Waterloo

From the archive

A large-scale historical war film directed by Sergey Bondarchuk that dramatizes Napoleon Bonaparte’s final campaign and the Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815). The film alternates between broad army movements and intimate portraits of commanders and soldiers. After escaping exile on Elba, Napoleon returns to France and rebuilds his army, prompting the Seventh Coalition (Britain, Prussia, Netherlands, etc.) to mobilize under leaders including the Duke of Wellington (Arthur Wellesley) and Prussian Field Marshal Gebhard von Blücher. Tension mounts as both sides prepare for a decisive confrontation. The film follows Napoleon (Rod Steiger) as he plans and executes maneuvers to divide and defeat the Coalition before they can unite. It shows his charisma, strategic brilliance, concern about troop quality, and mounting doubt as luck and logistics begin to turn against him. Wellington (Christopher Plummer) is portrayed as a cautious, professional commander defending a coalition line across the Mont-Saint-Jean ridge, while Blücher—portrayed with blunt determination—focuses on keeping the Prussian army intact and in the fight despite injuries and exhausted troops.With Prussian pressure and exhausted French troops, Napoleon orders the Imperial Guard in a last effort. The Guard’s failure and subsequent rout mark the collapse of French resistance. Napoleon flees the field; the Coalition claims victory, ending his rule. The film closes on the aftermath: the devastation of battle, captured standards, and the leaders facing the consequences of defeat.