The Lines of Wellington is an epic about Wellington’s repulsion of the French invasion of Portugal during the Napoleonic Wars – but without very much about Wellington or his lines. Because this is an epic – with lots and lots of characters – we do get the flavor of how war affected civilians and troops of all ranks in the early 1800s; hint – as war has been before and since, it has its unpredictable moments, but is predictably harsh for all concerned.
Wellington spent a year-and-a-half secretly building an ingenious series of defensive fortifications just north of Lisbon, scorched the earth in front of them and then lured in the French Army. The scale of the fortifications is mind-boggling – lines of 126 forts with miles of walls – and he even re-directed rivers. When the French arrived, already weakened by the march to get there, they were baited to attack the impregnable defense. The French suffered more heavy losses and completed the fiasco with a painful retreat. Unfortunately, we don’t see the Lines of Wellington until only 26 minutes remain in The Lines of Wellington. And even then we don’t get to appreciate the scale and connectivity of the fortifications – we might as well be watching Fort Apache.
We don’t see much of Wellington either. Played by John Malkovich, Wellington struts around for a few minutes scowling impenetrably and once advises a painter on how to better glorify Wellington in oils. Lots of other big name art house favorites wander through The Lines of Wellington. If you don’t blink, you’ll catch glimpses of Catherine Deneuve, Michel Piccoli, Isabelle Huppert, Mathieu Amalric, Marisa Paredes and Chiara Mastroianni. But The Lines of Wellington focuses more on the story of two Portuguese soldiers, one of whom is charismatically played by the Portuguese actor Nuno Lopes.
Because The Lines of Wellington aspires to tell the stories of the many affected by this military campaign, it is a series of vignettes. The effect is a disjointed and mildly interesting slog through 1810 Portugal that takes 151 minutes (the miniseries cut). Maybe, the 135 minute theatrical version is tighter, but it would still lack the depth and cohesiveness that I didn’t find here.
I really would only recommend The Lines of Wellington to a military history buff (like my friend Bob). It is available streaming on Amazon Instant Video, Vudu and Xbox Video.