该影片以1812年俄国卫国战争为背景中心，通过对四大家庭以及安德烈、彼埃尔、娜塔莎在战争与和平的环境中的思想和行动的描写，展示了当时俄国社会的风貌。

影片改编自俄国文豪托尔斯泰的同名作品《战争与和平》，以1812年俄国卫国战争为中心，反映了1805年至1820年的重大事件，包括奥斯特利茨大战、波罗底诺会战、莫斯科大火、拿破仑溃退等。通过对四大家庭以及安德烈、彼埃尔、娜塔莎在战争与和平环境中的思想和行动的描写，展示了当时俄国社会的风貌。该片是苏联著名导演兼演员谢尔盖·邦达尔丘克的扛鼎力作，曾在我国内地上映，上影厂为其配音。

当撤退的俄国人放火烧毁莫斯科时，罗斯托夫夫妇带着受伤的士兵逃离了他们的庄园，却不知其中就有安德烈。皮埃尔打扮成一个农民，试图刺杀拿破仑，但被俘虏了。随着法国人被迫撤退，他和大军一起被押解数月，直到被一个突击队释放。法国人在克拉斯诺耶战役被库图佐夫打败。安德烈被认出并被带到他的庄园。在弥留之际，他原谅了娜塔莎。不久娜塔莎与皮埃尔重聚，他们在莫斯科重建的过程中结婚。

War and Peace: At the peak of the Cold War, the short-range missile crisis, neutron bombs could have potentially annihilated Central Europe. 300,000 protesters in Bonn. German Chancellor Schmidt resigns. Why make a film collage about war? "Nothing is more discouraging than not being able to see through a game on which your life hinges." Alexander Kluge about War and Peace: There are experiences which move the senses and the heart but which, once robbed of their historical context, are very hard to convey in film in such a way that they remain topical and hold the interest of the audience. One such experience is the missile crisis of 1981-1984. For our part we had made a considerable effort to film it. Why? Even at the time the majority of the audience didn't ask us to. pDuring those years I felt physically afraid. To be honest, I didn't believe Germany was going to be bombarded with neutron bombs or in the total destruction of the Fulda basin, i.e. the zone in the middle of Germany into which the missiles of both sides would fall in the event of a Third World War. Inside me I had a defence mechanism against the thought that a Third World War could be the result of the mistakes made