Editing Waterloo (1970 film) (section)

==Production==
Italian producer De Laurentiis first announced the film in October 1965, saying it would be made the following year. [[John Huston]] was set to direct.<ref>'Waterloo' Set Next Year Martin, Betty. ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' 7 Oct 1965: D16.</ref>  With John Huston on board, de Laurentiis tried to set up the film in Spain, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, and Romania, but was unsuccessful.

It was not until De Laurentiis began talks with the Soviets in the late 1960s, that he found the financing he was looking for. He reached an agreement with [[Mosfilm]], in which final costs were more than £12 million (GBP) (equivalent to about U.S. $38.3 million in 1970), making it one of the most expensive movies made, for its time.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Waterloo#tab=summary|title=Waterloo (1970) - Financial Information|work=The Numbers|access-date=2018-01-26}}</ref>  
 
John Huston having left the project by this point, this relationship also brought the celebrated Russian director on board, Bondarchuk, fresh off his internationally celebrated production of a four-hour version of [[War and Peace (1965 film)|''War and Peace'']], which won Best Foreign Film at the 1970 Oscars.

In December 1968, Steiger had been cast as Napoleon, and Bondarchuk visited London to talk to actors about playing the Duke of Wellington. "I see Wellington as a typical Englishman," said the director, adding "I see Napoleon as Tolstoy treated him."<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=19 December 1968|page= 38|title=Director to film Waterloo}}</ref>

The movie was one of several co-productions between Italy and Russia around this time. Others include [[The Red Tent (film)|''The Red Tent'']], ''[[Sunflower (1970 film)|Sunflower]]'' and ''Dubrovsky'' (the latter was never made).<ref name="italy">{{cite news|title=Italian Filmmakers invading Russia|newspaper=The San Francisco Examiner|date=15 January 1969|page= 29|first=Anthony C.|last=Collings}}</ref> Additional financing also came from [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]] and [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]].<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The San Francisco Examiner|date=14 March 1969|page= 31|title=US, Russia and Italy Ally to Film Waterloo}}</ref>

Had the movie been filmed in the West, it might have cost up to three times as much. Mosfilm contributed more than £4 million of the costs, and nearly 17,000 soldiers of the [[Soviet Army]], including a full brigade of Soviet cavalry, and a host of engineers and labourers to prepare the battlefield in the rolling farmland outside [[Uzhhorod]], [[Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic|Ukrainian SSR]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.markpack.org.uk/110409/waterloo-epic-1970-movie/|title=Waterloo: the epic 1970 movie|date=2015-01-07|work=Mark Pack|access-date=2018-01-26|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/sep/10/waterloo-orson-welles-reel-history|title=Waterloo: My my, Napoleon did surrender rather like this|last=Tunzelmann|first=Alex von|date=2009-09-10|website=The Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-01-26}}</ref> The Italians reportedly provided eight million pounds.<ref name="obs"/>

Filming took place in Rome and the Ukrainian SSR throughout 1969. The cast consisted of Russian, Italian, Irish, American, Canadian and British actors, who were all required to speak their lines in English.

To recreate the battlefield "authentically", the Soviets bulldozed away two hills, laid five miles of roads, transplanted 5,000 trees, sowed fields of rye, barley and wildflowers and reconstructed four historic buildings. To create the mud, more than six miles of underground irrigation piping was specially laid. Most of the battle scenes were filmed using five [[Panavision]] cameras simultaneously – from ground level, from 100-foot towers, from a helicopter, and from an overhead railway built right across the location.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://adventuresinhistoryland.com/tag/making-of-waterloo-1970/|title=making of Waterloo 1970 {{!}} Adventures In Historyland|website=adventuresinhistoryland.com|date=30 June 2017 |language=en|access-date=2018-01-26}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite news |last=Plunkett |first=Luke |title=Screw CGI, This War Movie Used 15,000 Real Soldiers |url=https://kotaku.com/screw-cgi-this-war-movie-used-15-000-real-soldiers-1692057951 |access-date=2018-01-26 |work=Kotaku |language=en-US}}</ref> The battle reportedly cost $5 million of the $25 million budget.<ref name="italy"/> It was the largest battlefield ever used for a film.<ref name="los">{{cite news|newspaper=The Los Angeles Times Part 2|date=26 July 1969|title=Dino de Laurentiis Discovers his 'Waterloo'|pages=10, 34 }}</ref>

However, the authentic nature of the topography is questionable and has more to do with dramatic panoramic film shots rather than topographical accuracy: in reality, the Waterloo site is laid out as a series of low hillocks with few opportunities for long views. In particular, [[La Haye Sainte]] is almost invisible from the north and west, sitting in a small south-facing hollow.

Actual filming was accomplished over 28 weeks, which included 16 days of delay (principally due to bad weather). Many of the battle scenes were filmed in the summer of 1969 in often sweltering heat. In addition to the battlefield in Ukraine, filming also took place on location in the [[Royal Palace of Caserta]], Italy, while interior scenes were filmed on the large De Laurentiis Studios lot in Rome. The battle sequences of the film included about 15,000 Soviet foot soldiers and 2,000 cavalrymen as extras and 50 circus stunt riders were used to perform the dangerous horse falls. It has been joked that Sergei Bondarchuk was in command of the seventh-largest army in the world.<ref>{{citation |last=Corrigan |first=Major J.G.H. |url=http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/t-z/waterloo.html |title=Waterloo (review) |publisher=period props were built by E. Rancati and hundreds of pairs of footwear were supplied by [[L.C.P. di Pompei|Pompei]]. [[Channel 4]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327224105/http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/t-z/waterloo.html |archive-date=27 March 2009}}</ref>

Months before the cameras started filming, the 17,000 soldiers began training to learn drill and battle formations, as well as the use of sabres, bayonets and handling cannons. A selected 2,000 additional men were also taught to load and fire muskets. This army lived in a large encampment next to the battlefield. Each day after breakfast, they marched to a large wardrobe building, donned their French, British or Prussian uniforms and fifteen minutes later were in position.

The soldiers were commanded by officers who took orders from director Sergei Bondarchuk via walkie-talkie. To assist in the direction of this huge, multi-national undertaking, the Soviet director had four interpreters permanently at his side: one each for [[English language|English]], [[Italian language|Italian]], [[French language|French]] and [[Serbo-Croatian]].

Several historical characters listed in the credits do not actually appear in the film, they are said to have been in scenes cut before release.<ref>Evans, Alun (2000) ''Brassey's Guide to War Films'' Potomac Books Inc.</ref>