For the people saying we shouldn't complain about inaccuracies, imagine if the first scene of Saving private Ryan had been Eisenhower riding a horse charge in Omaha Beach. And Hitler showed up from behind the hills leading a flight of Apache helicopters from the Luftwaffe. This is how it feels watching this movie if you have the slightest knowledge about the Napoleonic wars 😂

Check out the 1970 movie ‘Waterloo’. A masterpiece in how to film battle scenes pre cgi. There were literally tens of thousands of extras used to film the massed ranks of the French and allied armies. One particularly shot where the camera pans from right to left along the allied line is simply breathtaking.

Next thing you know Scott is going to make a movie with Abraham Lincoln fighting at Gettysburg.

Napoleon swinging his sword and stabbing people in the midst of battle like a damn hussar is one of the most absurd things I have ever seen. What was Scott thinking? If Napoleon actually did something like that he would be dead in seconds because everyone would know who he was. Not to mention the fact that he would not be able to direct the battle.

Safe to say, nothing like that happened at Waterloo. The whole set up was absurd.

Scott had a 50% chance of getting the direction of Blücher’s attack correct. He butchered that too.

"Waterloo". 1970 starring Rod Steiger. NO CGI

Napoleon did not charge with his cavalry that day he was ill he was told to go rest a while and I believe that’s when Marshal Ney led his cavalry charge against Wellingtons Infantry squares. Napoleon’s strategic genius was not what it once was as before. The last act of the French that day was the infantry attack of the Imperial Guard.

One of the worst cases of historical inaccuracy put to film. Truly disgraceful treatment of the battle which shaped Europe for the next hundred years.

Wait wait wait.... is that a British "sharpshooter", armed with a flintlock rifle that has a *SCOPE* like a modern day sniper rifle, taking a shot at Napoleon?! *WHAT THE ACTUAL SHIT, RIDLEY SCOTT?!*

Ive paused this twice, about to comment, and I keep telling myself "Dont be a history nerd! Leave it alone!" Even when I saw a soldiers bayonet flopping, even when I saw Napoleon shouting commands instead of sending one of his messengers on horseback, even when the cannonballs seem to "blow up." But now, Napoleon riding in front, sinking his sabre into some private??? God what a stupid movie, and I thank those of you who referenced Monty Python!!

Mon Dieu! I had heard that the Waterloo sequence was bad, but I never dreamed it was THIS bad. Forget the fact that absolutely no attempt was made to show any real tactics (but at least they did have the Anglo-Allied troops forming squares in the face of a cavalry charge) ... but trenches/field works? A huge French camp immediately behind the ridiculously thin battle line? The two armies just running at each other and looking more like "Braveheart" than Waterloo? Napoleon himself leading a cavalry charge, and with no Marshal Ney in sight (at least no officer that in any way resembled Ney) and then personally skewering at least one Brit? A sniper with a scope taking a pot shot at Nappy and blowing a hole in his famous hat? Napoleon turning and raising his sword as if to salute Wellington across the field? The list goes on. I actually think "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer" may have been a more historically accurate movie than this... but it's a close call. Watch Rod Steiger and Chirstopher Plummer in Sergey Bondarchuk's epic 1970's "Waterloo" instead of this pile of steaming merde de cheval from Sir Ridley "Were-you-there?" Scott.

There looks to be a bout two thousand men in the entire battle field and the grass is green and as dry as a bowling green. Napolean swinging his sword in battle and then the shocking acting by the so called Duke of Wellington as Blucher suddenly emerges from nowhere is Monty Pythonesque. This is truly hideous!

"Ridley, how should we shoot this climactic battle, to really do justice to the characters and real historical figures?" "Just...have them run at each other on horses. I don't know, it worked for Peter Jackson." "Are you sure?" "Excuse me, mate, were you there? No? Then fuck off. Also, give the green bloke a sniper scope, he needs a sniper scope so that we'll know he's a sniper." "What role does he play in the film?" "He doesn't play any role at all. Just shoots at Napoleon in a throwaway bit." "That seems like poor directing-" "Excuse me, mate, were you there when I directed this film? No? Then fuck off."

That sniper must have been grinding all night to unlock that scope

Lashing a spyglass to your Baker rifle... Now that's soldiering.

Napoleon was not in the thick of the fighting at waterloo. And the battle did not turn into a disorganized melee. Glad I didn't waste my money on this at the cinema.

I get that a Hollywood films has to make a film exciting, but with the Napoleonic wars you really don't have to make anything up to make it exciting to watch.

if only the movie had been about him, the battles, the achievements, the history ..... but its a love story :(

Imagine George W Bush was charging at the frontline and shooting enemy soldiers in a movie about the Iraq War.

I'll never understand why Ridley Scott decided to make a fairy tale of Napoleon

I was half expecting Wellington to charge as well and personally engage Napoleon in an epic 30 minute one-on-one sword fight where Napoleon is eventually disarmed and toppled off his horse. Wellington points his sword to Napoleon’s throat and demands surrender to which Napoleon says “Merde! Va te faire foutres ”. Being sporting and in recognition of a gallant foe (and not understanding French) Wellington allows him to honourably retire from the field of battle whereupon all hostilities cease. My understanding is that most British casualties resulted from forming squares to repulse cavalry attacks - ten or eleven of them. This was successful but it meant that between each cavalry attack squares were subjected to artillery fire which, although not always well coordinated, could not fail to kill and maim many in the densely packed formations. After the capture of La Haye Sainte French gunners fired into central squares from close range with canister to devastating effect, such that reduced squares had to amalgamate.

“SIR! BLUCHER!” *Every horse on the battlefield rears up on its hind legs and whinnies*

Napoleon himself would laugh at this!😂

I cannot believe Napoleon ever made a charge into the thick of battle at Waterloo.

Even the side where the prussians are comming is wrong.....From Wellingtons point of view, it would have been on the left....

132.000 against French Army... 45.000 Prussians, 43.000 Belgian, Dutch, Germans and only 24.000 British. But I see only British troops again.

This is stupidly inaccurate. At this stage of the battle, the imperial guard were the ones advancing. They would have advanced in column, not in the line depicted in this scene. This is incredibly important - since this is how british infantry were able to defeat them. The kind of free-for-all depicted in this scene seems in-accurate. British volleys devastated those French columns, and the Imperial guards broke and ran. This is also significant - as it was the first time they had ever failed an assault, and because of this, the rest of the french line tucked and ran too.

Napoleon was ill and had a lot of stomach pain that day (and days prior). Has it ever been established whether or not there was any possible case of either food poisoning or attempts at poisoning him in the days before the battle? Because based on all accounts from that time, there's one apparently very consistent report in that Napoleon was unequivocally ill (especially the very day of the battle, of all things).

A Year ago i went to a small museum in Sens, France. To my surprise in the middle of it is a very dark room with Napoleon‘s hat on display, which he supposedly wore during the battle of Waterloo. No bullet holes in it. It still sent chivers down my spine because it was so unexpected to see that object there.

"I'm a history!" in the voice of Ralph Wiggum of the Simpsons is how this movie should be regarded. I'm surprised that the British sniper shooting at Napoleon wasn't wearing a ghillie suit.

Ah yes, nothing like using World War and Medieval military advisors to show you how Napoleonic warfare went down.

Yeah, no. Where's Hougement and La Haye Sainte? Also, where's the strategy here? Just throw your infantry and cavalry at the enemy and you win, NO. As a result it feels cheep and rushed. Also the fact that the french speak english, it really stings for people who expect historical accuracy like me, it sounds really weird and destroyed the immersion for me.

4:01 Someone please CGI Sean Bean's face onto this guy.

They had the budget and actors to make a great historical movie, but instead we got this.

The Godzilla scene was fortunately cut out.

The historical accuracy of this film was simply breathtaking, almost as good as Abraham Lincoln, the Vampire Hunter.

Are we sure this was not a reenactment by Monty Python's Batley Townswomen's Guild. I am sure the battle of Waterloo was a lot longer and Napoleon never fought at the battle.

They should have had at least one platoon of Cheyenne Warriors, for added "Realism!" Oh: and Napoleon should have stood in the stirrups and yelled "I FART IN YOUR GENERAL DIRECTION!!"

Who's Waterloo was it? Napoleon's or ridley Scott's?

Except for one British Square, I saw nothing that resembled Waterloo.

I miss Rod Steiger.

Note to self Don't be a drummer boy in Ridley Scott's movies

Despite all of these inaccuracies, I can say: At least, they didn't make Napoleon black

They cut the lightsabre duel between Napoleon and Wellington. Might as well have left that in.

There's only one battle of Waterloo and that's in the 1970 film version which catpures the vast scale and horror of that encounter. Scott's version (all be it cramped into an already overfull attempt at Napoleon's life) looks like a minor battle and sadly the lack of numbers tell.

Then the Winged Hussars arrived, coming down the mountainside.

napoleon personally fighting in waterloo? never happened.

the battle scene of this movie is such a huge disappointment. If Steven Spielberg was given a chance to make a film about Napoleonic war, it would be so brutal and memorable.

I always thought the British line was lying down as the French advanced. Then they stood surprising the French cutting them down with volley fire , the French line was broken and they retreated and the battle was won.

Wow napoleon was fighting too! This is like when Hitler was battling in Stalingrad, very memorable and very true!

That sickly glazed over look is so inspiring.

Considering this battle shaped the world , it's a terrible display of real events.

Napoleon crossing the Alps in a Mule 32 years old Josephine was married with 26 years old Napoleon in March 9,1796 49 years old Joaquín and 35 Vanessa 14 years OLDER than her The battle in the ice lake never happened Napoleon didn't see Maria Antonieta Napoleon spoke Corso an Italian language and French Joaquín spoke English with an American accent Green papers with arsenic in his wall in his bedroom in Elba Island. Stomach ulcers

This scene is a crime against historical accuracy. Really can't believe anyone would have the balls to portray Waterloo like this

Bro why is everyone complaining about a sniper scope 💀

Ridley Scott really mess up Napoleon i glad i didn't went to see it in theatre. ,now how good it is Waterloo in 1970 that is a master piece.

Why couldn't Scott at least find someone who remotely looks like Bonaparte?

I SIMPLY CAN'T BELIEVE IT. TO MASSACRE A GODLY MAN LIKE NAPOLEON WITH SUCH A RIDICULOUS WORK OF "ART"! The concept of rifle scopes were first even thought of in around 1840s. And at 4:00, we see a man trying to snipe out Napoleon with a scoped musket. JUST, WOW....

This movie was more about my own Napoleon Total War online battles than the real Napoleon 😂

The worst part is that this actually looks really good

Since Wellington was facing South, wouldn't the Prussians have approached from his left (the East)?

The British perspective of Napoleon's battles: Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo, ...

its a nice detail to actually see a sergeant use his pike to keep the men in formation

The soldier that shot Napoleon's cap had a scope on his flintlock tied on with rags.

Things this movie got incorrectly: The prussians arrival was at the right side. Not left! (French Perspective) You can't put a spyglass onto a musket! Napoleon and Wellington never met in the battlefield! Didn't Napoleon also send the imperial Guard?

I don't know of any real history buffs who think that this is a good movie. Several of my friends who were looking forward to it will not even bother seeing it.

This scene made it look like the ant-Napoleonic forces had thin lines and not too many cavalry were in the charge. The filming made it look like the anti-napoleon forces should have been overwhelmed.

Napoleonic armies would avoid hand to hand combat as much as possible for the following reasons: a. they had guns b. soldiers don't want to charge into into metal spikes with no armour

To those who say that Napoleon could not have charged into the middle of a battle, all accounts indicate that he was determined to commit suicide at Waterloo by throwing himself into the fray at the end. It was his entourage and the officers of the Guard who prevented him from doing so while he was moving towards death. Already the year before at Arcis-sur-Aube (1814), he had fought physically, always with the same suicidal aim, by galvanizing his troops (inexperienced adolescents) on a bridge, within range of cannons, or by protecting his body. All accounts agree that he deliberately threw himself on a shell to impress them. His horse exploded and he survived. We are so far from the character played by Phoenix.

Even if you don't care about historical accuracy, why spend all that time showing people in careful formations only for them to go into a mosh pit?

I saw a more accurate representation of the battle last time I checked my blocked toilet.

Napoleão em cima de um cavalo, no meio de uma batalha corpo a corpo? Simplesmente impossível.

The more i watch this the more i appreciate the 1970 Waterloo movie.

At this point i expected Napoleon and Wellington to do a duel on horses and then even a mexican standoff after some brutal fist fight in the midst of the battle. 🤦🏻‍♂️

The 1970 Movie "Waterloo" is more accurate then this

It would have been nice if it even made half an attempt at historical accuracy. Rod Steiger was much better as was the film.

Ce poate fi mai groaznic decăt un Napoleon vorbind engleză! Cred că împăratul se răsucește în mormănt!

На счет фильма Наполеон могу сказать следующее: В фильме ОТЛИЧНЫЙ визуал и изумительная актëрская игра. Батальные сцены самобытны и реалистичны, так что зритель не теряется в происходящем. Сценарий хорошо раскрывает исторический контекст и взаимоотношения между персонажами. Фильм чередует события между сражениями, политическими интригами и любовными линиями, таким образом, заскучать во время просмотра НЕВОЗМОЖНО физически. Главный герой вовсе не ничтожество, а рассудительный, исполнительный, целиустремленный, расчетливый, холоднокровный и амбициозный человек. Наполеон не из тех, кто легко сдаëтся. Он из бедной семьи и поэтому знает, что удача не достанется человеку, если тот не возьмëт еë в свои руки. Он отлично командует артиллерией и хорошо разбирается в тактике. В битве за Тулон в его лошадь попадает пушечное ядро, но Наполеон не колеблясь ведëт солдат в атаку, что очень многое говорит о его силе воли. Многие люди упустили основную мысль фильма, а именно, что не бывает всесильных людей, Наполеон талантливый, но всё же человек, и следовательно - неидеален. Он решает судьбы тысяч людей, меняет карту Европы, но в то же время режется бритвой и забывает шляпу перед свиданием. Ему не чужды эмоции и романтика, и как любой человек, герой Хоакина Феникса снидаем страстями: похотью, гордыней, высокомерием, ревностью. Добравшись до невиданных высот, Наполеон забыл о главном, а именно о том, что он такой же человек как все, и даже его возможностям есть предел. Наполеон подлетел слишком близко к солнцу, и оно сожгло его. Наполеон очерствел из-за власти и стал жертвой своих амбиций. Основная мысль фильма лучше всего прослеживается в битве под Ватерлоо, где Наполеон с сарказмом приказывает солдатам остановить дождь. Вот, что я имею ввиду, когда говорю, что Наполеон 2023 - воистину Великое Кино. Тем, кому кажется, что Хоакин Феникс лишен харизмы Наполеона скажу следующее: Когда герой Хоакина Феникса оказывается на острове Эльба, то он бросает вызов своей судьбе и берëт своë по праву. Его возвращение во Францию не увенчалось успехом, но Наполеон не бездействовал. Герой Хоакина Феникса не стал мириться с унижением и хотя бы попытался что-то изменить. Таким образом герой Хоакина Феникса в очередной раз проявляет силу воли и стойкость своего характера. С исторической точки зрения картина очень недоставерна, но основную суть тех событий создатели передали довольно точно. Сама же личность Императора Франции перенесена на экран без изменений. Все те жизненные трудности с которыми столкнулся Наполеон Бонапарт и черты его характера нашли воплощение в актëрской игре Хоакина Феникса. Как я уже сказал, в картине много исторических неточностей, но это ХУДОЖЕСТВЕННОЕ произведение, а не документальное. Я настоятельно рекомендую посмотреть этот фильм каждому здравомыслящему человеку, уделите ему всë нужное для этого внимание, оно того стоит. Я просмотрел этот фильм за один вечер и ни о чем не жалею. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

It fact that the Imperial Guard marched up the hill and near the top wellington's redcoats stood up and fired volley after volley (a red coat line could fire 4 volleys a minute and they where line up 3 deep and one line fired one was always relaoding and one was shooting and one preparing to shoot), eye witness accounts said the imperial guard took 18 volleys before they broke.

If Napoleon had arrived riding a three headed velociraptor this movie wouldn't be much less accurate 😂

I have Napoleon on my sight, Permission to shoot 😂😂 wow

Everybody gangsta till Cap'n Crunch put his hat on.

I feel like the one made from the soviet union during the cold war was better

And then after all this, Napolean gets exiled to Helena, where he eventually meets Edmond Dantes and asks him to deliver a letter to a Monsiour Clarion when he gets back to France.

This Waterloo is a fantasy.

Ah yes the good old iconic Napoleonic Era Sniper

Watch the 1970 film, Waterloo with Rod Stiger and Christopher Plummer.

Что ж, можно точно сказать, что у Ридли Скотта получился первый ТикТок-фильм. Буквально нарезка сцен (в том числе и батальных), которые теперь можно полностью заливать на ютуб и смысл фильма от этого не потеряется никак. В общем, кинематограф можно описать фразой "Он эволюционирует, но назад".

When Hollywood touches something like this, it falls to peaces.

Waterloo is the best ive seen.. it is a must watch..

Ya missed the stirrup there Napoleon.

I really hope nobody seriously thinks this is accurate history. It does for the Napoleonic Era what “Pearl Harbor” did for WW2.

If this did happen which would be ridiculous but image being a line infantry soldier and the emperor of France himself slices you with a saber

Wow, what a great scene of Gustavus Adolphus at the Battle of Luetzen!

What the hell was that!? Who was the director because he turned up at the wrong battle.

Was Ridley put up to this failure against his will? Is it not like him, or did he just quit trying?

I am sure Ridley is having a bit of a laugh here.

Nothing but a casual fox hunt for Wellington 😂

I know that many elements are not historically accurate, but for me it is one of the best scenes in the entire movie. But I'd rather have a movie about Waterloo than a scene in a movie.