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Rod Steiger, Christopher Plummer, Orson Welles, Jack Hawkins, Virginia McKenna ... see more see more... , Dan O'Herlihy , Rupert Davies , Philippe Forquet , Ian Ogilvy , Michael Wilding , Sergei Zakariadze , Terry Alexander , Andrea Checchi , Donal Donnelly , Charles Millot , Oleg Vidov , Charles Borromel , Roger Green , Susan Wood , Armando Bottin , Adrian Brine , Andre Eszterhazy , Gianni Garko , Ivo Garrani , Willoughby Gray , Richard Heffer , Orazio Orlando , Giuliano Raffaelli , John Savident , Irina Skobtseva , Jeffry Wickham , Peter Davies , Franco Fantasia , Jean Louis , Aldo Cecconi , Lanfranco Ceccarelli , Vladimir Druzhnikov , Guidarino Guidi , Volodia Levchenko , Vasily Livanov , Rodolfo Lodi , Yevgeny Samoylov

This lavishly costumed historical epic had an estimated $100 million price tag. Spectacularly photographed battle action contrasts with often plodding individual scenes that bog down the plot. Fearing... read more read more... his growing power, European monarchs force Napoleon Bonaparte (Rod Steiger) to abdicate as Emperor and retire to Elba, and the French are concerned they will be outnumbered by a force of combined armies from many countries in Europe. Napoleon no sooner says goodbye to his loyalist troops than he begins to rally his men and prepare for another takeover. King Louis XVIII (Orson Welles) sends Marshal Michel Ney (Dan O'Herlihy) and his men to counter Bonaparte, but upon seeing his old commander (and ally), Ney thrusts his sword to the ground and takes up arms with the deposed emperor. They all return to Paris by popular demand, defying the orders of Louis (who flees from the palace) and running the monarchy tout seul. Soon England, Austria, Prussia and Russia unite to try and stop the dictator. Wellington (Christopher Plummer) readies his troops near Waterloo, refuses to retreat anymore, and waits for Prussian Marshall Blucher (Sergei Zakhariadze) and his army to join up with the British as the only hope to stop the French juggernaut. Jack Hawkins and Michael Wilding portray key military commanders Picton and Ponosby, respectively. Napoleon and his troops cut into the Prussian and British forces dramatically, weakening their power, but three problems arise. First, Ney refuses to lead his segment of the troops onward; and second, Bonaparte's men are plagued by the wet weather, which causes the cannon brigade to become immobilized in mud (when Wellington strategically gives Bonaparte's troops the lower ground) rendering it ineffective until late in the day. And even more calamitously, Bonaparte - growing increasingly ill -- insists on leading his men from the rear, which causes the information to become outdated as soon as it gets to him. The Russian version of this film was nearly four hours long, while western audiences saw an edited version slightly over two hours long. Unfortunately, Waterloo bombed at the box office. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

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80% liked it

1,765 ratings

G, 2 hr. 2 min.

Directed by: Sergei Bondarchuk

Release Date: October 26, 1970

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DVD Release Date: October 11, 2005

Stats: 172 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (172)

  • puffchunk
    January 5, 2011
    puffchunk
    Not bad for an old war movie. Funny and interesting.
  • Lyndaofwirral
    January 16, 2011
    Lyndaofwirral
    Massive battle scenes and a superb cast. The script often sounds a bit strangled as it leans heavily on attributed quotes. The film was a joint Soviet/Italian collaboration made in 1970 and it seems no coincidence that political and socialogical differences between Napoleon and h... read moreis adversaries are highlighted - the dictator Bonaparte is shown as very much a man of his people whereas his aristocratic opponents exhibit an air of superiority to and distain for their working class rank and file. All in all it's not a perfect film but it truly is an epic spectacle.
  • scrambledegg7
    July 9, 2011
    scrambledegg7
    It was interesting watching this right on the heels of Abel Gance's Napoleon. This, however, had what Gance's film lacked. I was very drawn into the minds of the two opposing leaders. Wellington was played beautifully by Christopher Plummer, who created a fascinating aristocratic... read more soldier. Napoleon was clearly the supporting character of this story, but he was also significantly more interesting than in Gance's version. The characters of these two held up the movie for me when I lost interest in the battle logistics. Nicely done.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Greenspun
May 9, 2005
Roger Greenspun, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Emanuel Levy
August 12, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Dragan Antulov
August 2, 2004
Dragan Antulov, rec.arts.movies.reviews

No review available.

January 26, 2006
Time Out

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August 7, 2004
Film4

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Facts

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    • Napoleon: I have come back to make France happy! I am France and France is me!
    • Napoleon: Well, they've done it. All the great powers have declared war against me. Not against France -- against me!
    • Marshal Michel Ney: They honor you by making you a country.
    • Napoleon: Honor? They deny me the decency of law. They make it legal for any clown to kill me!
    • Lord Richard Hay: If you would take the men into your confidence....
    • Wellington: If I thought my hair knew what my brain was thinking, I'd shave it off and wear a wig.
    • Louis XVIII: Ney, you will be the first to confront the werewolf. I know you love this man...
    • Marshal Michel Ney: I did -- once. But I promise Your Majesty I will bring him back to Paris in an iron cage!
    • Napoleon: Never interrupt your enemy while he is in the process of making a mistake.
    • Wellington: I don't need a white horse to puff ME up, by God!
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Waterloo Trivia

  • "We danced the Mamushka while Nero fiddled, we danced the Mamushka at Waterloo. We danced the Mamushka for Jack the Ripper, and now,**** this Mamushka is for you." Is a quote from which film?  Answer »
  • Whats the nane of the wartime drama staring Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor  Answer »
  • What was the name of the commander of the British Guards in the movie Waterloo? The Duke of Wellington towards the end of the battle while the French Imperial Guard are advancing says to him, "Stand up Mr ___, your time has come"  Answer »
  • Who played the male lead in "Waterloo Bridge"?  Answer »
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