Genre: Musical/Drama
Director: Rob Marshall
Writer: Jacob Jones
Based on the musical
Cast: Jared Leto, Selena Gomez, Justin Timberlake, Michelle Williams, Brittain Ashford, Donna Murphy, Jonathan Groff, Nick Kroll, Dove Cameron, Howard McGillin, Weird Al Yankovich
Plot:
(DISCLAIMER: The following is a sung-through adaptation of a portion of War and Peace. All lines are sung. Lines describing actions are acted and sung via voiceover.)
The year is 1812, mere days after Napoleon's invasion commences. Inside a large mansion, a wealthy man solemnly looks outside the window, a picture of his good friend Andrey Bolkonsky (Nick Kroll) on top of his desk. He laments that there's a war going on and Andrey isn't here. Outside the streets of Moscow, another man stands by an extravagant building playing his accordion. He looks around to see if the coast is clear and walks inside. There, Balaga (Weird Al Yankovich) conducts an orchestra and introduces the audience to the characters through song and the usage of professional actors. (Prologue) After rattling off every character he can think of (including the minor ones), he heads out of the opera house and looks outside, hoping to answer the question..."What about Pierre?"
Back inside his mansion, Pierre (Jared Leto) continues to look outside the window, cursing the decisions he has made in life, watching as the women fawn over and pity his marital situation. He looks away from the window, going to the kitchen to fix himself a drink of scotch and heading to his room to attempt to get some studying in before the day's out. (Pierre) The next day, Natasha (Selena Gomez) and her cousin Sonya (Brittain Ashford) arrive at Moscow, preparing to see their godmother Marya (Donna Murphy) Upon arriving at her house, they are instantly whirled inside and away from the cold. As their samovar is prepared, Natasha begins to worry about her fiance, Prince Andrey and begins to fantasize a life where he returns and takes her away to a wondrous land. Once their food and tea is brought in, Marya reminds them of what the agenda for tomorrow is. First, they buy dresses at Madame Chambord's, then they eat dinner and play a game of Boston. Then while Marya knits a sweater, Sonya will read her a story. As Sonya heads to her room, Marya congratulates Natasha on her engagement to Andrey but warns her that Old Prince Bolkonsky (Howard McGillin) is not fond of the marriage and reminds her the best way to win his approval is to be kind to his sister Mary (Dove Cameron). (Moscow)
As Natasha heads off to bed for the evening with this information, Marya goes to the living room and finds from her bookshelf her picture book. She sits down on a chair and flips through the pages, finding a photo of the old prince and his daughter and silently praying that all goes well. Outside, Balaga makes his final stop for the day, taking Old Prince Bolkonsky back from dinner. He tries their best to help the old prince as he struggles to walk inside the house. The prince gives a dramatic sermon, explaining his ailments and how even then, people still love him. Once they arrive inside, Prince Bolkonsky sits on the nearest chair he can find and begins to demand several things for his daughter Mary to get, making the threat to beat her if she doesn't. During the charade, a woman knocks on the door and seems to win the affection of the prince. Feeling protective, Mary warns him that she's using him. The argument scares off the woman and before Old Prince Bolkonsky can hit Mary, she runs off and watches as he panics about his missing glasses, pitying him and scolding herself for trying to ruin his fun. (The Private and Intimate Life of the House).
The next evening, Natasha arrives at the Bolkonsky household and is led in by Mary. Immediately she senses a bad vibe about her and her father's insane ramblings don't seem to be calming her nerves. Meanwhile, Natasha senses her own bad vibes regarding Mary's cold, distant behavior but puts on a brave face when told about Old Prince Bolkonsky. Once he stumbles out in his underwear.and comically insults her rank however, she tears up and makes her exit despite Mary's pleas not to (Natasha & Bolkonskys). Upon getting as far away from the house as possible, she begins to wander the streets and looks up at the moon again, dreaming about a life where she is living happily with Andrey. (No One Else)
Another evening passes by and despite the Bolkonsky incident, spirits are high between Natasha, Marya and Sonya as they enter the opera-house. With the young countess making her first appearance in public in quite some time, the entire crowd becomes dazzled by her beauty. Inside the opera-house, they see some of their old friends (Boris, Julia and Anna) before finding Helene (Michele Williams) and Dolokhov (Johnathan Groff) happily sitting together.
(It should be noted now that Helene is blatantly cheating on her husband for Dolokhov, but as Pierre points out, he is spending the day at home studying).
Helene and Natasha very briefly chat before Marya jumps in asking how Pierre is and imploring her to try and get him to reach out. The opera soon begins and everyone takes their seat. Natasha watches on, completely transfixed and confused by the charade. How someone can like watching unnatural actors doing unnatural things is beyond her and she assumes everyone is faking their understanding of it. Despite this, the warmth of the house and the spectacle of it all intoxicates her mind until the door opens and an extremely handsome, confident young man strolls by, instantly capturing Natasha's attention. The young prince Anatole (Justin Timberlake) sits next to Dolokhov. The rest of the opera becomes a blur to Natasha who is convinced he is looking at her. As the opera ends and the crowd applauds, Anatole makes his way to the opera box (The Opera).
Anatole introduces himself to Natasha and tells her that a costume tournament is happening later tonight and invites her to come, never taking his seducing eyes off the heartstruck countess. He gently takes her by the hand and flashes his charming smirk. After some time, Natasha finally builds up the courage to ask him how he likes Moscow, to which he claims to now loving. Sensing the fear in Natasha's eyes, he assures her that there is nothing to worry about (Natasha and Anatole).
Later that evening, Anatole enters his brother's house and tells him that he's going to the Club with Helene and Dolokhov, inviting him to come. Upon being taken by Balaga, The three begin to dance the night away while Pierre walks to the bartable. As the night passes, Helene begins to tempt him to ‘drink the whole night through’ Word of Anatole's obsession with Natasha grows among his peers and they murmur about him being married, Anatole doesn’t care saying there’s no dishonor towards gaiety and women. Pierre loudly wallows in his own intoxicated world, disgusting Helene. Sensing his heightened temper, Dolokhov makes a sarcastic toast to married women and their lover, taking Helene by the hand. Pierre sees this and challenges him to a duel, Anatole reluctantly getting his gun.
Pierre and Dolokhov stare each other down with neither man giving an inch. Despite Anatole’s warnings, Pierre accidentally shoots and hits Dolokhov in the stomach. He tries to shoot back but misses within an eyelash. Stunned and feeling the pain from the bullet wound, he crumples onto the floor. The sun rises and Pierre is declared the winner. Anatole asks Helene to invite Natasha to the ball which she agrees to before he tries to get Pierre home. Pierre in all his stunned silence stays on his chair (The Duel). As everyone leaves the club, Pierre thinks about what happened, wondering if this is his fate. He wonders if he was kind enough or close enough to others and realizes how much of his life he has wasted. And yet, he doesn’t wish to die. At least, not this way as he stands up and makes his way home (Dust and Ashes).
Back at Marya’s house, Natasha and Sonya light a candle. Sonya tells her that she can see her future through the candles. Natasha takes a deep look and to her horror finds a man lying down, perhaps symbolizing either Andrey dying at war or something happening to her before she comes home. Before she can go into further detail, Marya calls them over so they can head for church. In her mind, Natasha wrestles with the thought of breaking Andrey’s faith by falling for Anatole. After church, Marya heads to Prince Bolkonsky’s to ‘straighten him out’, leaving the cousins alone. Not wanting to revisit the memories of her visit, she enters her room to try on dresses. It’s at that moment Sonya hears the door knocking and opens the door. It’s Helene. She pays no attention to Sonya and saunters into Natasha’s room, helping her try on several dresses and inviting her to go to the ball by laying on the charm until she eventually agrees to come (Charming). That night, at the ball Anatole anxiously waits back at the door, thinking about how he’ll pleasure her when the door opens. It is Natasha. Anatole takes her by the hand and the two proceed to dance the night away. Even as Natasha makes it clear that she is betrothed, Anatole remains determined. Finally, Anatole kisses her on the lips and everything becomes clear. There is someone else for her (The Ball).
The next day, Pierre sits in his room writing a letter to Andrey about how everything has been while lamenting about himself and his plight. Here at home, he continues to drink and read but he’s been studying the Kabal and has found that Napoleon is the Biblical beast of revolution. In her room, Natasha tries to figure out what to say to Andrey but to no avail. On top of that, Mary has written a letter of apology regarding her father’s behavior and asks if they can try again. As they all ponder the future, Anatole sits by Dolokhov’s bed, collaborating on a love letter to send to Natasha. Upon receiving the message, Natasha’s mind is cleared once more (Letters). The love-letters continue to come until one day, Sonya returns home and enters Natasha’s bedroom, only to find her missing. On the floor is a letter. Curious, she picks it up and reads it finding not Andrey’s signature, but Anatole’s. Shocked, she hurries home and asks Natasha if she has refused Andrey. She tries to reason with her, but she remains stubborn, declaring that she’ll do anything for Anatole. Sonya threatens to tell Marya even as Natasha begs her not to. Finally, Natasha yells at her, declaring her to be the enemy and storms into her room to make the rejection official (Sonya and Natasha).
For the next few days, Sonya watches Natasha’s personality change to that of someone who depressively waits for Anatole to return. Interaction is limited between the two, as she mainly gives letters to Natasha. One night, as she goes to get the daily mail, she stops and realizes how important the family is to her and Natasha and vows to save her from ruin. She heads for the house, looking for Marya so she can tell her everything (Sonya Alone). Out of the window in Pierre’s house, he sees Anatole and learns of his adventure to take a new girl away. Despite Pierre’s bewilderment, he lends him fifty rubles. Upon watching him leave, he decides to follow him to see what happens. At Dolokhov’s house, Dolokhov waits anxiously for Anatole. As the two think about how to go about this, Dolokhov suggests that this may not be a good idea. Anatole refuses to listen. Dolokhov reminds him that he was the one that prepared everything and warns him that Anatole could be convicted, only for Anatole to tell him that it doesn’t matter either way since it is happening in Poland. (Preparations) Before Dolokhov can make any further arguments, they hear the galloping of Balaga’s horses. As the troika arrives to their house, he sends cheer and terror to everyone he sees, throwing several egg-shakers to a few children and nearly running some people over. (Balaga).
Anatole raises a glass, bidding his councils farewell and orchestrating a wild party before heading to Natasha’s house. Dolokhov whistles out, and a maidservant arrives who instructs them on Natasha’s whereabouts. Dolokhov stands by the gate as Anatole makes his way to the courtyard, only to find a furious Marya staring him down. Before she can send guards to take him away, Dolokhov rushes in to save him, getting him inside the troika and fleeing back home (The Abduction). Marya storms into the living room, furiously asking questions to Natasha. Sonya tries her best to comfort her, but she breaks down, telling them to go away before lying on the couch. Convinced she is sleeping, Marya D puts a pillow over her head and several sheets and instructs Sonya to leave her be. (In My House)
That evening, as a hung-oven Pierre tries to sleep, he receives a note of distress from Marya and rushes to her house. She explains everything to him and reveals that Anatole has been seeking Natasha’s hand. She begs him to help fix the crisis, and he offers to find Anatole (A Call to Pierre). Pierre spends the rest of the day looking for Anatole from the ice hills, Matreshka’s, Komoneono’s, and even the Club, where he tries to explain the scandal. Back at Marya’s house, she watches as Natasha freaks out, having learned about Anatole’s marital state. In Pierre’s house, Helene tries to help Anatole hide, but are too late as Pierre arrives. Helene downplays it as Anatole being Anatole, but Pierre has none of it (Find Anatole). Helene leaves in a huff, leaving the two brothers alone.
Pierre instigates Anatole on the affair, only for him to scoff at his tone. In a rage, Pierre reaches for the paperweight and threatens to hit him with it, only to put it back down. He instigates his brother-in-law on his actions and orders him to give him all the letters, leave Moscow and never speak of this again. Anatole promises to do so, but only if Pierre pledges to take back the insults. He does, giving him several rubles for the road. (Pierre and Anatole) As this goes on, Natasha rocks back and forth on her bed, staring at a bottle of arsenic. She thinks about everything that has happened and silently says a prayer, drinking the poison. That evening, Sonya sees her in her room, lifeless. Fearing that she has committed suicide, Sonya warns Marya, and she calls the doctors. To their relief, she survives but is very weak (Natasha Very Ill).
The next day, Pierre stands outside of the house when a troika passes by. Pierre takes a glance at the man inside it. It’s Andrey. A sad smile appears on his lips as the two discuss the war and recent events. Pierre reluctantly tells him about the scandal, much to Andrey’s disappointment. He hands Pierre the letters and expresses regret for her illness but that he cannot ask for her hand again and tells Pierre to no longer speak of it before heading off. (Pierre and Andrey) Pierre stares at the letter, thinking about what Andrey said before putting it by his cloak and arriving at Marya’s house. He is whisked to Natasha’s room where she lays in bed. Natasha asks him to tell Andrey to forgive her, which he promises to do. After much hesitation, he asks her if she loved ‘that bad man’ Anatole. Despite initial resistance, through her tears, she admits she didn’t know. Feeling sympathy, Pierre comforts the girl, gently looking into her eyes and saying that if he was not himself but the most beautiful, most handsome, best man on earth. And if he was free, he would get down on his knees this minute and ask for her hand and for her love. Feeling gratitude and newfound hope, Natasha thanks Pierre and the two embrace. (Pierre and Natasha)
Pierre heads outside, getting on his sleigh and making the trip home. Once home, he begins to wonder where life goes from here. He looks around. The world, seeming so dim and gloomy. And then, something captures his eye. He looks up and sees a beautiful, gigantic comet flying across the sky, lighting up everything he sees. He thinks about how he has traced the comet’s pathway, finding that it has stopped just for him. With tears in his eyes, Pierre smiles, having found new purpose in his life as the Great Comet of 1812 shines throughout all of Moscow. (The Great Comet of 1812)
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