MovieChat Forums > Waterloo (1970) Discussion > 'Amazons'

'Amazons'

posted 19 years ago by spaniardo73
8 replies | jump to latest

a term Boney uses to refer to the Gordon Highlanders as they advance. what does it mean??

[–] megatosspot 19 years ago

It means the filmmakers thought he wouldn't have realised that Highlanders wore kilts, and he assumed they were women.

[–] spaniardo73 19 years ago

sounds rather silly considering the Highland regiments had fought with distinction in the Peninsular war and in India.

As far as master generals go, he would have to have been bloody ignorant not to have know. daft script writing.

[–] mocha_kitsune 19 years ago

I didn't take it to mean that at all, i thought it was clever: Napoleon calling them amazons because they were wearing kilts, as if he were poking fun at them.
I don't think he literally thought they were women.

[–] bhash875 19 years ago

I AGREE. THIS WAS PURELY SARCASM

WHAT ARE U NUCKING FUTZ?!

[–] megatosspot 19 years ago

How culturally insensitive of him.

[–] Piafredux 19 years ago

In ancient Greek mythology the Amaazons were a race of women warriors. Indeed Napoleon was being sarcastic, perhaps to egg on his troops to break the highlanders' assault. (By the way, the comic book heroine Wonder Woman was suposedly an Amazon or a descendent of the Amazons.)

[–] keeleboy 19 years ago

The Amazons were a particularly barbaric race of female warriors in Greek mythology, a subject this Napoleon seems to know a lot about (reference to Prometheus etc). The Highlanders were a ferocious bunch that I believe fought to the last man rallying around their flag and escaped with ridiculously high casualties. I always took it to be a wry complement from him

[–] teacher_tom516 19 years ago

Napoleon certainly knew about the Scots and it certainly wasn't some film maker's misplaced view that he was stupid or didn't know they were men. The way he says it, very sarcastic and yet admiring shows this. Steiger sure had fun with this role.

The Scots were ancient allies of the French, way back to the days of Joan of Arc. In fact the premier French guard unit during the Ancien Regime was the Garde Ecoissais (Scottish Guard) and even one of Napoleon's old marshals, MacDonald was quite obviously of Scottish descent.

As for the Scots their sartorial proclivities have been the subject of myth and admiring parody as witnessed even by modern movies like Braveheart (the mooning scene). It would be no surprise to hear Napoleon referring to them as Amazons when they're always half-admiringly mocked as 'Devils in Skirts' or 'Ladies from Hell' (the latter one I believe was German in WW1 or WW2).

Bydand,
Tom516