Tonight on BBC1 at 9pm (UK time), their new 6-part adaptation of Tolstoy's masterpiece begins. This was the very first thing that enthused me about Imperial Russia, when I saw the BBC's previous version in 1973 when I was 8 years old. That version has stayed with me in all the years since and it's feeling is a part of me as a person - the romance and the depth of love in the story are something I feel very deeply. The new version is said to be "sexed up" and Andrew Davies says that there are places where he has written things into the story which Tolstoy only implied, such as the incestuous relationship between Helene Kuragin and her brother Anatole, something still controversial today. Does Tolstoy need this kind of editing? I don't know. But I have an open mind. If the loving essence of the characters and plot remains intact, then the new ideas will be a welcome addition and a significant move forward. And the story will be enhanced. Certainly I love the casting of the main characters, especially Lily James as Natasha Rostova. She has all the lightness, beauty and grace that characterises Natasha. Whether she can successfully embody her psychological journey from naïve teenager to emotionally and spiritually mature woman remains to be seen. But I hope for the very best and I have not looked forward to anything so much in many years. I hope this does for our present time, what the 1973 BBC version did for mine. The love and the beautiful philosophy of this story can and will be with all who watch it for lifetimes and beyond...check out the main BBC site here...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p039wcdk
and with thanks to the BBC for the photo above of Pierre, Natasha and Prince Andrei. I wish them all the very best!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p039wcdk
and with thanks to the BBC for the photo above of Pierre, Natasha and Prince Andrei. I wish them all the very best!