Two very different sides of the Napoleonic era are played out this coming week on the big screen.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16 @ 7:30 p.m.
Waterloo (Paramount, 1970)
The name of Napoleon’s most famous battle is now synonymous with failure. This time it is Rod Steiger who portrays the Emperor of the French, and the rest of the cast is rather impressive, too, with Orson Welles, Christopher Plummer and Jack Hawkins amongst the many well-known players in this epic. A multinational production, shot partially in Ukraine, the film has been praised for its historical accuracy. Color, 123 minutes.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17 @ 7:30 p.m.
Love and Death (United Artists, 1975)
James Tolkan plays Napoleon, but it is Woody Allen and Diane Keaton that truly star in the film. Woody is a Russian, of course, and the story looks at Napoleon from the POV of his main adversary. Directed and written by Allen, the film was made after Sleeper and before Annie Hall, and so it was within the golden age of the filmmaker’s career. Allen called Keaton his “muse” and the two have made eight films together, were once romantically involved and even today remain close friends. Color, 145 minutes.
For more information on LC screenings, see this link.