MovieChat Forums > Waterloo (1970) Discussion > A movie crying for a remake

A movie crying for a remake

posted 15 years ago by EireannGoBrach
22 replies | jump to latest

A great movie but maybe made at the wrong time ....1970 was very much the time of the peace movement. How about making it today ? If anyone thinks of Gettysburg you can see a wonderful movie too ! Any thoughts ?

[–] carverbrian 15 years ago

would love to see that, but doubt it will happen. This movie cost $20 million to make and only grossed $1 million, a disaster. It even sank the proposed biopic of Napoleon by Stanley Kubrick, which is a real shame.

[–] rogerneon 10 years ago

You have reinforced my memory of the kind of movies that flopped in the era this one was made. My father was a small-town theater owner, and it got to the point that we almost dreaded movies like this one because they almost always died at the box office. The fact that I don't remember seeing it at all makes me think that we either didn't even try to show it, or we did and it lasted three days (we had two changes a week in those days). As someone who was always interested in history, I find it odd that I have no memory of it.

[–] tmf_scipio 15 years ago

Only if it is done the exact same way.

When Ney makes that wonderful (and very stupid) charge against the British Squares, it made the Charge of the Rohirim at Pellanor Fields in Return of the King look very, very fake.

"Whenever Mrs. Kissell breaks wind, we beat the dog."

[–] OlexeiTolchev 15 years ago

I honestly doubt they could recreate the brilliant war scenes without abusing CGI, I'm always in favor of remakes otherwise. Waterloo is all about the battle scenes, the rest of the film doesn't do Napoleon justice.

[–] Hzkb2 15 years ago

i agree with the previous comments. the sheer scale of this movie could never be recreated today without CGI and then it just would take the impact away from it. this film is amazing as it is now.

[–] knightwind88 14 years ago

Ditto. CGI would ruin the spectacle of it.

[–] finnegansword 14 years ago

If you read the credits at the end of the film, especial thanks is extended to the Russian Army. They supplied many of the very numerous horses required for the battle scenes. So my question today 40 years on is: "Where are you going to find the horseflesh?"

[–] Wakanohana 10 years ago

True, there may not be enough cavalry horses remaining in the entire world, to remake this film.

[–] DrPostman 13 years ago

2015 will be the 200th anniversary. I hope someone
decides to make another movie on this scale (cheaper
now with the CGI). Of course no one can replace
Steiger's performance. Think I'll start a thread seeing
who others would like to see play the role.

[–] orangeflava (1726) 3 years ago

maybe they will!

[–] dean-griffiths 12 years ago

I would love to see this film remade but as per previous comments can't really see it happening. I would have no problem with the use of CGI.

[–] booster654 12 years ago

What, and get a CGI fest with some awful actors, no way man. It puts modern so called epics to shame.

[–] booviemuff 12 years ago

Exactly... and don't forget the 'love interest' scenes that the filmmaker(s) would somehow shoehorn into a remake.

Some things are just better left undone

[–] curtin-dobbs 12 years ago

Maybe they could get George Lucas to improve the original. Keep the best non-CGI stuff and add new CGI parts. Replace the music with a John Wiliams score. Add new dialogue with computer generated wizardry and voice impressions. Put modern actors and CGI actors and CGI livestock seamlessly into it. Cut out or change stuff that isn't PC. And I almost forgot, make it 3-D.

[–] 12 years ago

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