Who directed the 1956 Hollywood film adaptation of War and Peace?

King Vidor directed the 1956 Hollywood film adaptation of War and Peace.

The film was produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti for Paramount Pictures and adapted Leo Tolstoy’s enormous 1869 novel. Vidor also received a screenplay credit, working with several other writers on a version that had to compress the novel’s many characters, battles, and philosophical passages into a feature-length film.

The production was developed in Italy and filmed largely at Cinecittà Studios, with additional locations in Rome, Turin, and Sardinia. Vidor oversaw the principal dramatic direction, while Mario Soldati handled some second-unit battle work. The large-scale production reportedly used thousands of military personnel as extras.

Sergei Bondarchuk is a common mix-up because he directed the acclaimed Soviet film version released in four parts in 1966 and 1967. William Wyler and David Lean also directed major historical films, but neither directed this 1956 adaptation. Vidor’s film starred Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, and Mel Ferrer.