please take a minute to read my entire review . i be not knock the film itself only the dvd version currently available . i really want to give this film even two star . i mean how could it possibly rank a mere negative . here how represent an epic film adaptation of tolstoy novel war and peace with historically accurate battle scene and courtesy of the red army and and an extremely faithful and scene for scene adaptation of the novel would be difficult but worth sit through for seven hour if that what you be see . the trouble be you can not see that film anywhere as far a i know . i be attempt to watch the ruscico dvd version widely consider the best version available since it letter box and restore the scene that be cut from other dvd release . but and it be one of the bad film print i have ever see transfer to dvd . the picture be muddy and inconsistent and often strobing . it almost tolerable if you crank your brightness and color and picture level up to maximum . but the problem doesn not end there . the sound be also way inconsistent and blaringly loud in part and virtually inaudible in others . and a for language and it a huge problem for english speaker the dubbed option have some good actor and and some really terrible one whose performance grate and and part of the film just aren not dub at all and slip back into russian and even french randomly . the subtitled option isn not much well . the subtitle do not appear below the image and but right over it obscure some of the beauty ( or what leave of it ) in the scenery . furthermore and the subtitle be often a poor translation ( a shame give that the script take pain to hew so close to tolstoy actual word ) and and the subtitle too seem to just drop out in part . so and even if you max out the color and brightness and picture setting and and turn the volume way up and and choose subtitle and english dubbed and youre still go to get a film that annoy to watch and listen to . can it content overcome that . it might have be able to and but at seven hour who can stand it for that long . maybe someday and someone will come along and restore this and maybe then i will see a masterpiece but for now and i just can not give more than one star to something i have only be able to stand watch about the first 12 % of .