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Waterloo

Waterloo

History · Drama · War · 1970

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 now must beat Napoleon himself with an Anglo Allied army.

Movie details

Waterloo

“One incredible afternoon Napoleon met Wellington . . . at Waterloo.”

1970 History · Drama · War 2h 14m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

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 now must beat Napoleon himself with an Anglo Allied army.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Waterloo?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Sergey Bondarchuk

Written by

H.A.L. Craig

Rod Steiger

Rod Steiger

Napoleon Bonaparte

Christopher Plummer

Christopher Plummer

Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington

Orson Welles

Orson Welles

Louis XVIII

Jack Hawkins

Jack Hawkins

General Sir Thomas Picton

Virginia McKenna

Virginia McKenna

Duchess of Richmond

Dan O'Herlihy

Dan O'Herlihy

Marshal Michel Ney

Rupert Davies

Rupert Davies

Gordon

Court is in session

Put Waterloo on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.