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Tens of thousands of Russian soldiers signed up as extras
to bring a real epic quality to Waterloo.
No get-tight-in-to-hide-our-lack-of-numbers photography
here as Sergei Bondarchuk uses zooming, panning and helicopter
cameras to stunning effect and runs the lens over a massive
landscape of colourful uniforms, towering explosions and charging
horses.
For those keen on accuracy, the tactics used by the soldiers
are pretty spot on - column and line formations - although
in one of the climactic scenes I'm sure the rear rank of British
Guards would have shot their own front line to pieces when
the eager latter troops stood up just as the volley was fired.
The sound is awesome. Throughout the movie, the jangle of
spurs and creak of leathers add a close-in realism for the
viewer; that is when your ears are not being rung by massed
artillery salvoes and musket fire.
There are a lot of well-known actors, mainly British, in
Waterloo and they do a very good job. Christopher Plummer
is superb as the aristocratic Duke of Wellington (even looks
a bit like him) and Rod Steiger's Napoleon is excellent. Orson
Welles makes a couple of appearances as (Fat) Louis XVIII
and the support crew includes Dan O'Herlihy, Terence Alexander,
Philippe Forquet and Ian Ogilvy.
There are three extra minutes of the movie on the DVD - the
video has 126 minutes - but this was a perfect opportunity
to put out a director's cut of the whole original version
of Waterloo.
Running time was four hours and would have brought joy to
a Napoleonic buff's heart.
Conclusion: Movie: 85% DVD Extras:
40%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
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