despite her whims.

When Nikolai, the eldest of the Rostovs' children, having lost at cards, casually asks his father to pay his debt, he, embarrassed, quickly agrees. Minutes later, ashamed of his act, Nikolai tearfully asks for forgiveness. Such a scene is unthinkable in the Kuragin family.

Quotation characteristics of the Kuragin family

About Helen, he says: "Where you are - there is debauchery, evil."

The head of the family, Prince Vasily, says this about his offspring: “My children are a burden to my existence. This is my cross. " He characterizes Hippolytus "The deceased fool", and Anatol, the youngest son, - "Restless".

Helen's quote from the novel speaks for itself: "I am not such a fool to have children."

In Leo Tolstoy's novel "War and Peace" the problem of the family is sharply posed. The author depicts in detail several family structures. Comparing the various options for family life, the writer shows what a family should be like, what true family values \u200b\u200bare, and how they affect the formation of personality.

The Bolkonsky and Kuragins are noblemen, have the same hereditary title, occupy a high position in society, are rich and prosperous. The heads of families - Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky and Prince Vasily - take care of their children. But they put different meanings into the concept of happiness. Each family has its own scale of life priorities.

The distinguishing features of the Bolkonskys are spirituality, intelligence, independence, nobility, high ideas about honor and duty. The old prince, a former nobleman of Catherine, a friend of Kutuzov, is a statesman. He, while serving Catherine, served Russia. Not wanting to adapt to the new time, which required not to serve, but to serve, he voluntarily imprisoned himself in the estate. Prince Vasily Kuragin is an opportunist and careerist. This person does not benefit the Fatherland: he is just an approximate of the king, a "significant", "important" servant at the court. Prince Vasily and his children revolve in "high society". The main task of the elder Kuragin is to find a place for the children, that is, using his connections, to provide his sons with "warm" places in the service, and his daughter to find a rich husband.

Bolkonsky tirelessly makes sure that children develop their abilities, know how to work and are willing to learn. He appreciated knowledge, comprehensive education. Therefore, Marya and Andrei received an excellent education. Marya reads a lot, loves music. Prince Andrew has an extraordinary memory, erudition, he has an idea about everything. The life of the old prince Bolkonsky is a continuous activity. This is work on memoirs about the glorious era of Catherine II, physical labor, estate management. Prince Andrew, like his father, seeks to benefit society, first chooses a military career, delves into all the subtleties of the art of war. Taking part in the 1805 campaign, he becomes a "trusted" adjutant to the commander. In a letter to the old prince, Kutuzov assessed the qualities of Prince Andrei as follows: “Your son gives hope to be an officer, one of the most advanced in his knowledge, firmness and diligence. I consider myself lucky to have such a subordinate at hand. "

Vasily Kuragin is busy only with his personal, selfish interests. For his sons, he prepares a lighter version of the activity: Hippolyta gets him a diplomat, insures him against the danger of military service; Anatole, thanks to his father's connections, is "listed" in the regiment. The youngest son is especially troublesome for his father, since Anatole leads a dissolute lifestyle, drinks, loses huge sums of money at cards. Prince Vasily has an idea to marry him to one of the richest brides - Princess Bolkonskaya. So in the novel, for the first time, the decency of the Bolkonskys and the low calculation of the Kuraginas collide. On the one hand, he is handsome, but, as Prince Vasily himself says, "a restless fool" Anatole, and on the other, outwardly not attractive, but noble Marya Bolkonskaya. Anatole's matchmaking almost ruined the life of the princess, but this time the moral danger passed the Bolkonskys. The elder Kuragin, on the other hand, brilliantly succeeded in the intrigue with the marriage of Pierre Bezukhov to Helen. Many efforts were expended by Prince Vasily, but he nevertheless achieved his goal: he gave his vicious daughter to the richest groom, who

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In this article we will talk about the novel by Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy "War and Peace". We will pay special attention to the Russian noble society, which is carefully described in the work, in particular, we will be interested in the Kuragin family.

War and Peace novel

The novel was completed in 1869. In his work, Tolstoy depicted Russian society during the era of the war with Napoleon. That is, the novel covers the period from 1805 to 1812. The writer had been carrying the idea of \u200b\u200bthe novel for a very long time. Initially, Tolstoy intended to describe the history of the Decembrist hero. However, the writer gradually came to the conclusion that it would be best to start the work from 1805.

The novel War and Peace was first published in separate chapters in 1865. The Kuragin family already appears in these passages. Almost at the very beginning of the novel, the reader meets its members. However, let's talk in more detail about why the description of high society and noble families occupies such a large place in the novel.

The role of high society in the work

In the novel, Tolstoy takes the place of a judge who begins a trial against high society. A writer primarily evaluates not a person's position in the world, but his moral qualities. And the most important virtues for Tolstoy were truthfulness, kindness and simplicity. The author seeks to rip off the shining veils of secular gloss and show the true essence of the nobility. Therefore, the reader from the first pages becomes a witness to the low deeds committed by the nobles. Recall at least the drunken revelry of Anatol Kuragin and Pierre Bezukhov.

The Kuragin family, among other noble families, is under the gaze of Tolstoy. How does the writer see each member of this family?

General idea of \u200b\u200bthe Kuragin family

Tolstoy saw in the family the basis of human society, therefore he attached such great importance to the depiction of noble families in the novel. The writer presents the Kuraginins to the reader as the embodiment of immorality. All members of this family are hypocritical, selfish, ready to commit a crime for the sake of wealth, irresponsible, selfish.

Among all the families depicted by Tolstoy, only the Kuragins are guided in their actions by exclusively personal interest. It was these people who destroyed the lives of other people: Pierre Bezukhov, Natasha Rostova, Andrei Bolkonsky, etc.

Even the Kuragin family ties are different. The members of this family are connected not by poetic closeness, kinship of souls and care, but by instinctive solidarity, which practically resembles the relationship of animals rather than people.

The composition of the Kuragin family: Prince Vasily, Princess Alina (his wife), Anatole, Helen, Ippolit.

Vasily Kuragin

Prince Vasily is the head of the family. For the first time a reader sees him in Anna Pavlovna's salon. He was dressed in a court uniform, stockings and heads and had a "bright expression on a flat face." The prince speaks in French, always for show, lazily, like an actor playing a role in an old play. The prince was a respected person among the society of the novel War and Peace. The Kuragin family was generally quite well received by other nobles.

Prince Kuragin, amiable to everyone and complacent to everyone, was close to the emperor, he was surrounded by a crowd of enthusiastic admirers. However, behind the external well-being, there was an incessant internal struggle between the desire to seem a moral and worthy person and the real motives of his actions.

Tolstoy liked to use the method of mismatching the internal and external character of the character. It was he who used it, creating the image of Prince Vasily in the novel War and Peace. The Kuragin family, whose characteristics we are so interested in, generally differs from other families in this duplicity. Which clearly speaks not in her favor.

As for the count himself, his true face manifested itself in the scene of the struggle for the inheritance of the deceased count Bezukhov. It is here that the hero's ability to intrigue and dishonest acts is shown.

Anatol Kuragin

Anatol is also endowed with all the qualities that the Kuragin family personifies. The characterization of this character is primarily based on the words of the author himself: "Simple and with carnal inclinations." For Anatole, life is continuous fun that everyone is obliged to arrange for him. This person never thought about the consequences of his actions and about the people around him, guided only by his desires. The idea that one should be responsible for one's actions never even occurred to Anatol.

This character is completely free from responsibility. The egoism of Anatol is almost naive and good-natured, it comes from his animal nature, which is why he is absolute. is an integral part of the hero, he is inside him, in his feelings. Anatole is deprived of the opportunity to think about what will happen after momentary pleasure. He lives only in the present. Anatole has a strong conviction that everything around is intended only for his pleasure. He has no regrets or doubts. At the same time, Kuragin is confident that he is a wonderful person. That is why there is so much freedom in his movements and appearance.

However, this freedom stems from the meaninglessness of Anatole, since he sensually approaches the perception of the world, but does not realize it, does not try to comprehend, as, for example, Pierre.

Helen Kuragina

Another character embodying the duality that the family carries, like Anatole, is perfectly given by Tolstoy himself. The writer describes the girl as a beautiful antique statue that is empty inside. There is nothing behind Helene's appearance, she is soulless, although beautiful. It is not for nothing that the text constantly contains comparisons of her with marble statues.

The heroine becomes in the novel the personification of depravity and immorality. Like all Kuragins, Helen is an egoist who does not recognize moral norms, she lives according to the laws of the fulfillment of her desires. An excellent example of this is her marriage to Pierre Bezukhov. Helen gets married only to improve her well-being.

After marriage, she did not change at all, continuing to follow only her base desires. Helen begins to cheat on her husband, while she has no desire to have children. That is why Tolstoy leaves her childless. For a writer who believes that a woman should be devoted to her husband and raise children, Helen became the embodiment of the most impartial qualities that a female representative can only have.

Ippolit Kuragin

The Kuragin family in the novel "War and Peace" personifies a destructive force that harms not only others, but also herself. Each family member is a bearer of some kind of vice, from which he himself eventually suffers. The only exception is Hippolytus. His character only harms him, but does not destroy the lives of others.

Prince Hippolytus looks very much like his sister Helene, but at the same time he is completely foolish. His face was “clouded with idiocy,” and his body was weak and thin. Hippolytus is incredibly stupid, but because of the confidence with which he speaks, everyone cannot understand whether he is smart or impenetrably dumb. He often speaks out of place, inserts inappropriate remarks, does not always understand what he is talking about.

Thanks to the patronage of his father, Hippolyte makes a military career, but among the officers he is known as a jester. Despite all this, the hero is successful with women. Prince Vasily himself speaks of his son as a "deceased fool."

Comparison with other noble families

As noted above, noble families are essential to understanding the novel. And it's not in vain that Tolstoy takes several families at once to describe. So, the main characters are members of five noble families: Bolkonsky, Rostov, Drubetsky, Kuragin and Bezukhov.

Each noble family describes different human values \u200b\u200band sins. The Kuragin family in this respect stands out strongly against the background of other representatives of the high society. And not for the better. In addition, as soon as Kuraginsky egoism invades someone else's family, it immediately causes a crisis in it.

The Rostov and Kuragin family

As noted above, the Kuragins are low, callous, depraved and selfish people. They do not feel any tenderness and care for each other. And if they do help, it’s only for selfish reasons.

The relationship in this family is in stark contrast to the atmosphere in the Rostovs' house. Here, family members understand and love each other, they sincerely care for loved ones, showing warmth and participation. So, Natasha, seeing Sonya's tears, also begins to cry.

We can say that the Kuragin family in the novel "War and Peace" is opposed to the Rostov family, in which Tolstoy saw the embodiment

The relationship between Helen and Natasha is also indicative. If the first was unfaithful to her husband and did not want to have children at all, then the second became the personification of the feminine principle in Tolstoy's understanding. Natasha became an ideal wife and a wonderful mother.

The episodes of communication between brothers and sisters are also interesting. How unlike the sincere friendly conversations of Nikolenka and Natasha to the cold phrases of Anatole and Helen.

The Bolkonsky and Kuragin family

These noble families are also very different from each other.

First, let's compare the fathers of the two families. Nikolai Andreevich Bolkonsky is an extraordinary person who appreciates the mind and activity. If necessary, he is ready to serve his Fatherland. Nikolai Andreevich loves his children, sincerely cares about them. Prince Vasily is not at all like him, who thinks only about his own benefit and does not worry about the well-being of his children. For him, the main thing is money and position in society.

In addition, Bolkonsky Sr., like his son later, became disillusioned with the society that so attracts all Kuragin. Andrei is the successor of the deeds and views of his father, while the children of Prince Vasily go their own way. Even Marya inherits strictness in raising children from Bolkonsky the elder. And the description of the Kuragin family unambiguously indicates the absence of any continuity in their family.

Thus, in the Bolkonsky family, despite the apparent severity of Nikolai Andreevich, love and mutual understanding, continuity and care reign. Andrei and Marya are sincerely attached to their father and have respect for him. The relationship between brother and sister was cool for a long time, until common grief - the death of his father - brought them together.

All these feelings are alien to the Kuragin. They are not able to sincerely support each other in a difficult situation. Their destiny is only destruction.

Conclusion

In his novel, Tolstoy wanted to show what ideal family relationships are built on. However, he had to imagine the worst possible development of family ties. This option was the Kuragin family, in which the worst human qualities were embodied. Using the example of the fate of the Kuraginhs, Tolstoy shows what moral decline and animal egoism can lead to. None of them ever found the desired happiness precisely because they thought only of themselves. People with such an attitude towards life, according to Tolstoy, do not deserve prosperity.

Vasily Kuragin

The name Vasily is translated from Greek as "tsar", the surname Kuragin is translated into Russian as economical, pensive, meaningless. Vasily Kuragin is the father of Helen, Anatole and Ippolit, he is also a distant relative of Count Bezukhov. The age of Vasily's children ranges from 20 to 30 years.

Appearance: In the Sherer salon, Vasily Kuragin was in a courtier, an embroidered uniform, in stockings, shoes and stars, his face was in a light expression, he was with a perfumed and radiant bald spot, when he smiled, there was something unexpectedly rude in his smile and unpleasant.

Vasily Kuragin was a prince, he said "in that exquisite French language always lazily, as an actor speaks the role of an old play." Secular society considers Kuragin a respected person, he is surrounded by women who admire him. Kuragin scatters secular courtesies, and he laughs at everyone. In fact, he simply uses people and circumstances to achieve his goals. He is cynical and selfish, looking for profit in everything, the main thing in his life is money. His attitude towards those around him is condescending, greed is the main character trait of Prince Vasily.

Elen Vasilievna Kuragina (Bezukhova)

Her name is translated from French as "bright, chosen." Vasilievna is imperial, Kuragina is economical. Her father - Vasily Kuragin, brothers Ippolit and Anatole, husband - Pierre Bezukhov.

Her “monotonous, unchanging smile and antique beauty of the body are often mentioned. She enters the Scherer salon “rustling with her white ballroom floor, trimmed with ivy and moss and shining with the whiteness of her shoulders, the gloss of hair and diamonds, she passed, as if graciously presenting to everyone the right to admire the beauty of her body, full of shoulders, very open in the fashion of the time, her chest and back. Helen was so pretty, as if she was ashamed of her beauty. "

Countess Helene was married to Pierre, but did not love him, and married only for her own enrichment. In Vilna, she became close to an influential nobleman whom she wanted to marry. Again, she did not love him, but wanted to get married because of money and status. For this, she betrayed the sacred - the faith.

Just like her father, she is self-serving and cynical, in the world she knows how to come true tacitly - worthy, giving the impression of an intelligent woman. Helene is the soul of society, she is admired and praised, but at the same time she is one of the stupidest women in the world, as Tolstoy says about her.

Anatol Vasilievich Kuragin

The name Anatole is translated as "dawn, sunrise, east". The patronymic is translated as "royal", and the surname is "economical". He is married to a Polish girl and hides it.

Anatole is handsome, extremely handsome. He is a tall handsome man with a good-natured and "victorious look", "beautiful big eyes and light brown hair."

The main features of Anatol were arrogance, stupidity, self-confidence and calmness, when he talked to someone, did not use beautiful expressions in his speech, his speech was simple. He treats women with contempt, is used to liking and not having serious feelings for anyone.

Ippolit Vasilievich Kuragin

His name is translated as "unharnessing horses", patronymic means "royal", and Kuragin - "thrifty."

“Prince Hippolyte amazed by his extraordinary resemblance to his beautiful sister, but despite this he was strikingly foolish. His facial features were the same as those of his sister, but everything was lit up with a cheerful smile. The brother's face was clouded with idiocy and invariably expressed self-confident disgust, and his body was thin and weak. Eyes, nose, mouth - everything seemed to shrink into one vague boring grimace, and arms and legs always took an unnatural position. "

Ippolit Kuragin was a prince, the main thing that can be noted in him is his extraordinary stupidity and self-confidence. The father calls his son "a deceased fool", and Tolstoy says about him that he is stupid, but does not harm anyone. Despite the strangeness of character, Prince Ippolit was successful with women and was a ladies' man.

Conclusion: Relationships in the family are false and hypocritical, all members of this family live for their own pleasure and satisfaction, this family is characterized by heartlessness and narcissism, contempt for people, lack of honor and conscience, shame and childlessness.

BBC One's War and Peace official poster, 2016

Leo Tolstoy is clearly not giving rest to anyone. It is understandable - a bright representative of the literary classics, a star of his time, power, strength, deep philosophy - what, one wonders, is still needed for complete happiness? That is why foreign directors, no, no, yes, and roll up their sleeves, for this or that work in an attempt to comprehend the broad Russian soul. True, so far what comes out ... what comes out. That colorful film by King Windor "War and Peace" with Audrey Hepburn in the role of Natasha Rostova, who, although considered a cultural heritage, at one time did not escape a loud failure. That "Anna Karenina" by Joe Wright, where things are even worse, because instead of the fatal beauty, the viewer is a skinny Keira Knightley with a purely non-Russian face. Not that our audience had anything against foreign features, but still, we are used to representing Karenin in some other way. At least in our understanding, Tolstoy's heroine, at least, should be dressed, and not sparkle left and right with naked parts of the body.

Andrey Bolkonsky (James Norton)

Natasha Rostova (Lily James)

As the experience of recent years shows, the British generally gravitate towards eroticism ... and towards Russian literature. Think incompatible concepts? You underestimate English filmmakers! “Anna Karenina”, one might say, was only a touchstone, a real revelation awaited us ahead of us.

The six-part film War and Peace, directed by Tom Harper and written by Andrew Davis for BBC One, is drawing to a close. We are almost at the victorious finale, but the catharsis never happened, unlike, say, War and Peace by Sergei Bondarchuk. Although comparing the English "masterpiece" with our film epic is somehow even awkward. If in 1967 Bondarchuk thought about a concept that would be obvious to a well-read person, or at least one who is aware that War and Peace is a literary work for the beginning, and not a movie at once, then the British followed a simple path.

Pierre Bezukhov (Paul Dano)

Princess Anna Pavlovna (Gillian Anderson)

Tolstoy's indescribable subtext, reflection of characters (it should be noted, not only central ones) and, in the end, some kind of physicality, tangibility of the heroes, all this turned out to be superfluous in the English version. The British created their film adaptation counting on those who, most likely, have not read the novel, and are ready to be content only with the story of the screenwriter Andrew Davis, which is much more like a brief listing of the events of Leo Tolstoy's monumental work. Once, Davis already had the honor to work with the text of the novel - the first 20-episode film with Anthony Hopkins as Pierre Bezukhov was released back in 1972 and even brought the actor a BAFTA award.

To the credit of the creator of the new work based on Tolstoy, it is worth noting that all events are observed in strict accordance with the original source, although slightly embellished. And that's right, whoever will be interested in looking at the spiritual torment of Pierre Bezukhov's mattress (which in the English version, alas, does not deserve another title), it would be better to show how his wife Helen (by the way, in the television series she is much more like a depraved nymphomaniac than representative of high society) copulates with her lover and part-time brother Anatol Kuragin. As many years of experience show, for a person who is far from film drama and art in general, seeing naked bodies is somehow calmer, they say, and they, the characters, that is, have everything like people.

Anatol Kuragin (Callum Turner)

Helen Kuragina (Tuppence Middleton)

Tolstoy, when writing the original text, probably simply forgot to paint the scene of the carnal love of the Kuragin's brother and sister, but Davis corrected the annoying injustice. By the way, experienced literary critics believe that Lev Nikolayevich did hint at incest, but subtly, they say, who understands will understand. The filmmakers preferred not to limit themselves to hints and show the mysterious Russian soul in all its glory: here are scenes of dirty love, and battalions of naked men led by Bolkonsky, and an almost visual guide to childbirth, and intestines sticking out of corpses on the battlefield, in short speaking, everything so that the audience does not have a desire to read the novel itself.

The director and screenwriter do not hide their intentions, they say, the film is for those who thought about who Tolstoy is not going to study sighting. Why, the actors themselves did not hold the cherished four volumes in their hands - they say that very few people can handle such a volume, and to be honest, there is absolutely no time.

The bathing scene of Russian soldiers, shot from episode 5, in the foreground is the character of actor Oscar Pierce

So it is not at all surprising that, thanks to such a kind of promotion of the classics to the masses, a community dedicated to the new hit was soon formed on Twitter, in particular, the questions were put forward for discussion: "Who would Natasha prefer - Anatol or Andrey?" (an incredible surprise awaits the audience in the finale) and "Is it legal to show male genitals on the screen in primetime?" The second topic, by the way, overshadowed all other discussions after the showing of the fifth episode (last weekend). Twitter exploded with more beautiful comments. The series was immediately offered to be renamed War and Penis.

The heroes, it is worth noting, in the English version of War and Peace are fabulously good-looking: Natasha (Lily James) laughs a lot and loudly, Pierre (Paul Dano), although a mattress, is a pretty mattress, Bolkonsky performed by James Norton looks like a magic one. prince, so that it will be difficult for an unprepared viewer to survive his untimely death.

Apparently, a tremendous amount of effort and money has been invested in the new work of cinematic art - costumes, locations (for the sake of reliability, the film crew even recorded different plans for St. Petersburg), however, nothing remained of Tolstoy in the series except, perhaps, the name. So Harper's "War and Peace" can be an excellent example of how you don't need to shoot, but in Russian, if you don't know how, don't take it. Well, or call this erotic fantasy based on Russian classics in some other way.

Natasha Rostova and Prince Andrey, shot from the BBC One series