Sunday, December 10, 2023

Movie review - "Waterloo" (1970) ***

 Expensive, full of detail for the military nerd. The spectacle impresses. I actually felt this might've been better in a longer version - you would've gotten to know the characters more. Mistake I think to start with Napoleon abdicating - better to start with him coming from Elba. 

Rod Steiger hams it up as Napoleon. Hell, why not. Chris Plummer has dry fun as Wellington. They look at each other through glasses. We hear their thoughts - I've never liked that method.

Best bit apart from the spectacular stuff: death of Michael Wilding. That of Jack Hawkins would mean more if we'd gotten to know him. Dan O'Herily yells entertainingly as Ney. Ian Ogilvy gets quite a number of close ups.

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