initial cannon fire from the French. Napoleon launches teasing attacks against Wellington's flanks at Hougoumont and La Haye Sainte, though Wellington refuses to divert his main force. General Picton is sent to plug a gap when a Dutch brigade is routed, and though successful he is killed in doing so. Ponsonby also leads a cavalry charge against the French cannon, but becomes isolated from the main allied force and is cut down by French lancers. Troops spotted emerging from the east are worryingly assumed to be Grouchy by Wellington, and Blücher to Napoleon. Suffering from stomach pain, Napoleon momentarily withdraws and leaves Ney in command. Simultaneously, the order is given to allied troops to retire 100 paces, which Ney incorrectly interprets as a withdrawal. Ney leads a cavalry charge against the British, but is repelled with casualties by infantry squares. Despite this, the battle still wages much in Napoleon's favor; La Haye Sainte falls to the French, and Napoleon ultimately decides to send the Imperial Guard to deliver the decisive blow. During their advance, Maitland's Guards Division who were lying in tall grass deliver a devastating point blank volley against the Imperial Guard, repulsing them with heavy casualties. At the same time, Blücher arrives in the field. For the first time in its history the Imperial Guard breaks, and the battle is won by the Allied forces. That evening after the battle, Wellington is seen observing the thousands of casualties on the field. Napoleon, having survived the battle, is urged to flee at the pleas of his marshals. Cast The French and allies Rod Steiger as Emperor Napoleon I Dan O'Herlihy as Marshal Michel Ney Philippe Forquet as Brigadier-General Charles de la Bédoyère Gianni Garko as Major-General Antoine Drouot Ivo Garrani as Marshal Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult Charles Millot as Marshal Emmanuel de Grouchy, Marquis de Grouchy Yevgeny Samoylov as Brigadier-General Pierre Cambronne Vladimir Druzhnikov as Général de Division Étienne Maurice Gérard Andrea Checchi as Old Guardsman Orazio Orlando as Constant Gennadi Yudin as Grenadier Chactas Armando Bottin as Sous-Lieutenant Legros Rodolfo Lodi as Joseph Fouché Jean Louis as Marshal Nicolas Oudinot Boris Molchanov as Général de Division Henri Gatien Bertrand Lev Polyakov as Général de Division François Étienne de Kellermann Giorgio Sciolette as Marshal Louis-Alexandre Berthier Sergio Testori as Lieutenant-General Marcellin Marbot Yan Yanakiyev as Dr. Dominique Jean Larrey Rostislav Yankovsky as Charles Joseph de Flahaut The British and allies