11 thoughts on “War & Peace (2016) Recap, Pt. 4

  1. The costumes look very Meh to me too but at least there are no outright howlers. I am glad that it does, roughly vaguely stick to the story. I had the impression from the Guardian blog that the scene where Natasha persuades her parents to ditch the china and take the wounded had been cut so am glad to be wrong. That is one of my favourite “moments” in the book and the most re-winded scene in the 72 version.
    I assume the scene with Napoleon was filmed in the Kremlin. He did have a favourite room, so it might well be the very one.
    AS to the fires I don’t think anyone ever knew absolutely who started them though most histories record that they were lit by the Russians however, always the contrarian, Tolstoy argued that “an abandoned city will burn”. HE was very much of the “things just happen” mindset.

  2. Oh and apologies for the double posting but I wanted to say how much I have enjoyed your War and Peace blog. Thank you.
    Saturday mornings will not be the same now.

  3. Ok, the white dress with the back p leats are very sacque backed dress from the 1680-1720. Also I remember reading that “loose women” would soak their petticoats in water so they would appear sheer and cling to their shapes.

  4. “She must be wearing a flesh-colored body stocking, because there’s no bush and no nipples. I have vague memories of these actually existing in the period, for wearing under super sheer gowns such as this… does anyone remember this better than me?”

    I recall hearing something about this (art history class?), as well the part in Lady Herminia’s response about going around in wet clinging draperies– though I heard it as trying to more closely emulate Greek sculpture.

    Margaret J. Bailey’s “Those Glorious Glamour Years: Classic Hollywood Costume Design of the 1930’s” (Citadel Press, 1982) describes a still of Loretta Young in a back-lit sheer gown by Gwen Wakeling for “The House of Rothschild” (UA, 1934):

    “…set in Napoleonic times, when styles attempted a Greek revival. Many fashionable ladies then wore flesh-colored tights underneath very sheer garments, like the costume on Loretta Young. Young is completely covered with long sleeves and a high neck, but the gown is very provocative.”

    1. Because it’s such a fascinating thing, I’m posting Alden Tullis O’Brien’s Facebook comment: “Can’t figure out how to post a reply on the site, so to answer your question about the flesh colored body stocking for Bitchwife: They were called “invisible petticoats” and the descriptions I’ve seen are for a single tube of knitted silk (tho there’s another description of flesh colored satin breeches too). Susan Sibbald’s memoirs quoted by Waugh in Corsets and Crinolines: “they were woven in the stocking loom, and were like strait waist-caots…but only drawn down over the legs….so that when walking, you were obliged to take short and mincing steps.” So, no view of space between individual legs.”

  5. None of the pictures are showing up for me on this last recap! I’ve just discovered this and I was enjoying it so much

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