I was somewhat surprised that I could not find a single TV channel showing Sergei Bondarchuk and Dino De Laurentiis' 1970 film, WATERLOO, on 18th June.
I did find the film on Amazon Prime Video for sale or rental, but when I discovered that I could buy a DVD of the film for less than they wanted to charge me, I opted for do that.
The DVD arrived on Monday … and then I realised that our new Smart TV didn’t have an integral CD/DVD drive! After a quick trawl through the Internet, I found a CD/DVD player that I could attach to our TV … and ordered it.
The CD/DVD player duly arrived on Wednesday, and after a few problems getting the player and the TV connected and working, I sat down to watch my ‘new’ film. Unfortunately, my wife wanted to watch a couple of programmes that were being transmitted that evening, and in the end, I decided to wait until Saturday to watch WATERLOO … and that’s what I intend to do this afternoon.
I too was surprised that it wasn't showing on any of the Freeview channels. Luckily we still have a DVD player to watch stuff, but you do notice that the image quality is not the same as the so called smart telly. Still something is better than nothing! Enjoy watching the film this afternoon:).
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteConsidering the fact the the BATTLE OF BRITAIN film gets an annual airing close to its anniversary (not that I’m complaining, as it is a great film), one would have expected the same for WATERLOO …
We don’t have a large Smart TV, so DVD picture quality is less of a problem for us. The upside of our new DVD player is that it plays DVDs from almost every region, which will make watching foreign films a bit easier in future.
I have been told that I have some gardening to do before I can watch WATERLOO … so I’m off to do that now!
All the best,
Bob
BOB,
ReplyDeleteA couple of months ago I bought a DVD Player for my Study TV...I was very surprised that the new DVD Player was only $32 AUS....unreal low price for such a highly technical device and it works excellently every time. Enjoy your DVD of Warterloo - it certainly is a classic movie and not to be missed. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteThe price of DVD players has really dropped dramatically over the past few year, so much so, that they have almost become a throwaway item.
I am going to watch WATERLOO in a couple of minutes … but first I need to get myself a drink and some snacks to eat.
All the best,
Bob
BOB,
DeleteDrink and Snacks sound just the ticket for going to the Movies- an enjoyable time ahead. What impressed me about the film Waterloo is that they seem to have captured the large scale of the engagement- it all looks very believable and authentic in number of troops. Cheers. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteMy wife and I enjoyed some cold drinks and a large bag of popcorn whilst we watched WATERLOO.
The use of large numbers of Russian soldiers as extras made the battle scenes look very impressive … and we’re far better than the CGI ones that are used in modern films.
All the best,
Bob
Hello there Bob,
ReplyDeleteWaterloo on a Saturday afternoon? After gardening? What a bizarre coincidence….
A truly magnificent film and Rod Steiger as Napoleon I thought was excellent!
All the best and enjoy!
DC
David Crook,
DeleteI take it that you are doing something similar today. My gardening took about an hour, and now I am about to watch my DVD of WATERLOO.
All the best,
Bob
PS. I posted a book to you this morning, so you should get it early next week.
The best laid plans....
ReplyDeleteI bought my copy many years ago and it was one of the best purchases I've ever made especially considering the fact that it never airs here in the States. I was also fortunate enough to see it in a theater when it came out. Enjoy!
Mark Cordone,
DeleteI’ve just watched it … and thoroughly enjoyed it! It was even better than I remembered, and the sight of the Imperial Guard advancing was spectacular.
I’m not surprised that the film doesn’t get aired in the US, but I do think that it is a great pity. You did well to see it when it was originally released, and I’ll bet that your copy has been watched many times since you bought it.
All the best,
Bob
At least once a year! I enjoy that scene and the inital french attack the most. I've been fortunate in that I've seen a number of somewhat obscure but great films that didn't stay in theaters long in the US like RAN, Das Boote, and when it was originally released Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I hope it brings you many more years of pleasure.
DeleteMark Cordone,
DeleteThat’s an interesting selection of films! I have also watched the TV follow up series of DAS BOOTE (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Boot_(TV_series)), which was excellent.
One very good TV series that I watched years ago told the story of an Australian infantry unit during WW1. It was called ANZACS, and if you can ever find a copy, it’s well worth viewing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzacs).
All the best,
Bob
I will look for it, thanks.
DeleteMark Cordone,
Delete👍
Find and enjoy!
All the best,
Bob
Amazon also has a Special Edition Blu-ray version available - the picture quality is absolutely superb.
ReplyDeleteJeremy Ramsay,
DeleteI am still a bit of a technology dinosaur and do not yet have any Blu-ray devices, otherwise I might well have bought the Special Edition of this film.
All the best,
Bob
Unfortunately I am a little late but if anyone was curious about this great film, there is a very high quality version of it on YouTube for free - well worth enjoying!
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/3DcWJrzK0wU
Scott,
DeleteThanks for the link. My only problem with watching films on YouTube is whether or not the uploaded film is in breach of copyright. As an author whose work has been copied without my permission, I’m very wary about being complicit in breaching someone else’s copyright.
All the best,
Bob
I watched Waterloo the other week on Freeview, still very watchable even after watching it at least a dozen times before.
ReplyDeleteAlways hope the French will win every time I watch it, hoping they filmed a new directors cut 😊.
Willz.
Tiberian General (Willz),
DeleteWe have Freeview, and I couldn’t find on there when I looked … which is why I ended up buying the DVD.
I know that the French have tried to claim that Napoleon won Waterloo, but in truth, however you edit the film, he didn’t!
Some years ago I was in Ajaccio, and went on a guided tour. At one point the guide took us to a monument that listed Napoleon’s greatest battles … but guess which battle wasn’t listed. When asked, the guide replied quite rudely about the ‘English’ obsession with the Battle of Waterloo. This upset the Welsh, Scots, and Irish on the tour … and it was one of them who pointed out that Napoleon had lost the battle, his throne, and almost his life.
All the best,
Bob
Modern life eh!
ReplyDeleteJon S,
DeleteIt makes it 'entertaining' and 'interesting'!
All the best,
Bob