Sergei Bondarchuk directs this 1970s drama starring Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer. After his abdication Napoleon Bonaparte (Steiger) is exiled to the island of Elba. However, he escapes to be reunited with his generals and troops and mounts a last desperate bid for power at the Battle of Waterloo. He has, however, reckoned without the British forces led by Arthur Welsley the Duke of Wellington (Plummer), who has just returned from a successful campaign in Spain.
A film that will never be equalled for its spectacle and dramatic power" says the stirring trailer on this otherwise sparsely featured DVD. Taking the story of the Napoleonic Wars to Bonapartes final defeat, Waterloo is an unofficial continuation to director Sergei Bondarchuks own 70mm super-epic War and Peace (1968). The climactic battle of Waterloo is shown in the second half of the film and re-enacted with such stunning realism by a cast of around 20,000 extras that it looks like documentary footage from history itself (some 20 years later, Gettysburg, 1993, did the same for the American Civil War). Those who hailed the groundbreaking impact of Saving Private Ryan should see Bondarchuks films, as for sheer scale and intensity--if not bloodiness--they make Spielbergs hit look like an amateur video. Without ever attempting a French accent, Rod Steiger makes a commanding Napoleon, Christopher Plummer a worthy adversary as Wellington, while the supporting cast led by Orson Welles, Jack Hawkins and Virginia McKenna is excellent. The DVD transfer is richly detailed and clear, though the print itself could have done with just a little restoration. Though dated, Abel Glances Napoleon (1928) remains definitive for many, perhaps explaining why Stanley Kubrick eventually abandoned his planned Napoleon film, instead making the 18th Century period epic Barry Lyndon (1974). --Gary S.Dalkin
Waterloo is the 1970 epic period war film directed by Sergei Bondarchuk and produced by legendary producer Dino De Laurentis. It depicts the story of the preliminary events and the Battle of Waterloo and is famous for its lavish battle scenes. Starring Rod Steiger as Napoleon Bonaparte and Christopher Plummer as the Duke of Wellington with a cameo by Orson Welles as Louis XVIII of France, and Jack Hawkins all contribute fine portraits of great men against a magnificent backdrop of battle and bloodshed.
Astrology is strictly for the birds. That's the emphatic view of David Gradley, a workshy ex-Harrovian who has drifted into the police force. Then he meets a pretty young astrologer called Esther Jones - and his ideas get knocked for six! Created by Roger Marshall (The Avengers, Public Eye, The Sweeney), this lighthearted thriller series became a cult piece of escapism for viewers during its six-week stay on British television and has become a much sought-after series by collectors - largely due to its novel premise of the groovy '70s culture clash between the Thin Blue Line and the Age of Aquarius! In an early role, Anouska Hempel (UFO) stars as Esther, opposite Anton Rodgers (Murder Most English, The Prisoner) as the coolly methodical Detective Inspector Gradley. Michael Gambon, Peter Egan, Joanna David, Ian Ogilvy, Robert Powell and Peter Vaughan are among a host of guest stars also appearing in this popular and memorably quirky series from Thames, originally screened in 1974.
Guncrazy
The incredible story of how the Beatles emerged from post war Liverpool and turned music upon its head with their changes from skiffle to rock and roll and the creation of the Mersey Beat sound.
All six volumes of adventures starring Sam Neill as the British master spy.
Gun Crazy' combines the spirit and dark humour of 'Thelma and Louise' with the dramatic action of 'Bonnie and Clyde' to create a stylish and compelling thriller. This explosive love story features a top class cast. Anita is a white trash teenager trapped in the boredom and misery of a small rural town who becomes infatuated with a very strange penpal... An exotic and dangerous new friend who is to change her life forever. Anita's craving for love brings her only torment and sexual abuse at the hands of her cruel classmates and her mother's sadistic boyfriend. Her search for an escape from her tragic lifestyle drives her into the arms of a young ex-con and murderer named Howard. Desperate to win his love Anita shares Howard's strange obsession with guns and together they discover an erotic passion they've never known and violent disasters they could not have imagined.
Please wait. Loading...
This site uses cookies.
More details in our privacy policy