Waterloo (I) (1970)

Christopher Plummer: Arthur Wellesley - Duke of Wellington

Photos 

Quotes 

• Duke of Wellington : Next to a battle lost, the saddest thing is a battle won.

• Lord Uxbridge : By God, Sir. I've lost my leg.

  Duke of Wellington : By God, Sir. So you have.

• Lord Uxbridge : [clears throat]  Sir.

  Duke of Wellington : [removing his copy of The Times from over his face]  Ah, Uxbridge.

  Lord Uxbridge : As I am second-in-command and in case anything should happen to you, what are your plans?

  Duke of Wellington : [brightly]  To beat the French.

  [goes back to sleep, replacing the newspaper over his head] 

• [Historical quote] 

  Duke of Wellington : [referring to his army]  I don't know what they'll do to the enemy; but, by God, they frighten me.

• [referring to the English troops] 

  Duchess of Richmond : They're the salt of England, Arthur.

  Duke of Wellington : Scum. Nothing but beggars and scoundrels, all of them. Gin is the spirit of their patriotism.

  Duchess of Richmond : Yet you expect them to die for you?

  Duke of Wellington : Um-hum.

  Duchess of Richmond : Out of duty?

  Duke of Wellington : Um-hum.

  Duchess of Richmond : I doubt if even Bonaparte could draw men to him by duty.

  Duke of Wellington : Oh, Boney's not a gentleman.

  Duchess of Richmond : Arthur! What an Englishman you are.

  Duke of Wellington : On the field of battle his hat is worth fifty thousand men; but he is not a gentleman.

• Duke of Wellington : [on Napolean's maneuver that split the English and Prussian armies]  By God, that man does war honor.

• Duke of Wellington : The whole line will advance.

  Lord Uxbridge : In which direction your grace?

  Duke of Wellington : Why, straight ahead to be sure.

• Duke of Wellington : [to the Duchess of Richmond about arranging the ball]  You really are the best of my generals.

• Sarah : General Picton doesn't know how to walk in a ballroom.

  Duke of Wellington : But he is very good when he is dancing with the French.

• Lord Gordon : Good beans, Wellington!

  Duke of Wellington : If there is anything in this world about which I know positively nothing, it is agriculture.

• Mulholland : We're doing murder, your grace.

  Duke of Wellington : I hope to God... that I've fought my last battle.

• [as the British cavalry charge across the battlefield] 

  Lord Uxbridge : Sound the recall!

  [a trumpeter blows the signal on his trumpet. The cavalry either ignore or can't hear it, continuing to charge towards the French cannon. The trumpeter keeps sounding] 

  Duke of Wellington : [irritably]  Stop that useless noise!

  [kinder] 

  Duke of Wellington : You'll hurt yourself.

• [before the battle starts, the British troops are singing a mocking song about Napoleon] 

  William De Lancey : Shall I shut them up, Sir?

  Duke of Wellington : No, no, indulge it . Anything that wastes time is good. Indulge it. Normally I don't like cheering, but there's always a time to cut cards with the Devil.

• Duke of Wellington : Bylandt's's brigade has broken. Plug the gap, if you please.

  General Sir Thomas Picton : Gordon, get your bastards up on to the crest. I'll bring up the rest of the brigade.

  Lord Gordon : Don't hurry yourself, Pic. My lads will hold them, aye, 'til you come.

  General Sir Thomas Picton : Get forward, damn your eyes!

• [the French artillery has begun firing on the English positions] 

  Duke of Wellington : Well, that opens the ball.

• Duke of Wellington : They're coming on in the same old style.

  General Sir Thomas Picton : Well, then we shall have to meet them in the same old style.

• William De Lancey : He's commiting Reille's Division now sir, he intends to turn us, on the right!

  Duke of Wellington : What the master does and what he intends are as different as white knight to black bishop.

  William De Lancey : We could quickly move the 95th down, sir.

  Duke of Wellington : I do not intend to run around like a wet hen! There'll be plenty of time, sir.

• Duchess of Richmond : ...this year, soldiers are the fashion.

  Duke of Wellington : [ironically]  Where would society be without my boys?

• Duke of Wellington : If Blucher doesn't show up here soon, they'll break every bone in my body!

• Duke of Wellington : If I fail tomorrow, God I hope will have mercy on me, for nobody else will.

• Sarah : When we get to Paris, let me look at Napoleon. I promise I won't get too near. Mama admires him.

  Duchess of Richmond : I am a little bit of a Bonapartist.

  Sarah : Is it true what they say, that he's a monster?

  Duke of Wellington : He eats laurels and drinks blood.

  Duchess of Richmond : And when, my dear Arthur, will you venture into his lair?

• Duke of Wellington : Brotherly business, isn't it, De Lancey... killing.

• Duke of Wellington : This fellow knows how to defend a hopeless position. Raise him to corporal.

• Duke of Wellington : Dramatic fellows, these French. Music and banners. Quite beautiful. You're a lucky fellow, aren't you, Hay, to see such a wonder in your first battle.

• Duke of Wellington : Commanders of armies have something better to do than to fire at each other.

• Duke of Wellington : If I thought my hair knew what my brain was thinking, I'd shave it off and wear a wig.

• Duke of Wellington : Ah, the Inniskilling. I hang and flog more of them than I do the rest of the army put together.

• Duke of Wellington : Expecting to die tomorrow? I don't like those thoughts. Having them sometimes makes them come true.

• Duke of Wellington : A retreating army is hardly ever in love with its commander.

• Lord Richard Hay : Over there, near the road, his white horse. The monster!

  Duke of Wellington : So there's the great thief of Europe himself.

• Duke of Wellington : I've no need of a white horse to puff me, by god!

• Duke of Wellington : I always like my men well-dressed for the enemy.

• Duke of Wellington : It appears, Uxbridge, we're losing the battle. Give me night, or give me Blucher.