Waterloo [1970]

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
"A film that will never be equalled for its spectacle and dramatic power" says the stirring trailer on this otherwise sparsely featured DVD. Taking the story of the Napoleonic Wars to Bonaparte's final defeat, Waterloo is an unofficial continuation to director Sergei Bondarchuk's own 70mm super-epic War and Peace (1968). The climactic battle of Waterloo is shown in the second half of the film and re-enacted with such stunning realism by a cast of around 20,000 extras that it looks like documentary footage from history itself (some 20 years later, Gettysburg, 1993, did the same for the American Civil War). Those who hailed the groundbreaking impact of Saving Private Ryan should see Bondarchuk's films, as for sheer scale and intensity--if not bloodiness--they make Spielberg's hit look like an amateur video. Without ever attempting a French accent, Rod Steiger makes a commanding Napoleon, Christopher Plummer a worthy adversary as Wellington, while the supporting cast led by Orson Welles, Jack Hawkins and Virginia McKenna is excellent. The DVD transfer is richly detailed and clear, though the print itself could have done with just a little restoration. Though dated, Abel Glance's Napoleon (1928) remains definitive for many, perhaps explaining why Stanley Kubrick eventually abandoned his planned Napoleon film, instead making the 18th Century period epic Barry Lyndon (1974). --Gary S.Dalkin

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-07-29 rating:
One of Rod Steiger's most overlooked underappreciated performances....
In the tradition of the cinematic epics like Kubrick's "Spartacus" and Mann's "Fall of the Roman Empire," Bondarchuk's "Waterloo" succeeds in depicting Napoleon's desperate and final bid for power and glory. Steiger, no stranger to roles that have consistently challenged his acting ability, is quite good as the deposed French emperor who narrowly lost his final battle. Orson Welles' appearance as Louis XVIII, is far too brief but most welcome, and Plummer as Lord Wellington is a casting director's dream. Dino de Laurentiis has produced some questionable if not laughable films in the past "King Kong" (1976) and "Flash Gordon" (1980); however, "Waterloo" must be seen as one of his better efforts.

Many critics here at Amazon will applaud the many and well-orchestrated battle scenes--a case-in-point are the great aerial shots of the British "squares" organized against Marshall Ney (Dan O' Herlihy) and the French cavalry--and one can easily understand the film's strong visual appeal, but this opus succeeds in other ways too.

The non-battle scenes, for instance, like the ball before the battle which introduces us to Napoleon's nemesis, Wellington, and the scenes of Napoleon dictating letters to his secretaries, are thoughtful touches that broaden the scope of this highly entertaining film and successfully depict an aristocratically genteel milieu shattered by the cataclysm that is nineteenth-century warfare. On the surface, an era characterized by the gentility of the landed gentry and sportsmanlike conduct on the battlefield, later destroyed by the real brutalities and devastation of war.

Unlike too many directors who take liberties with depicting historical events (Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" quickly come to mind), Bondarchuck successfully and accurately depicts Napoleon in his decline--plagued with self-doubt, his irascible outbursts towards subordinates compounded by his ill-health (now confirmed by modern bio-historians as a combination of dysuria, piles, dermatitis, and stomach cancer) and his symptoms of grandiose delusion .

This is a Region 2 PAL encoded disc, so you will require a multi-region DVD player to view it. This film originally ran at 3 hours on its initial theatrical release in 1970, now cut down to 2 hours and eight minutes. It is a pity that we do not have the film in its entirety with Region 1 encoding as the director originally intended. Although this item is listed here as currently "unavailable," try purchasing it thru the AmazonUK site.

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review by: Roborob date: 2008-07-24 rating:
A Great Spetical of a movie
This film shows the battle of Waterloo to a fair extent if a little inaccuratly, but on a scale little scene even in these days of CGI. This film is the best potrayal of a Napoleonic battle ever filmed. Filled with some of the best lines in movie history this is a great film even if it's not 100% historcaly accurate.

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review by: D Skilton date: 2008-02-02 rating:
Well Worth Watching
Though this is not as good that other epic film about a famous battle-Zulu, the sheer scope of it is magnificent. The battle scenes and costumes are second to none. What lets this movie down is the script and characterisation. You don't feel for the characters like you do in the fore mentioned Zulu. Though Rod Steiger stands out as Napoleon. Still well worth watching.

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review by: date: 2008-01-15 rating:
Overated arty epic.
The battle of Waterloo was a tense, massive battle which ended the Napoleonic era. It was death or glory for both sides with Napoleon taking on the undefeated Lord Wellington for the first and last time.

This film fails to convey what the true motivations of the sides were. There is a void of passion and real emotion throughout. Officers on both sides are shown casually sat on their horses chatting even during the heat of battle.

The battle scenes are completely unconvincing. There is virtually no contact between the sides. There is little noise, and a total abscence of smoke. Few people were dying during when the troops advanced. The officers were picked off one by one, in a ridiculous fashion. Worst of all was the French Cavalry charge. A large column of cavalry charges at Wellingtons Lines. The cavalry appears to take no casualties whilst it canters round squares of British Infantry for five minutes. The infantry squares are so closely positioned as to be shooting each other in cross-fire.

In a ho-hum kind of way the elements of the battle are covered by the film. The costumes are decent and there is a scence of scale. At times the director appears to be trying to recreate scenes from famous paintings. He does this quite well, but what was the point?

If you are interested in the Napoleonic period then buy it for a rainy afternoon, but don't expect to be wowed by it.




review by: date: 2007-10-18 rating:
An entertaining film, although inaccurate.
Waterloo was "a close run thing", as the Duke of Wellington once said. It was fought by at least four armies in their different uniforms. Wellington not only had English troops under his command, but also Dutch and Belgians who fought bravely and did indeed help to make the diference. The film gives the impression that the battle was fought exclusively by British and French troops. Aside from that, and a few historic inaccuracies which have to be be forgiven for the sake of of the story, the film is an impressive achievement on the part of both the director and cast, who are all professionals of the highest order.

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Similar products

Cromwell [1970]
Gettysburg (Double sided DVD) [1993]
Zulu [1964]
Zulu Dawn [1979]
The Battle Of Waterloo - 1815

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