"Bondarchuk’s Waterloo: A Review" Topic

"Saying "they don't make them like they used to", is usually rejected as coming merely from a place of nostalgia or bitterness. But in terms of film, the advent of computer-generated imagery has indeed seemed to permanently alter how movies with large-scale battles are filmed. Bondarchuk's Waterloo, however, shows us the very best of physically filmed battle scenes as they were before the advent of CGI.

Released in 1970, the film Waterloo chronicled events from Napoleon Bonparte's return to power in March of 1815, up to his decisive defeat at the hands of the Duke of Wellington and the Coalition forces in June at the movie's namesake. Directing the film was Soviet and war film veteran Sergei Bondarchuk. Under Bondarchuk's name already, was a 431-minute adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's 1869 War and Peace, endorsed directly by the USSR and so had at his expense 10,000s of actual soldiers of the Red Army. Worthy of its own review, it's nonetheless relevant for how similar it would be to Waterloo in both the scale of the battle with the Red Army again being used as extras and competence in quality…"

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Armand

An interesting fact. In the USSR, for the filming of Bondarchuk's film "War and Peace", a special cavalry military unit was created – the 11th separate cavalry regiment. This military unit was specifically designed to participate in the filming of feature films and was financed by the Mosfilm film studio. At the same time, it continued to remain a full-fledged military unit and had appropriate training and weapons. After the collapse of the USSR, the Honorary Cavalry Escort was formed from this regiment as part of the Presidential Kremlin Regiment.

Watched it on June 18th, I was wondering though I still think they didn't get every aspect of Napoleonic warfare exactly right it might be the best done in film in a large scale. I think his War and Peace got lots of things right as well.

Loved all three of those films. Honorable mention to Kubrick's use of the Spanish army in "Spartacus."

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Armand

Does anybody know, whether there is an extended version of Bondartschuk's Waterloo (something like a dircetor's cut)? I have seen an old German flyer for the film, with a scene photo, where Blücher is shown in the midst of his troops (hussars etc., nearly all in black uniforms, a little bit dramatical) but could note locate the scene in the official film version. In online shops, the film length is given between ca. 2:08 and 2:15 hours.

Waterloo; Making an Epic (Simon Lewis) is the definitive work on the production. there is no director's cut tragically, whatever people "recall". Film was not stored back then if unused, so there is no D's C of The Longest day or Magnificent Seven for example.

There were huge cuts before release and I have so many stills that never saw the screen. Many an actor was deleted in their entirety. After release there were very minor edits. The current views on cruelty to animals led to later deletion of tripped horses for example. The scene with the maddened soldier leaving the square is not in every version

Meant to add that the book has many a B&W illustration of deleted scenes, not to be found on the internet.
But probably the best known scene is this;

Imagine deleting the whole point of the Allied Campaign, the junction of the Prussian and Anglo (plus KGL)-Netherlands-Hanoverian-Brunswick-Nassau Alliance Armies

Thanks my good friend…

Armand

I saw War and Peace in an "Art House" cinema back in the 70's at an all night showing.

All I can remember was it was shot in a strange colour palette which was supposed to give an impression of candle light and the sweeping aerial tracking shots of the battlefields were horrendous.

Although that was enhanced by turning up at the screening with a bunch of other idiots after several drinks too many! 🤢

This is the picture I mentioned, probably Blücher at the "La belle alliance" inn. What I didn't have in mind was, that the photo shows two British (German / KGL?) soldiers with the 1812 shako model, too.

Simon Lewis (mentioned above) and Richard Heffer (Captain Mercer in the film) have just published "Waterloo 1969"; a book of Heffer's photos taken during the production. The photo of a "British Square" is worth the cost on its own!

Thanks

Armand