WATERLOO is a near-definitive staging of the famous 1815 battle, made as a co-production between Italy, America, and Russia. Dino De Laurentis can certainly be proud of his work on this film, which is one of the finest visual stagings of a famous battle ever. It's quite amazing to sit back and watch a film which had the money to cast thousands of much-needed extras to give the film a real authentic feel. If they made it today you just know it would all be CGI, whereas in WATERLOO it's real.
I imagine few viewers could resist being stirred by the scenes of British cavalry charges and cannon fire against overwhelming French numbers. The aim seems to be to recreate the famous 19th century paintings commemorating the battle, and certainly this film is a visual masterpiece with glorious scenery, costumes, and special effects. Every penny of the budget is put on the screen to glorious effect.
Running at two hours, the first hour of this is the set-up, bringing the main players on both sides to life. Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer are well cast in fire and ice roles, Steiger hamming it up delightfully as the all-heart Napoleon and Plummer bringing a cold sneer to the part of Wellington. The supporting cast includes old reliables like Ian Ogilvy, Terence Alexander, and Jack Hawkins, also making use of Virginia McKenna's icy beauty and Orson Welles's larger-than-life persona. Dan O'Herlihy also makes a convincing Marshal Ney. Overall, WATERLOO is a treat for the historical fan among us, offering great old-fashioned spectacle of the like you just don't get these days.
I imagine few viewers could resist being stirred by the scenes of British cavalry charges and cannon fire against overwhelming French numbers. The aim seems to be to recreate the famous 19th century paintings commemorating the battle, and certainly this film is a visual masterpiece with glorious scenery, costumes, and special effects. Every penny of the budget is put on the screen to glorious effect.
Running at two hours, the first hour of this is the set-up, bringing the main players on both sides to life. Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer are well cast in fire and ice roles, Steiger hamming it up delightfully as the all-heart Napoleon and Plummer bringing a cold sneer to the part of Wellington. The supporting cast includes old reliables like Ian Ogilvy, Terence Alexander, and Jack Hawkins, also making use of Virginia McKenna's icy beauty and Orson Welles's larger-than-life persona. Dan O'Herlihy also makes a convincing Marshal Ney. Overall, WATERLOO is a treat for the historical fan among us, offering great old-fashioned spectacle of the like you just don't get these days.