Waterloo (I) (1970)

Facing the decline of everything he has worked to obtain, conqueror Napoleon Bonaparte and his army confront the British at the Battle of Waterloo.

Director:

Sergey Bondarchuk

Writers:

H.A.L. Craig (story), Sergey Bondarchuk (screenplay),

Stars:

Rod Steiger, Christopher Plummer, Orson Welles

Won 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rod Steiger	...	Napoleon Bonaparte
Christopher Plummer	...	Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington
Orson Welles	...	Louis XVIII
Jack Hawkins	...	General Sir Thomas Picton
Virginia McKenna	...	Duchess of Richmond
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Marshal Michel Ney
Rupert Davies	...	Gordon
Philippe Forquet	...	La Bedoyere
Gianni Garko	...	Drouot
Ivo Garrani	...	Marshal Soult
Ian Ogilvy	...	De Lancey
Michael Wilding	...	Colonel Sir William Ponsonby
Sergo Zakariadze	...	Blucher (as Serghej Zakhariadze)
Terence Alexander	...	Lord Uxbridge
Andrea Checchi	...	Sauret

Storyline

After defeating France and imprisoning Napoleon on Elba, ending two decades of war, Europe is shocked to find Napoleon has escaped and has caused the French Army to defect from the King back to him. The best of the British generals, the Duke of Wellington, beat Napolean's best generals in Spain and Portugal, but has never faced Napoleon. Wellington stands between Napoleon with a makeshift Anglo-Allied army and the Prussians. A Napoleon victory will plunge Europe back into a long term war. An allied victory could bring long term peace to Europe. The two meet at Waterloo where the fate of Europe will be decided.

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Plot Keywords:

napoleon | victory | waterloo | general | french army | 

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Taglines:

Waterloo.The battle that changed the face of the world.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

Italy Soviet Union

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

29 October 1970 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Waterloo savasi

Filming Locations:

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Mosfilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Mono 70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Savident was badly injured when he fell off his horse during shooting.

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Goofs

Fred Jackson, who is present at the Duke of Richmond's Ball, but does not have a speaking part, is listed as the Prince of Brunswick in the credits. There never was a "prince" of Brunswick, but there was a duke, and he was 43 at the time of Waterloo (he was to be KIA at the battle of Quatres-Bras, two days before Waterloo, on June 16 at the age of 43 leading the small Brunswick corps). Jackson portrays a much younger man wearing the uniform of Willem, Prince of Orange (the crown prince of the Netherlands). The Prince of Orange was present at the ball and was on Wellington's staff as commander of the I Corps, and also commander-in-chief of all Netherlands forces.

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Quotes

Duke of Wellington: The whole line will advance.
Lord Uxbridge: In which direction your grace?
Duke of Wellington: Why, straight ahead to be sure.

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Connections

Referenced in Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001)

User Reviews

Rod Steiger.....(death of)

A fantastic testement to Rod Steiger.Steiger is unequalled in his part as Napoleon, not only protraying the French Emperor in manner but in looks as well. The acting and cinema world lost a master-actor this year and the world is poorer for it.

TibKha.