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Napoleon (disambiguation)
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  (Redirected from Napoleon (film))
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 Look up Napoleon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Napoleon (1769–1821) also known as Napoleon Bonaparte or Napoleon I, was a French military leader and emperor.
Napoleon (English) or Napoléon (French) or Napoleón (Spanish) or Napoleone (Italian) may also refer to:


Contents  [hide]
1 In people 1.1 Bonaparte family
1.2 Other people 1.2.1 Athletes
1.2.2 Artists
1.2.3 Military officials
1.2.4 Politicians and other leaders
1.2.5 Other
1.3 Nicknames
2 In places
3 In entertainment and media 3.1 Comics
3.2 Fictional characters
3.3 Gaming
3.4 Music
3.5 Stage and screen
4 In food and drink
5 In transportation
6 In nature
7 Other uses
In people[edit]
Napoleone, Italian masculine given name
Bonaparte family[edit]
Napoleon II (1811–1832), son of Napoleon I
Napoleon III (1808–1873), last monarch and first president of France, son of Napoleon I's brother Louis
Napoleon Charles Bonaparte (1802–1807), prince of Holland and son of Napoleon I's brother Louis
Napoleon Louis Bonaparte (1804–1831), King of Holland and son of Napoleon I's brother Louis
Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte (1822–1891), son of Napoleon I's brother Jerome
Napoléon Charles Grégoire Jacques Philippe Bonaparte (1839–1899), grandson of Napoleon I's brother Lucien
Napoléon, Prince Imperial (1856-1879), the only child of Emperor Napoleon III
Victor, Prince Napoléon, (1862-1929), pretender to the Imperial Throne of France
Louis, Prince Napoléon (1914-1997)
Charles, Prince Napoléon (b. 1950)
Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon (b. 1986)
Other people[edit]
Athletes[edit]
Napoleón Calzado (born 1977), baseball player from Dominican Republic.
Napoleon Einstein (born 1989), Indian cricketer
Napoleon Harris (born 1979), American football player
Napoleon Kaufman (born 1973), American football player
Napoleon Lajoie (1874–1959), American baseball player
Napoleon McCallum (born 1963), American football player
Artists[edit]
Napoleon (actor) (born 1963), Tamil film actor
Napoleon (rapper) (born 1977), American rapper
Napoleon XIV (born 1938), American singer-songwriter
Napoleon D'umo (born 1968), American choreographer
Napoleon Murphy Brock (born 1943), American singer and musician
Napoleon Orda (1807–1883), Belorussian-Polish musician and artist
Napoleon Perdis (born 1970), Australian make-up artist
Military officials[edit]
Napoleon Bonaparte Buford (1807–1883), U.S. Army officer and railroad executive
Napoleon Collins (1814–1875), U.S. Navy admiral
Napoleon J. T. Dana (1822–1905), U.S. Army officer
Napoleon Zervas (1891–1957), Greek general
Napoleone Orsini (1420–1480), Italian warlord
Politicians and other leaders[edit]
Napoleon B. Broward (1857–1910), American governor of Florida
Napoleon Bonaparte Brown (1834–1910), American businessman and politician
José Napoleón Duarte (1925–1990), President of El Salvador
Napoleon Wapasha, Sioux chief
Other[edit]
Napoleon Chagnon (born 1938), American anthropologist
Napoleone Orsini Frangipani (1263–1342), Italian cardinal
Napoleon Hill (1883–1970), American personal-success author
Napoleon LeBrun (1821–1901), American architect
Napoléon Peyrat (1809-1881), French author and historian
Prince Charles Napoléon (Charles Marie Jérôme Victor Napoléon) (born 19 October 1950)
Napoléon Coste (1805-1883), French guitarist
Napoléon Joseph Ney (1803–1857), French politician
Napoléon, comte Daru (1807-1890), French soldier and politician. godson of Napoléon
Napoléon La Cécilia (1835-1878), French general
Napoleone Boni (1863-1927), Italian painter
Napoleone Nani (1841-1899), Italian painter
Nicknames[edit]
see also Napoleon of IndiaP. G. T. Beauregard (1818–93), Confederate general, "Little Napoleon"
Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–93), neurologist, "Napoleon of the Neuroses"
Neal S. Dow (1804–97), temperance activist, "Napoleon of Temperance"
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536/7-98), Japanese general, "Napoleon of Japan"
Kamehameha I (c.1758-1819), Hawaiian king, "Napoleon of the Pacific"
Francisco Solano Lopez (1827–70), Paraguayan president, "Napoleon of South America"
Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794-1876), Mexican president, "Napoleon of the West"
Toussaint Louverture (c.1743-1803), Haitian revolutionary, "Napoleon of Haiti"
Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), U.S. Army general, "Napoleon of Luzon"
George B. McClellan (1826–85), U.S. Army general, "Young Napoleon"
John McGraw (1873-1934), U.S. major league baseball player and manager, "Little Napoleon"
Mirambo (r.1860-84), Nyamwezi warlord, "Napoleon of Central Africa"
James K. Polk (1795-1849), U.S. president, "Napoleon of the Stump"
Qin Shi Huang (259-10 BC), Chinese emperor, "Napoleon of China"
Nader Shah (1688/98-1747), Iranian shah, "Napoleon of Persia"
Shaka (1787-1828), Zulu king, "Napoleon of Africa"
Te Rauparaha (1760s-1849), Maori chief, "Napoleon of the South Pacific"
Thutmose III (1479-25 BC), Egyptian pharaoh, "Napoleon of Egypt"
Adam Worth (1844-1902), American criminal, "Napoleon of Crime"
In places[edit]
PolandNapoleon, Silesian Voivodeship
United StatesNapoleon, Arkansas
Napoleon, Indiana
Napoleon, Kentucky
Napoleon, Michigan
Napoleon, Mississippi
Napoleon, Missouri
Napoleon, North Dakota
Napoleon, Ohio
In entertainment and media[edit]
Comics[edit]
Napoleone, a comics series published by Sergio Bonelli Editore
Fictional characters[edit]
Napoleon (Animal Farm), a character in George Orwell's novel
Napoleon Bonaparte (fictional detective), a character created by Arthur Upfield
Napoleon Solo, a The Man from U.N.C.L.E. character
Napoleon and Uncle Elby, a syndicated American comic strip by Clifford McBride
Napoleone Di Carlo, a detective created by Italian comic book writer Carlo Ambrosini for the series of the same name published by Sergio Bonelli Editore
Napoleon, a bloodhound in Aristocats and Aristocats 2
Napoleon, the protagonist of the novel My Uncle Napoleon
Napoleon Dynamite, the protagonist of the film Napoleon Dynamite
Napoleon Wilson, an Assault on Precinct 13 character
Gaming[edit]
Napoleon (card game)
Napoleon (game), a classic boardgame (1974) about the Waterloo campaign
Napoleon (GBA game)
Napoleon Gambit, a variation of the Scotch Game chess opening
Napoleon Opening, a chess opening named for Napoleon I
Napoleon Total War, a turn based/real time strategy game for the PC
Napoleon, a real-time strategy game for Windows
Napoleon, a video game published by Enix, see List of Enix home computer games
Music[edit]
"Napoleon", a song by Ani DiFranco from the album Dilate
Stage and screen[edit]
Napoléon (1927 film), a French silent film by Abel Gance
Napoléon (1955 film), a French historical epic by Sacha Guitry
Napoleon (1995 film), an Australian film by Mario Andreacchio
Napoleon (2007 film), a British made-for-TV film
Napoléon (miniseries), a 2002 historical miniseries
Napoleon (musical)
Napoleon Bunny-Part, a 1956 Looney Tunes animated short featuring Bugs Bunny
Napoleon Dynamite, a 2004 film by Jared Hess
Napoleon, a 1993 television advertisement in the UK for Tango
In food and drink[edit]
Napoleon, a grade of cognac
Napoleon (pastry), a French pastry, also called Mille-feuille
In transportation[edit]
French ship Napoléon (1850)
MV Napoleon, a British ship
In nature[edit]
Napoleon fish, another name for humphead wrasse
Other uses[edit]
Napoleon (coin)
Napoleon complex, a psychological condition affecting short people
12-pounder Napoleon, a cannon
Napoleonite, a variety of igneous rock
Disambiguation icon This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title.
If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.
 


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Napoleon (disambiguation)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Napoleon (film))
Jump to: navigation, search

 Look up Napoleon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Napoleon (1769–1821) also known as Napoleon Bonaparte or Napoleon I, was a French military leader and emperor.
Napoleon (English) or Napoléon (French) or Napoleón (Spanish) or Napoleone (Italian) may also refer to:


Contents  [hide]
1 In people 1.1 Bonaparte family
1.2 Other people 1.2.1 Athletes
1.2.2 Artists
1.2.3 Military officials
1.2.4 Politicians and other leaders
1.2.5 Other
1.3 Nicknames
2 In places
3 In entertainment and media 3.1 Comics
3.2 Fictional characters
3.3 Gaming
3.4 Music
3.5 Stage and screen
4 In food and drink
5 In transportation
6 In nature
7 Other uses
In people[edit]
Napoleone, Italian masculine given name
Bonaparte family[edit]
Napoleon II (1811–1832), son of Napoleon I
Napoleon III (1808–1873), last monarch and first president of France, son of Napoleon I's brother Louis
Napoleon Charles Bonaparte (1802–1807), prince of Holland and son of Napoleon I's brother Louis
Napoleon Louis Bonaparte (1804–1831), King of Holland and son of Napoleon I's brother Louis
Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte (1822–1891), son of Napoleon I's brother Jerome
Napoléon Charles Grégoire Jacques Philippe Bonaparte (1839–1899), grandson of Napoleon I's brother Lucien
Napoléon, Prince Imperial (1856-1879), the only child of Emperor Napoleon III
Victor, Prince Napoléon, (1862-1929), pretender to the Imperial Throne of France
Louis, Prince Napoléon (1914-1997)
Charles, Prince Napoléon (b. 1950)
Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon (b. 1986)
Other people[edit]
Athletes[edit]
Napoleón Calzado (born 1977), baseball player from Dominican Republic.
Napoleon Einstein (born 1989), Indian cricketer
Napoleon Harris (born 1979), American football player
Napoleon Kaufman (born 1973), American football player
Napoleon Lajoie (1874–1959), American baseball player
Napoleon McCallum (born 1963), American football player
Artists[edit]
Napoleon (actor) (born 1963), Tamil film actor
Napoleon (rapper) (born 1977), American rapper
Napoleon XIV (born 1938), American singer-songwriter
Napoleon D'umo (born 1968), American choreographer
Napoleon Murphy Brock (born 1943), American singer and musician
Napoleon Orda (1807–1883), Belorussian-Polish musician and artist
Napoleon Perdis (born 1970), Australian make-up artist
Military officials[edit]
Napoleon Bonaparte Buford (1807–1883), U.S. Army officer and railroad executive
Napoleon Collins (1814–1875), U.S. Navy admiral
Napoleon J. T. Dana (1822–1905), U.S. Army officer
Napoleon Zervas (1891–1957), Greek general
Napoleone Orsini (1420–1480), Italian warlord
Politicians and other leaders[edit]
Napoleon B. Broward (1857–1910), American governor of Florida
Napoleon Bonaparte Brown (1834–1910), American businessman and politician
José Napoleón Duarte (1925–1990), President of El Salvador
Napoleon Wapasha, Sioux chief
Other[edit]
Napoleon Chagnon (born 1938), American anthropologist
Napoleone Orsini Frangipani (1263–1342), Italian cardinal
Napoleon Hill (1883–1970), American personal-success author
Napoleon LeBrun (1821–1901), American architect
Napoléon Peyrat (1809-1881), French author and historian
Prince Charles Napoléon (Charles Marie Jérôme Victor Napoléon) (born 19 October 1950)
Napoléon Coste (1805-1883), French guitarist
Napoléon Joseph Ney (1803–1857), French politician
Napoléon, comte Daru (1807-1890), French soldier and politician. godson of Napoléon
Napoléon La Cécilia (1835-1878), French general
Napoleone Boni (1863-1927), Italian painter
Napoleone Nani (1841-1899), Italian painter
Nicknames[edit]
see also Napoleon of IndiaP. G. T. Beauregard (1818–93), Confederate general, "Little Napoleon"
Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–93), neurologist, "Napoleon of the Neuroses"
Neal S. Dow (1804–97), temperance activist, "Napoleon of Temperance"
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536/7-98), Japanese general, "Napoleon of Japan"
Kamehameha I (c.1758-1819), Hawaiian king, "Napoleon of the Pacific"
Francisco Solano Lopez (1827–70), Paraguayan president, "Napoleon of South America"
Antonio López de Santa Anna (1794-1876), Mexican president, "Napoleon of the West"
Toussaint Louverture (c.1743-1803), Haitian revolutionary, "Napoleon of Haiti"
Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964), U.S. Army general, "Napoleon of Luzon"
George B. McClellan (1826–85), U.S. Army general, "Young Napoleon"
John McGraw (1873-1934), U.S. major league baseball player and manager, "Little Napoleon"
Mirambo (r.1860-84), Nyamwezi warlord, "Napoleon of Central Africa"
James K. Polk (1795-1849), U.S. president, "Napoleon of the Stump"
Qin Shi Huang (259-10 BC), Chinese emperor, "Napoleon of China"
Nader Shah (1688/98-1747), Iranian shah, "Napoleon of Persia"
Shaka (1787-1828), Zulu king, "Napoleon of Africa"
Te Rauparaha (1760s-1849), Maori chief, "Napoleon of the South Pacific"
Thutmose III (1479-25 BC), Egyptian pharaoh, "Napoleon of Egypt"
Adam Worth (1844-1902), American criminal, "Napoleon of Crime"
In places[edit]
PolandNapoleon, Silesian Voivodeship
United StatesNapoleon, Arkansas
Napoleon, Indiana
Napoleon, Kentucky
Napoleon, Michigan
Napoleon, Mississippi
Napoleon, Missouri
Napoleon, North Dakota
Napoleon, Ohio
In entertainment and media[edit]
Comics[edit]
Napoleone, a comics series published by Sergio Bonelli Editore
Fictional characters[edit]
Napoleon (Animal Farm), a character in George Orwell's novel
Napoleon Bonaparte (fictional detective), a character created by Arthur Upfield
Napoleon Solo, a The Man from U.N.C.L.E. character
Napoleon and Uncle Elby, a syndicated American comic strip by Clifford McBride
Napoleone Di Carlo, a detective created by Italian comic book writer Carlo Ambrosini for the series of the same name published by Sergio Bonelli Editore
Napoleon, a bloodhound in Aristocats and Aristocats 2
Napoleon, the protagonist of the novel My Uncle Napoleon
Napoleon Dynamite, the protagonist of the film Napoleon Dynamite
Napoleon Wilson, an Assault on Precinct 13 character
Gaming[edit]
Napoleon (card game)
Napoleon (game), a classic boardgame (1974) about the Waterloo campaign
Napoleon (GBA game)
Napoleon Gambit, a variation of the Scotch Game chess opening
Napoleon Opening, a chess opening named for Napoleon I
Napoleon Total War, a turn based/real time strategy game for the PC
Napoleon, a real-time strategy game for Windows
Napoleon, a video game published by Enix, see List of Enix home computer games
Music[edit]
"Napoleon", a song by Ani DiFranco from the album Dilate
Stage and screen[edit]
Napoléon (1927 film), a French silent film by Abel Gance
Napoléon (1955 film), a French historical epic by Sacha Guitry
Napoleon (1995 film), an Australian film by Mario Andreacchio
Napoleon (2007 film), a British made-for-TV film
Napoléon (miniseries), a 2002 historical miniseries
Napoleon (musical)
Napoleon Bunny-Part, a 1956 Looney Tunes animated short featuring Bugs Bunny
Napoleon Dynamite, a 2004 film by Jared Hess
Napoleon, a 1993 television advertisement in the UK for Tango
In food and drink[edit]
Napoleon, a grade of cognac
Napoleon (pastry), a French pastry, also called Mille-feuille
In transportation[edit]
French ship Napoléon (1850)
MV Napoleon, a British ship
In nature[edit]
Napoleon fish, another name for humphead wrasse
Other uses[edit]
Napoleon (coin)
Napoleon complex, a psychological condition affecting short people
12-pounder Napoleon, a cannon
Napoleonite, a variety of igneous rock
Disambiguation icon This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title.
If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.
 


Categories: Disambiguation pages
Place name disambiguation pages





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This page was last modified on 17 September 2014 at 01:41.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_(disambiguation)#Stage_and_screen











Napoléon (miniseries)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search


Napoleon

Created by
Didier Decoin and Max Gallo, Yves Simoneau - director
Starring
Christian Clavier
Gérard Depardieu
Isabella Rossellini
John Malkovich
Alexandra Maria Lara
Heino Ferch
Claudio Amendola
Country of origin
France / Germany / U.K.
No. of episodes
4
Production

Running time
360 minutes (6 hours)
Broadcast

Original channel
A&E (U.S.)
Napoleon is a historical miniseries which explored the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 2002, it was the most expensive television miniseries in Europe, costing the equivalent of $US46,330,000 to produce. The miniseries covered Napoleon's military successes and failures, including the Battles of Eylau, Austerlitz, Waterloo and the retreat from Russia. It also delved into Napoleon's personal life: his marriage to and divorce from Josephine de Beauharnais, his marriage to Marie Louise, the Duchess of Parma and daughter of Francis II, and his affairs with Eleanore Denuelle and Marie Walewska. The series draws from Bonaparte historian Max Gallo's bestseller.
The miniseries was produced by GMT Productions in France and co-produced by Transfilm in Canada and Spice Factory in the UK. In the United States, it aired on the Arts and Entertainment (A&E) channel.


Contents  [hide]
1 Introduction
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Battles and action 4.1 Historical inaccuracy
5 Reception 5.1 Controversy
5.2 Awards
6 DVD release
7 Game release
8 References
9 External links

Introduction[edit]
The series begins with Napoleon on Saint Helena. Hudson Lowe, the British governor of the island, repeatedly demands Napoleon show his presence. After a futile attempt to convince Napoleon to leave his home, an English girl (Miss Betsy), soon appears.
Although there is no explicit mention of this, it is assumed that Napoleon is reminiscing about his past successes to Miss Betsy, as it is revealed at the end. The story begins with his meeting of Josephine de Beauharnais, his future wife and Empress. Later, it focuses on Napoleon's military involvement as Barras' chief of staff in neutralizing Royalist forces.



Cast[edit]
Christian Clavier as Napoleon I
Isabella Rossellini as Joséphine de Beauharnais
Gérard Depardieu as Joseph Fouché
John Malkovich as Charles Talleyrand
Anouk Aimée as Letizia Bonaparte
Heino Ferch as Armand Augustin Louis de Caulaincourt
Sebastian Koch as Marshal Jean Lannes
Ennio Fantastichini as Joseph Bonaparte
Yves Jacques as Lucien Bonaparte
Alexandra Maria Lara as Countess Marie Walewska
Toby Stephens as Alexander I of Russia
Mavie Hörbiger as Marie Louise of Austria
Marie Bäumer as Caroline Bonaparte
Claudio Amendola as Marshal Joachim Murat
Julian Sands as Klemens von Metternich
Ludivine Sagnier as Hortense de Beauharnais
John Wood as Pope Pius VII
Charlotte Valandrey as Madame Coigny
Florence Pernel as Thérésa Tallien
Jessica Paré as Eléanore Denuelle
David La Haye as Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé, duc d'Enghien
David Francis as Sir Hudson Lowe
Tamsin Egerton-Dick as "Miss Betsy" Balcombe
Production[edit]
Filming took place in Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Morocco and Switzerland. The filmmakers found that many locations in Hungary resembled 19th century France. However, matte paintings and various digital effects were also employed in post-production in order to recreate the historical setting. In many of the battle sequences, computer-generated soldiers created by Hybride Technologies were added into the footage. “With digital effects, you always want to create something dramatic”, said Pierre Raymond, president of Hybride. “But for Napoleon, we had to present the reality of the time period with imagery that was visually interesting, but more important, totally accurate.”[1] The fact that Napoleon left behind many historical records helped in the production, and other records were supplied by the modern-day French Army.
Upon its release, it was the first television series to be broadcast simultaneously in all the participating European countries.[1] However, when originally broadcast in the United States, it was edited down to a running time of three hours, as opposed to the original six hours.
Battles and action[edit]
The first episode begins with the young Napoleon's suppression of Royalist rioters on 13 Vendémiaire with the famous "Whiff of Grapeshot" (short range canister fire from a cannon) around the Church of St. Roch (October 5, 1795). Later on, Napoleon is shown failing to take a bridge from the Austrians at the Battle of the Bridge of Arcole (November 15-17, 1796) during his first Italian campaign. The episode ends with the attempted bombing by the Royalists of Napoleon's carriage while it was en route to the opera house.
In the second episode, there is an extended sequence showing the Battle of Austerlitz (December 2, 1805). This is followed by a very brief scene of the Battle of Jena (October 14, 1806). The episode ends in the midst of the snowy Battle of Eylau (February 7-8, 1807) with Napoleon waiting desperately for reinforcements led by Marshal Michel Ney.
The third episode begins with the last minute arrival of Ney's reinforcements at Eylau battlefield, the charge of the French cuirassier heavy cavalry (led by Marshal Joachim Murat) against the Russian lines, and Napoleon's sending of his Imperial Guard grenadiers into action. The middle of the episode shows Napoleon suffering a serious defeat at the Battle of Aspern-Essling (May 21-22, 1809) and the death of his closest friend and general Marshal Jean Lannes. There is no depiction of the Battle of Borodino (September 7, 1812), though it is mentioned later in the episode. Instead, Napoleon and his forces are shown waiting outside of Moscow before his entire army parades into the empty Russian city. The episode ends with Napoleon opening the window in the Tsar's Kremlin bedroom to see the city engulfed in flames.
The fourth episode begins with the retreat of half-frozen French soldiers in the bitterly cold Russian winter while being attacked by mounted Cossacks. Later, there is the Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815) with Ney's heavy cavalry charge, the French taking of the farm Le Haie Sainte from the British, the assault of the Imperial Guard, and the final rout of the French forces. As soldiers flee the battlefield, Napoleon's Imperial Guard grenadiers form a square around their emperor and retreat in disciplined order in their square.
Historical inaccuracy[edit]
During the miniseries' depiction of Napoleon as first consul, the incident of the Infernal Machine takes place. He is seen riding with his wife, Josephine, but in historical reality, this was not the case.
Cambronne is seen saying the infamous word of Cambronne and later a variation of his famous response about the Guard during the Battle of Waterloo. The accuracy of these words is disputed, even though they are popularly attributed to him.
In the third episode Napoleon and Tsar Alexander are shown listening to a performance of Nicolo Paganini's Caprice No. 24. In reality the piece was composed in 1817, when Napoleon already had abdicated.
In the fourth episode, according to the plot Talleyrand is warning Louis XVIII of Napoleon advancing to Paris. In reality, Talleyrand was at that time at the Congress of Vienna and not in Paris.
In the credits scene at the end of the movie, Louis-Napoleon (Emperor Napoleon III) is said to have died in 1871, whereas he in fact died 1873 in Chislehurst, England. His regime was toppled (his Empress fleeing from Paris) after his capture by the Prussians at the battle of Sedan in September 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1.
Reception[edit]
The series premiered at a time when many other books and films about Napoleon had recently come out or were in production, including a stage production called C'était Bonaparte, which opened days before the miniseries premiered. When it first aired in France it drew in seven million nightly viewers.[2] Critical reviews have been mixed. Some reviewers were uneasy at the casting of Christian Clavier, an actor known mostly for his work in comedy films, in the title role. [3] French critics generally found Clavier to be "a good Napoleon but a poor Bonaparte." That is, striking an imposing figure but failing to give insight into the man.[4] In terms of the dispute over whether Napoleon was a visionary, a tyrant, or an imposter, historian Jean Tulard considers the miniseries to be "too soft" on the emperor. However, the series also endows him with some unsavory characteristics, including a certain insensitivity towards the human costs of war.[4] Mark A. Rivera of Genreonline.net stated that, "Napoleon is not portrayed as an angel in this miniseries, but neither is he portrayed as a monster. I think this might be one of the most courageous attempts to present the 'Emperor' simply as a human being."[5] Clavier himself referred to the character he portrays as an intellectual and a true liberal.[6]
Anthony Nield of DVD Times criticized the series' pacing.[7] John Lichfield of the Independent found the battle scenes inconsistent in terms of realism.[4]
Controversy[edit]
Early on the film received negative reviews in Italy but was praised in France. An Italian politician, Umberto Bossi, was angered by the series, stating that it glamorized Napoleon despite the fact that his occupation of Italy resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the looting of many of the country's artistic treasures. He also criticized Italy's RAI television network for co-funding the series. Producer and cast member Gérard Depardieu defended the series, stating that it keeps to the truth and that "perhaps Bossi would have preferred an idiot Napoleon." Two other members of the cast, Christian Clavier and Isabella Rossellini, vouched for the integrity of their respective portrayals of the French emperor and empress.[6] Lichfield, on the other hand, says that the series omits most of the unsavory elements of Napoleon's Italian campaign.[4]
Awards[edit]
In 2003 the series won a Bavarian TV award. In France, it won a 7 d'Or award for Best Director. In the United States it was nominated for nine Emmy awards,[8] and it won the Emmy for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special[9]
DVD release[edit]
A three-disc DVD (full screen) recording, under the A&E label and with A&E extra features, is sold in the United States. In Canada, there is a four-disc DVD (fullscreen) recording, under the REMSTAR label and without the A&E extra features, in both English and French editions. French edition is in 1:78 widescreen.
Game release[edit]
A game based on the miniseries was released on November 14, 2002 by Atari and Infogrames for Mac & Windows. The game allows players to recreate some of Napoleon's historical battles. Richard Grégoire, the composer of the soundtrack of the miniseries, also contributed a part of the game's music.
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Karen Moltenbray, A Napoleonic Quest: Digital artists re-create history for the mini-series Napoleon, Computer Graphics World, October 2002, vol. 25, no. 10, pages 24-29
2.Jump up ^ Times.com, Little General Gets Big
3.Jump up ^ "N'est pas Napoléon qui veut " : les fausses notes de Christian Clavier - le Journal Culturel Le Mague agite l'E-monde
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d John Lichfield, Vive l'Empereur, [1]
5.Jump up ^ Genreonline.net, Napoleon: Collector’s Edition DVD Set Review, [2],
6.^ Jump up to: a b BBC News, Napoleon series angers Italian party, [3], October 7, 2002,
7.Jump up ^ DVDtimes.co.uk
8.Jump up ^ Variety.com, Director: Movies & Miniseries, Veterans take first shots at Emmy gold[4]
9.Jump up ^ "Napoléon" (2002) - Awards
External links[edit]
Napoléon at the Internet Movie Database
An article about the special effects from Computer Graphics World
 


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Biographical films about Napoleon
Peabody Award winning television programs
Period television series




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Napoléon (miniseries)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search


Napoleon

Created by
Didier Decoin and Max Gallo, Yves Simoneau - director
Starring
Christian Clavier
Gérard Depardieu
Isabella Rossellini
John Malkovich
Alexandra Maria Lara
Heino Ferch
Claudio Amendola
Country of origin
France / Germany / U.K.
No. of episodes
4
Production

Running time
360 minutes (6 hours)
Broadcast

Original channel
A&E (U.S.)
Napoleon is a historical miniseries which explored the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 2002, it was the most expensive television miniseries in Europe, costing the equivalent of $US46,330,000 to produce. The miniseries covered Napoleon's military successes and failures, including the Battles of Eylau, Austerlitz, Waterloo and the retreat from Russia. It also delved into Napoleon's personal life: his marriage to and divorce from Josephine de Beauharnais, his marriage to Marie Louise, the Duchess of Parma and daughter of Francis II, and his affairs with Eleanore Denuelle and Marie Walewska. The series draws from Bonaparte historian Max Gallo's bestseller.
The miniseries was produced by GMT Productions in France and co-produced by Transfilm in Canada and Spice Factory in the UK. In the United States, it aired on the Arts and Entertainment (A&E) channel.


Contents  [hide]
1 Introduction
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Battles and action 4.1 Historical inaccuracy
5 Reception 5.1 Controversy
5.2 Awards
6 DVD release
7 Game release
8 References
9 External links

Introduction[edit]
The series begins with Napoleon on Saint Helena. Hudson Lowe, the British governor of the island, repeatedly demands Napoleon show his presence. After a futile attempt to convince Napoleon to leave his home, an English girl (Miss Betsy), soon appears.
Although there is no explicit mention of this, it is assumed that Napoleon is reminiscing about his past successes to Miss Betsy, as it is revealed at the end. The story begins with his meeting of Josephine de Beauharnais, his future wife and Empress. Later, it focuses on Napoleon's military involvement as Barras' chief of staff in neutralizing Royalist forces.



Cast[edit]
Christian Clavier as Napoleon I
Isabella Rossellini as Joséphine de Beauharnais
Gérard Depardieu as Joseph Fouché
John Malkovich as Charles Talleyrand
Anouk Aimée as Letizia Bonaparte
Heino Ferch as Armand Augustin Louis de Caulaincourt
Sebastian Koch as Marshal Jean Lannes
Ennio Fantastichini as Joseph Bonaparte
Yves Jacques as Lucien Bonaparte
Alexandra Maria Lara as Countess Marie Walewska
Toby Stephens as Alexander I of Russia
Mavie Hörbiger as Marie Louise of Austria
Marie Bäumer as Caroline Bonaparte
Claudio Amendola as Marshal Joachim Murat
Julian Sands as Klemens von Metternich
Ludivine Sagnier as Hortense de Beauharnais
John Wood as Pope Pius VII
Charlotte Valandrey as Madame Coigny
Florence Pernel as Thérésa Tallien
Jessica Paré as Eléanore Denuelle
David La Haye as Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé, duc d'Enghien
David Francis as Sir Hudson Lowe
Tamsin Egerton-Dick as "Miss Betsy" Balcombe
Production[edit]
Filming took place in Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Morocco and Switzerland. The filmmakers found that many locations in Hungary resembled 19th century France. However, matte paintings and various digital effects were also employed in post-production in order to recreate the historical setting. In many of the battle sequences, computer-generated soldiers created by Hybride Technologies were added into the footage. “With digital effects, you always want to create something dramatic”, said Pierre Raymond, president of Hybride. “But for Napoleon, we had to present the reality of the time period with imagery that was visually interesting, but more important, totally accurate.”[1] The fact that Napoleon left behind many historical records helped in the production, and other records were supplied by the modern-day French Army.
Upon its release, it was the first television series to be broadcast simultaneously in all the participating European countries.[1] However, when originally broadcast in the United States, it was edited down to a running time of three hours, as opposed to the original six hours.
Battles and action[edit]
The first episode begins with the young Napoleon's suppression of Royalist rioters on 13 Vendémiaire with the famous "Whiff of Grapeshot" (short range canister fire from a cannon) around the Church of St. Roch (October 5, 1795). Later on, Napoleon is shown failing to take a bridge from the Austrians at the Battle of the Bridge of Arcole (November 15-17, 1796) during his first Italian campaign. The episode ends with the attempted bombing by the Royalists of Napoleon's carriage while it was en route to the opera house.
In the second episode, there is an extended sequence showing the Battle of Austerlitz (December 2, 1805). This is followed by a very brief scene of the Battle of Jena (October 14, 1806). The episode ends in the midst of the snowy Battle of Eylau (February 7-8, 1807) with Napoleon waiting desperately for reinforcements led by Marshal Michel Ney.
The third episode begins with the last minute arrival of Ney's reinforcements at Eylau battlefield, the charge of the French cuirassier heavy cavalry (led by Marshal Joachim Murat) against the Russian lines, and Napoleon's sending of his Imperial Guard grenadiers into action. The middle of the episode shows Napoleon suffering a serious defeat at the Battle of Aspern-Essling (May 21-22, 1809) and the death of his closest friend and general Marshal Jean Lannes. There is no depiction of the Battle of Borodino (September 7, 1812), though it is mentioned later in the episode. Instead, Napoleon and his forces are shown waiting outside of Moscow before his entire army parades into the empty Russian city. The episode ends with Napoleon opening the window in the Tsar's Kremlin bedroom to see the city engulfed in flames.
The fourth episode begins with the retreat of half-frozen French soldiers in the bitterly cold Russian winter while being attacked by mounted Cossacks. Later, there is the Battle of Waterloo (June 18, 1815) with Ney's heavy cavalry charge, the French taking of the farm Le Haie Sainte from the British, the assault of the Imperial Guard, and the final rout of the French forces. As soldiers flee the battlefield, Napoleon's Imperial Guard grenadiers form a square around their emperor and retreat in disciplined order in their square.
Historical inaccuracy[edit]
During the miniseries' depiction of Napoleon as first consul, the incident of the Infernal Machine takes place. He is seen riding with his wife, Josephine, but in historical reality, this was not the case.
Cambronne is seen saying the infamous word of Cambronne and later a variation of his famous response about the Guard during the Battle of Waterloo. The accuracy of these words is disputed, even though they are popularly attributed to him.
In the third episode Napoleon and Tsar Alexander are shown listening to a performance of Nicolo Paganini's Caprice No. 24. In reality the piece was composed in 1817, when Napoleon already had abdicated.
In the fourth episode, according to the plot Talleyrand is warning Louis XVIII of Napoleon advancing to Paris. In reality, Talleyrand was at that time at the Congress of Vienna and not in Paris.
In the credits scene at the end of the movie, Louis-Napoleon (Emperor Napoleon III) is said to have died in 1871, whereas he in fact died 1873 in Chislehurst, England. His regime was toppled (his Empress fleeing from Paris) after his capture by the Prussians at the battle of Sedan in September 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1.
Reception[edit]
The series premiered at a time when many other books and films about Napoleon had recently come out or were in production, including a stage production called C'était Bonaparte, which opened days before the miniseries premiered. When it first aired in France it drew in seven million nightly viewers.[2] Critical reviews have been mixed. Some reviewers were uneasy at the casting of Christian Clavier, an actor known mostly for his work in comedy films, in the title role. [3] French critics generally found Clavier to be "a good Napoleon but a poor Bonaparte." That is, striking an imposing figure but failing to give insight into the man.[4] In terms of the dispute over whether Napoleon was a visionary, a tyrant, or an imposter, historian Jean Tulard considers the miniseries to be "too soft" on the emperor. However, the series also endows him with some unsavory characteristics, including a certain insensitivity towards the human costs of war.[4] Mark A. Rivera of Genreonline.net stated that, "Napoleon is not portrayed as an angel in this miniseries, but neither is he portrayed as a monster. I think this might be one of the most courageous attempts to present the 'Emperor' simply as a human being."[5] Clavier himself referred to the character he portrays as an intellectual and a true liberal.[6]
Anthony Nield of DVD Times criticized the series' pacing.[7] John Lichfield of the Independent found the battle scenes inconsistent in terms of realism.[4]
Controversy[edit]
Early on the film received negative reviews in Italy but was praised in France. An Italian politician, Umberto Bossi, was angered by the series, stating that it glamorized Napoleon despite the fact that his occupation of Italy resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the looting of many of the country's artistic treasures. He also criticized Italy's RAI television network for co-funding the series. Producer and cast member Gérard Depardieu defended the series, stating that it keeps to the truth and that "perhaps Bossi would have preferred an idiot Napoleon." Two other members of the cast, Christian Clavier and Isabella Rossellini, vouched for the integrity of their respective portrayals of the French emperor and empress.[6] Lichfield, on the other hand, says that the series omits most of the unsavory elements of Napoleon's Italian campaign.[4]
Awards[edit]
In 2003 the series won a Bavarian TV award. In France, it won a 7 d'Or award for Best Director. In the United States it was nominated for nine Emmy awards,[8] and it won the Emmy for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special[9]
DVD release[edit]
A three-disc DVD (full screen) recording, under the A&E label and with A&E extra features, is sold in the United States. In Canada, there is a four-disc DVD (fullscreen) recording, under the REMSTAR label and without the A&E extra features, in both English and French editions. French edition is in 1:78 widescreen.
Game release[edit]
A game based on the miniseries was released on November 14, 2002 by Atari and Infogrames for Mac & Windows. The game allows players to recreate some of Napoleon's historical battles. Richard Grégoire, the composer of the soundtrack of the miniseries, also contributed a part of the game's music.
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b Karen Moltenbray, A Napoleonic Quest: Digital artists re-create history for the mini-series Napoleon, Computer Graphics World, October 2002, vol. 25, no. 10, pages 24-29
2.Jump up ^ Times.com, Little General Gets Big
3.Jump up ^ "N'est pas Napoléon qui veut " : les fausses notes de Christian Clavier - le Journal Culturel Le Mague agite l'E-monde
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d John Lichfield, Vive l'Empereur, [1]
5.Jump up ^ Genreonline.net, Napoleon: Collector’s Edition DVD Set Review, [2],
6.^ Jump up to: a b BBC News, Napoleon series angers Italian party, [3], October 7, 2002,
7.Jump up ^ DVDtimes.co.uk
8.Jump up ^ Variety.com, Director: Movies & Miniseries, Veterans take first shots at Emmy gold[4]
9.Jump up ^ "Napoléon" (2002) - Awards
External links[edit]
Napoléon at the Internet Movie Database
An article about the special effects from Computer Graphics World
 


Categories: French television miniseries
Biographical films about Napoleon
Peabody Award winning television programs
Period television series




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Napoleon (2007 film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search


Napoleon

Genre
Historical drama
Directed by
Nick Murphy
Written by
Nick Murphy
Starring
Tom Burke
Rob Brydon
Music by
Daniel Pemberton
Country
UK
Language
English
Original channel
BBC One
Release date
12 November 2007
Running time
60 min.
Napoleon (also known as Heroes & Villains: Napoleon) is a 2007 United Kingdom television film first broadcast on BBC One on 12 November 2007. It tells the story of Napoleon's part in the Siege of Toulon in 1793.
It was filmed on Malta and Gozo from November 2006 to April 2007. The Beethoven-influenced musical score took a seventy piece orchestra and was not completed until mid-2007.[1]
Cast[edit]
Tom Burke as Napoleon Bonaparte
Rob Brydon as Stanislas Fréron
Laura Greenwood as Paoletta Bonaparte
Kenneth Cranham as General Carteaux
Gina Bellman as Catherine Carteaux
Alice Krige as Letizia Ramolino
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ danielpemberton.com



Stub icon This article related to a TV movie of the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




 


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BBC Television programmes
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Biographical films about Napoleon
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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_(2007_film)









Napoleon (2007 film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search


Napoleon

Genre
Historical drama
Directed by
Nick Murphy
Written by
Nick Murphy
Starring
Tom Burke
Rob Brydon
Music by
Daniel Pemberton
Country
UK
Language
English
Original channel
BBC One
Release date
12 November 2007
Running time
60 min.
Napoleon (also known as Heroes & Villains: Napoleon) is a 2007 United Kingdom television film first broadcast on BBC One on 12 November 2007. It tells the story of Napoleon's part in the Siege of Toulon in 1793.
It was filmed on Malta and Gozo from November 2006 to April 2007. The Beethoven-influenced musical score took a seventy piece orchestra and was not completed until mid-2007.[1]
Cast[edit]
Tom Burke as Napoleon Bonaparte
Rob Brydon as Stanislas Fréron
Laura Greenwood as Paoletta Bonaparte
Kenneth Cranham as General Carteaux
Gina Bellman as Catherine Carteaux
Alice Krige as Letizia Ramolino
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ danielpemberton.com



Stub icon This article related to a TV movie of the United Kingdom is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




 


Categories: English-language films
2007 television films
BBC Television programmes
British television films
Biographical films about Napoleon
British films
British television film stubs






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Napoleon (1995 film)
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 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2010)

Napoleon - As Aventuras de um Cãozinho Valente 1995

Directed by
Mario Andreacchio
Produced by
Mario Andreacchio
Written by
Mario Andreacchio
Mark Saltzman
Starring
Jamie Croft
Philip Quast
Music by
Bill Conti
Cinematography
Roger Dowling
Edited by
Edward McQueen-Mason
Production
 company
Adelaide Motion Picture Company
Australian Film Finance Corporation
Nippon-Herald Films
Pony Canyon

Distributed by
The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release dates
26 December 1996

Running time
81 minutes
Country
Australia
 Japan
Language
English
Budget
A$4.3 million[1]
Napoleon is a 1995 Australian film directed by Mario Andreacchio, and written by Mark Saltzman about a golden retriever puppy who runs away from his city home to the wild dogs.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot summary
2 Voice cast
3 Production
4 Release
5 Reception
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Plot summary[edit]


 This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (July 2011)
The story begins in Sydney, Australia, where Napoleon or referred to by others as "Muffin", is speculated to be living with a family and his mother. Napoleon wishes to be with the wild dogs that he can hear howling in the distance. The family Napoleon lives with is currently having a birthday party and one of the decorations shows to be a basket with balloons strapped to it. Out of curiosity, Napoleon hops inside but the basket, unties from its tether, and begins to float away while his mother pleads him not to jump out.
Napoleon flies out high above city and begins heading out to sea. Terrified of the water, Napoleon panics but suddenly a galah named Birdo, drops down on the side of his basket and offers to help him get down. Birdo's idea of help turns bad when he decides to pop the balloons suspending the basket, sending Napoleon's basket tumbling down to a beach head. Napoleon is however unharmed.
Napoleon begins reflecting on how he can finally seek out the wild dogs but Birdo suggests that Napoleon simply return home before he falls into danger. Napoleon ignores him and heads into a nearby forest.
As night falls, Napoleon starts to become nervous of being all alone. A mopoke in the forest warns Napoleon of terrible things happening to pets in the wild, referring to a cat that had fallen victim. Napoleon ignores him as well and continues on his way. He discovers a large tree that appears to have been used as a home for someone. Napoleon also stumbles upon a small patch of food; increasing his suspicions that someone is already living there. A psychopathic cat, the cat mentioned by the mopoke, spots Napoleon and believes him to be a mouse out of pure insanity and gives chase to him. Napoleon narrowly escapes as the mopoke pushed the cat into a pond. The mopoke then warns Napoleon that the cat won't rest until he is dead. As Napoleon runs off, the cat pulls itself from the pond angrily swearing revenge.
Morning comes and Napoleon awakes to the new day but meets a challenge in his road; a river. To make matters worse, a group of annoying rainbow lorikeets mock him by mimicking everything he says. Napoleon crosses anyway feeling rather proud of himself. He then meets a rude and sarcastic Koala that provides no help at all before meeting Birdo again. Napoleon reveals his nickname 'Muffin' but it is overheard by the annoying birds and a green tree frog who all begin to sing and make fun of him. Embarrassed and ridiculed, Napoleon walks out onto a log near the water but the log drifts out. Birdo tells Napoleon to swim; he refuses but is pushed by Birdo into the water, forcing him to swim. Birdo decides to help teach Napoleon to live in the wild.
Napoleon is taught how to hunt by practicing on a group of rabbits, but he is unable to catch one and results to eating moss. Birdo's next lesson is how to tell a friendly animal apart from a dangerous one. The lesson again proves useless. Birdo's next lesson involves snowy weather conditions. As the ground shakes, Birdo explains that its "blinding snow and freezing fog". Napoleon is nearly killed when a herd of wild horses stampede towards him but he is revealed to be alright but upset with Birdo's terrible advice. So he leaves going off on his own again. Napoleon smells sugar and believes it to be candy. Upon further investigation, he finds a tall sugar cane and proceeds inside. Quickly the sugar cane burns due to the dryness threatening to burn Napoleon as well, with Birdo's help, he manages to escape. As the two are talking, the cat returns attempting to attack Birdo, but fails. Birdo reunites with his lost flock but the cat has found them too. Napoleon notices and saves them by scaring them with his warning of the cat.
Napoleon hears the howls again and Birdo again suggests that Napoleon go home. The two sadly part ways as Napoleon wants to seek the wild dogs and Birdo wants to rejoin his flock.
While resting under a tree, Napoleon sees a perentie and hears loud barkings coming from it. When he speaks with him, he reveals that he makes many different noises leading Napoleon to believe the barking he's been hearing were just the lizard. Napoleon is heartbroken and saddened. Napoleon finds himself in a bad storm as the area begins to flood. He runs for shelter and discovers two dingo puppies inside a damp cave and he assumes they are lost like him. The water floods in and sweeps away Nancy, one of the pups. Napoleon dives into the water and helps her out in a rescue. The pups mother returns and Napoleon realizes that he has found the wild dogs. Out of surprise, he faints.
When he awakes he asks to live with the mother and her pups so she agrees. While out together; the mother asks a variety of questions on why Napoleon wanted to be with the wild dogs. He explains his disappointments, but confesses he always wanted to feel brave by going on his journey. The mother comforts him by reminding him it was his courage that led him out here and helped him save her children, which represents the true spirit of the wild dogs. Wanting to go home, Napoleon has a rather bumpy return in an eccentric kangaroo's pouch. After briefly standing up to some of the animals who ridiculed him before, he returns to the shore and discovers his basket inhabited by a feisty penguin who resembles his past self; wanting to be a wild and brave creature. Night falls and Napoleon readies to sail back to the city with the basket but his plan is interrupted by the cat's final return. A battle ensues and Napoleon tries multiple times to stop the cat but the cat comes back again and again. Before she can kill Napoleon, the cat becomes distracted by the penguin, who shouts at him with taunts. Napoleon takes advantage of the distraction and knocks the cat into the basket and she disappears over the water as she's carried away. Napoleon looks up to a cliff side to see an image of a wild dog howling, symbolizing Napoleon's understanding his bravery of being a wild dog inside.
Napoleon, still needing a ride back to the city is delivered when Birdo reappears with a turtle who takes Napoleon back to the city. He returns home to open paws from his mother, who consents to calling her boy Napoleon and no longer Muffin. Just before the credits, the cat reappears one last time climbing over a wall, saying "Not a mouse, but dog... dog must die!"
Voice cast[edit]
Jamie Croft as Napoleon, a Golden Retriever pup.
Philip Quast as Birdo, a Rose-breasted Cockatoo.
Carole Skinner as the Cat
Olivia Hack as Nancy
Ashley Malenger as Sid
Production[edit]
[icon] This section requires expansion. (July 2011)
Napoleon was the most expensive independent production to be made in South Australia at the time of production.[1] Director Mario Andreacchio was inspired to make the film after watching The Adventures of Milo and Otis with his children.[1] During the shoot, 64 different dogs played the title role.[2]
Release[edit]
[icon] This section requires expansion. (July 2011)
Napoleon grossed $2,051,855 at the box office in Australia[3] during 1995. In Japan, the film opened on 87 screens during late February under the name Kulta, Finnish for "gold".[1] According to Andreacchio, the Japanese public mistook the original English title for a kind of brandy.[1]
It premiered on VHS in the United States on 11 August 1998.[4]
Reception[edit]
[icon] This section requires expansion. (July 2011)
In the U.S., the film received no advance screenings for critics.[5] It however received three stars out of four from the New York Daily News.[5]
See also[edit]
Cinema of Australia
South Australian Film Corporation
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Lloyd, Paul (25 February 1995). "Seeing the big picture". The Advertiser (Nationwide News Pty Limited).
2.Jump up ^ Keller, Louise. "Review of Napoleon". Urban Cinefile. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
3.Jump up ^ Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office
4.Jump up ^ "New on Video: Upcoming releases". The Vindicator. 25 June 1998. p. C5. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Bernard, Jami (11 October 1997). "'Napoleon' Is a Bone Apart". New York Daily News. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
External links[edit]
Napoleon at the Internet Movie Database
Napoleon at Rotten Tomatoes


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Films scored by Bill Conti


1960s
Un sudario a la medida (1969) ·
 Juliette de Sade (1969)
 

1970s
A Man, a Woman and a Bank (1979) ·
 The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979) ·
 Rocky II (1979) ·
 Goldengirl (1979) ·
 Dreamer (1979) ·
 Five Days from Home (1979) ·
 Uncle Joe Shannon (1978) ·
 Slow Dancing in the Big City (1978) ·
 The Big Fix (1978) ·
 Paradise Alley (1978) ·
 F.I.S.T (1978) ·
 An Unmarried Woman (1978) ·
 Handle with Care (1977) ·
 Rocky (1976) ·
 Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) ·
 Pacific Challenge (1975) ·
 Harry and Tonto (1974) ·
 Blume in Love (1973) ·
 Liquid Subway (1972)
 

1980s
Lock Up (1989) ·
 The Karate Kid, Part III (1989) ·
 Lean on Me (1989) ·
 Cohen and Tate (1988) ·
 Betrayed (1988) ·
 Le Grand Bleu (1988) (US version) ·
 A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988) ·
 For Keeps? (1988) ·
 Broadcast News (1987) ·
 Baby Boom (1987) ·
 A Prayer for the Dying (1987) ·
 Masters of the Universe (1987) ·
 Happy New Year (1987) ·
 I Love N.Y. (1987) ·
 The Boss' Wife (1986) ·
 The Karate Kid, Part II (1986) ·
 Big Trouble (1986) ·
 Nomads (1986) ·
 F/X (1986) ·
 Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic (1986) ·
 Beer (1985) ·
 Gotcha! (1985) ·
 Mass Appeal (1984) ·
 The Coolangatta Gold (1984) ·
 The Bear (1984) ·
 The Karate Kid (1984) ·
 Unfaithfully Yours (1984) ·
 The Right Stuff (1983) ·
 Bad Boys (1983) ·
 That Championship Season (1982) ·
 Split Image (1982) ·
 Rocky III (1982) ·
 I, the Jury (1982) ·
 Neighbors (1981 film (1981) ·
 Carbon Copy (1981) ·
 Victory (1981) ·
 For Your Eyes Only (1981) ·
 The Formula (1980) ·
 Private Benjamin (1980) ·
 Gloria (1980 film (1980)
 

1990s
Inferno (1999/II) ·
 The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) ·
 The Real Macaw (1998) ·
 Wrongfully Accused (1998) ·
 Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (1996) ·
 Spy Hard (1996) ·
 Bushwhacked (1995/I) ·
 Napoleon (1995) ·
 The Scout (1994) ·
 The Next Karate Kid (1994) ·
 8 Seconds (1994) ·
 Yellowstone (1994) ·
 Rookie of the Year (1993) ·
 Bound by Honor (1993) ·
 The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993) ·
 A Captive in the Land (1993) ·
 By the Sword (1991) ·
 Necessary Roughness (1991) ·
 Year of the Gun (1991) ·
 Rocky V (1990) ·
 Backstreet Dreams (1990) ·
 The Fourth War (1990)
 

2000s
Small Town Hero (2010) ·
 The Perfect Game (2009) ·
 Moonlight Blade (2009) ·
 Rocky Balboa (2006) ·
 The Gospel of Lou (2003) ·
 2 Birds with 1 Stallone (2002) ·
 Avenging Angelo (2002) ·
 G (2002) ·
 Boys on the Run (2001) ·
 Tortilla Soup (2001) ·
 FX (2001)
 

 


Categories: 1996 films
English-language films
1995 films
Australian films
Films about dogs
Films featuring anthropomorphic characters














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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_(1995_film)










Napoleon (1995 film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search



 This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2010)

Napoleon - As Aventuras de um Cãozinho Valente 1995

Directed by
Mario Andreacchio
Produced by
Mario Andreacchio
Written by
Mario Andreacchio
Mark Saltzman
Starring
Jamie Croft
Philip Quast
Music by
Bill Conti
Cinematography
Roger Dowling
Edited by
Edward McQueen-Mason
Production
 company
Adelaide Motion Picture Company
Australian Film Finance Corporation
Nippon-Herald Films
Pony Canyon

Distributed by
The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release dates
26 December 1996

Running time
81 minutes
Country
Australia
 Japan
Language
English
Budget
A$4.3 million[1]
Napoleon is a 1995 Australian film directed by Mario Andreacchio, and written by Mark Saltzman about a golden retriever puppy who runs away from his city home to the wild dogs.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot summary
2 Voice cast
3 Production
4 Release
5 Reception
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Plot summary[edit]


 This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. Please help improve it by removing unnecessary details and making it more concise. (July 2011)
The story begins in Sydney, Australia, where Napoleon or referred to by others as "Muffin", is speculated to be living with a family and his mother. Napoleon wishes to be with the wild dogs that he can hear howling in the distance. The family Napoleon lives with is currently having a birthday party and one of the decorations shows to be a basket with balloons strapped to it. Out of curiosity, Napoleon hops inside but the basket, unties from its tether, and begins to float away while his mother pleads him not to jump out.
Napoleon flies out high above city and begins heading out to sea. Terrified of the water, Napoleon panics but suddenly a galah named Birdo, drops down on the side of his basket and offers to help him get down. Birdo's idea of help turns bad when he decides to pop the balloons suspending the basket, sending Napoleon's basket tumbling down to a beach head. Napoleon is however unharmed.
Napoleon begins reflecting on how he can finally seek out the wild dogs but Birdo suggests that Napoleon simply return home before he falls into danger. Napoleon ignores him and heads into a nearby forest.
As night falls, Napoleon starts to become nervous of being all alone. A mopoke in the forest warns Napoleon of terrible things happening to pets in the wild, referring to a cat that had fallen victim. Napoleon ignores him as well and continues on his way. He discovers a large tree that appears to have been used as a home for someone. Napoleon also stumbles upon a small patch of food; increasing his suspicions that someone is already living there. A psychopathic cat, the cat mentioned by the mopoke, spots Napoleon and believes him to be a mouse out of pure insanity and gives chase to him. Napoleon narrowly escapes as the mopoke pushed the cat into a pond. The mopoke then warns Napoleon that the cat won't rest until he is dead. As Napoleon runs off, the cat pulls itself from the pond angrily swearing revenge.
Morning comes and Napoleon awakes to the new day but meets a challenge in his road; a river. To make matters worse, a group of annoying rainbow lorikeets mock him by mimicking everything he says. Napoleon crosses anyway feeling rather proud of himself. He then meets a rude and sarcastic Koala that provides no help at all before meeting Birdo again. Napoleon reveals his nickname 'Muffin' but it is overheard by the annoying birds and a green tree frog who all begin to sing and make fun of him. Embarrassed and ridiculed, Napoleon walks out onto a log near the water but the log drifts out. Birdo tells Napoleon to swim; he refuses but is pushed by Birdo into the water, forcing him to swim. Birdo decides to help teach Napoleon to live in the wild.
Napoleon is taught how to hunt by practicing on a group of rabbits, but he is unable to catch one and results to eating moss. Birdo's next lesson is how to tell a friendly animal apart from a dangerous one. The lesson again proves useless. Birdo's next lesson involves snowy weather conditions. As the ground shakes, Birdo explains that its "blinding snow and freezing fog". Napoleon is nearly killed when a herd of wild horses stampede towards him but he is revealed to be alright but upset with Birdo's terrible advice. So he leaves going off on his own again. Napoleon smells sugar and believes it to be candy. Upon further investigation, he finds a tall sugar cane and proceeds inside. Quickly the sugar cane burns due to the dryness threatening to burn Napoleon as well, with Birdo's help, he manages to escape. As the two are talking, the cat returns attempting to attack Birdo, but fails. Birdo reunites with his lost flock but the cat has found them too. Napoleon notices and saves them by scaring them with his warning of the cat.
Napoleon hears the howls again and Birdo again suggests that Napoleon go home. The two sadly part ways as Napoleon wants to seek the wild dogs and Birdo wants to rejoin his flock.
While resting under a tree, Napoleon sees a perentie and hears loud barkings coming from it. When he speaks with him, he reveals that he makes many different noises leading Napoleon to believe the barking he's been hearing were just the lizard. Napoleon is heartbroken and saddened. Napoleon finds himself in a bad storm as the area begins to flood. He runs for shelter and discovers two dingo puppies inside a damp cave and he assumes they are lost like him. The water floods in and sweeps away Nancy, one of the pups. Napoleon dives into the water and helps her out in a rescue. The pups mother returns and Napoleon realizes that he has found the wild dogs. Out of surprise, he faints.
When he awakes he asks to live with the mother and her pups so she agrees. While out together; the mother asks a variety of questions on why Napoleon wanted to be with the wild dogs. He explains his disappointments, but confesses he always wanted to feel brave by going on his journey. The mother comforts him by reminding him it was his courage that led him out here and helped him save her children, which represents the true spirit of the wild dogs. Wanting to go home, Napoleon has a rather bumpy return in an eccentric kangaroo's pouch. After briefly standing up to some of the animals who ridiculed him before, he returns to the shore and discovers his basket inhabited by a feisty penguin who resembles his past self; wanting to be a wild and brave creature. Night falls and Napoleon readies to sail back to the city with the basket but his plan is interrupted by the cat's final return. A battle ensues and Napoleon tries multiple times to stop the cat but the cat comes back again and again. Before she can kill Napoleon, the cat becomes distracted by the penguin, who shouts at him with taunts. Napoleon takes advantage of the distraction and knocks the cat into the basket and she disappears over the water as she's carried away. Napoleon looks up to a cliff side to see an image of a wild dog howling, symbolizing Napoleon's understanding his bravery of being a wild dog inside.
Napoleon, still needing a ride back to the city is delivered when Birdo reappears with a turtle who takes Napoleon back to the city. He returns home to open paws from his mother, who consents to calling her boy Napoleon and no longer Muffin. Just before the credits, the cat reappears one last time climbing over a wall, saying "Not a mouse, but dog... dog must die!"
Voice cast[edit]
Jamie Croft as Napoleon, a Golden Retriever pup.
Philip Quast as Birdo, a Rose-breasted Cockatoo.
Carole Skinner as the Cat
Olivia Hack as Nancy
Ashley Malenger as Sid
Production[edit]
[icon] This section requires expansion. (July 2011)
Napoleon was the most expensive independent production to be made in South Australia at the time of production.[1] Director Mario Andreacchio was inspired to make the film after watching The Adventures of Milo and Otis with his children.[1] During the shoot, 64 different dogs played the title role.[2]
Release[edit]
[icon] This section requires expansion. (July 2011)
Napoleon grossed $2,051,855 at the box office in Australia[3] during 1995. In Japan, the film opened on 87 screens during late February under the name Kulta, Finnish for "gold".[1] According to Andreacchio, the Japanese public mistook the original English title for a kind of brandy.[1]
It premiered on VHS in the United States on 11 August 1998.[4]
Reception[edit]
[icon] This section requires expansion. (July 2011)
In the U.S., the film received no advance screenings for critics.[5] It however received three stars out of four from the New York Daily News.[5]
See also[edit]
Cinema of Australia
South Australian Film Corporation
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c d e Lloyd, Paul (25 February 1995). "Seeing the big picture". The Advertiser (Nationwide News Pty Limited).
2.Jump up ^ Keller, Louise. "Review of Napoleon". Urban Cinefile. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
3.Jump up ^ Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office
4.Jump up ^ "New on Video: Upcoming releases". The Vindicator. 25 June 1998. p. C5. Retrieved 26 July 2011.
5.^ Jump up to: a b Bernard, Jami (11 October 1997). "'Napoleon' Is a Bone Apart". New York Daily News. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
External links[edit]
Napoleon at the Internet Movie Database
Napoleon at Rotten Tomatoes


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Films scored by Bill Conti


1960s
Un sudario a la medida (1969) ·
 Juliette de Sade (1969)
 

1970s
A Man, a Woman and a Bank (1979) ·
 The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979) ·
 Rocky II (1979) ·
 Goldengirl (1979) ·
 Dreamer (1979) ·
 Five Days from Home (1979) ·
 Uncle Joe Shannon (1978) ·
 Slow Dancing in the Big City (1978) ·
 The Big Fix (1978) ·
 Paradise Alley (1978) ·
 F.I.S.T (1978) ·
 An Unmarried Woman (1978) ·
 Handle with Care (1977) ·
 Rocky (1976) ·
 Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) ·
 Pacific Challenge (1975) ·
 Harry and Tonto (1974) ·
 Blume in Love (1973) ·
 Liquid Subway (1972)
 

1980s
Lock Up (1989) ·
 The Karate Kid, Part III (1989) ·
 Lean on Me (1989) ·
 Cohen and Tate (1988) ·
 Betrayed (1988) ·
 Le Grand Bleu (1988) (US version) ·
 A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (1988) ·
 For Keeps? (1988) ·
 Broadcast News (1987) ·
 Baby Boom (1987) ·
 A Prayer for the Dying (1987) ·
 Masters of the Universe (1987) ·
 Happy New Year (1987) ·
 I Love N.Y. (1987) ·
 The Boss' Wife (1986) ·
 The Karate Kid, Part II (1986) ·
 Big Trouble (1986) ·
 Nomads (1986) ·
 F/X (1986) ·
 Niagara: Miracles, Myths and Magic (1986) ·
 Beer (1985) ·
 Gotcha! (1985) ·
 Mass Appeal (1984) ·
 The Coolangatta Gold (1984) ·
 The Bear (1984) ·
 The Karate Kid (1984) ·
 Unfaithfully Yours (1984) ·
 The Right Stuff (1983) ·
 Bad Boys (1983) ·
 That Championship Season (1982) ·
 Split Image (1982) ·
 Rocky III (1982) ·
 I, the Jury (1982) ·
 Neighbors (1981 film (1981) ·
 Carbon Copy (1981) ·
 Victory (1981) ·
 For Your Eyes Only (1981) ·
 The Formula (1980) ·
 Private Benjamin (1980) ·
 Gloria (1980 film (1980)
 

1990s
Inferno (1999/II) ·
 The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) ·
 The Real Macaw (1998) ·
 Wrongfully Accused (1998) ·
 Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (1996) ·
 Spy Hard (1996) ·
 Bushwhacked (1995/I) ·
 Napoleon (1995) ·
 The Scout (1994) ·
 The Next Karate Kid (1994) ·
 8 Seconds (1994) ·
 Yellowstone (1994) ·
 Rookie of the Year (1993) ·
 Bound by Honor (1993) ·
 The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993) ·
 A Captive in the Land (1993) ·
 By the Sword (1991) ·
 Necessary Roughness (1991) ·
 Year of the Gun (1991) ·
 Rocky V (1990) ·
 Backstreet Dreams (1990) ·
 The Fourth War (1990)
 

2000s
Small Town Hero (2010) ·
 The Perfect Game (2009) ·
 Moonlight Blade (2009) ·
 Rocky Balboa (2006) ·
 The Gospel of Lou (2003) ·
 2 Birds with 1 Stallone (2002) ·
 Avenging Angelo (2002) ·
 G (2002) ·
 Boys on the Run (2001) ·
 Tortilla Soup (2001) ·
 FX (2001)
 

 


Categories: 1996 films
English-language films
1995 films
Australian films
Films about dogs
Films featuring anthropomorphic characters














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This page was last modified on 13 September 2014 at 14:54.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_(1995_film)









Napoléon (1955 film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation).

Napoléon
Napoleon 1955 poster.jpg
Directed by
Sacha Guitry
Produced by
Clément Duhour
Written by
Sacha Guitry
Starring
Daniel Gélin
Raymond Pellegrin
Michèle Morgan
Maria Schell
 Sacha Guitry
Music by
Jean Françaix
Cinematography
Pierre Montazel
Edited by
Raymond Lamy
Distributed by
Filmsonor
 Francinex
 Les Films C.L.M.
Release dates
25 March 1955 (France)
Running time
182 min
Country
Italy / France
Language
French
Napoléon is a 1955 French historical epic film directed by Sacha Guitry that depicts major events in the life of Napoleon.
Napoleon is played by two actors, Daniel Gélin as a young man and Raymond Pellegrin in later life; the switch takes place during a scene at a barber. Director/actor Guitry played the role of Talleyrand, controversial diplomat and first Prime Minister of France, narrating the story from a drawing room as if having just heard of Napoleon's death on the island of Saint Helena in 1821. Guitry had played Talleyrand before, in 1948's Le Diable boiteux. Yves Montand appears as Marshal Lefebvre and Maria Schell as Marie-Louise of Austria. The film also has cameo appearances by a number of notable actors, particularly Erich von Stroheim as Ludwig van Beethoven, and Orson Welles as Napoleon's British jailor, Sir Hudson Lowe.
The English version is a contemporary dub made as part of the original production, but does not run as long as the French version.
Plot[edit]
The film follows the life of Napoleon from his early life in Corsica to his death at Saint Helena. The film is notable for its use of location shooting for numerous scenes, especially at the French estates of Malmaison and Fontainebleau, the Palace of Versailles, and sites of Napoleonic battles including Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Principal cast[edit]
Young Napoleon: Daniel Gélin
Older Napoleon: Raymond Pellegrin
Talleyrand: Sacha Guitry
Joséphine de Beauharnais: Michèle Morgan
Eléonore Denuelle: Danielle Darrieux
Marie-Louise of Austria: Maria Schell
Marie Walewska: Lana Marconi
Marshal Ney: Clément Duhour
Joachim Murat: Henri Vidal
Lucien Bonaparte: Serge Reggiani
Montholon: Jean Marais
Louis XVIII: Lucien Baroux
Barras: Pierre Brasseur
Geraud Duroc: Jean Chevrier
Louis XV: Maurice Escande
Cambronne: Noël Roquevert
Lannes: Jean Gabin
Lefebvre: Yves Montand
Ludvig van Beethoven: Erich von Stroheim
Hudson Lowe: Orson Welles
Désirée Clary: Dany Robin
Hortense de Beauharnais: Micheline Presle
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte:Jacques Dumesnil
Judith Magre:A wonderful
External links[edit]
Napoléon at the Internet Movie Database
Napoléon is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
Napoléon at AllMovie
Capsule at Fondation Napoléon
Stub icon This article related to a French film of the 1950s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




 


Categories: French-language films
1955 films
French films
1950s drama films
Epic films
Biographical films about Napoleon
Films directed by Sacha Guitry
1950s French film stubs




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Lëtzebuergesch
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This page was last modified on 18 August 2014 at 23:27.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
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About Wikipedia
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Contact Wikipedia
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Powered by MediaWiki
 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on_(1955_film)











Napoléon (1955 film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation).

Napoléon
Napoleon 1955 poster.jpg
Directed by
Sacha Guitry
Produced by
Clément Duhour
Written by
Sacha Guitry
Starring
Daniel Gélin
Raymond Pellegrin
Michèle Morgan
Maria Schell
 Sacha Guitry
Music by
Jean Françaix
Cinematography
Pierre Montazel
Edited by
Raymond Lamy
Distributed by
Filmsonor
 Francinex
 Les Films C.L.M.
Release dates
25 March 1955 (France)
Running time
182 min
Country
Italy / France
Language
French
Napoléon is a 1955 French historical epic film directed by Sacha Guitry that depicts major events in the life of Napoleon.
Napoleon is played by two actors, Daniel Gélin as a young man and Raymond Pellegrin in later life; the switch takes place during a scene at a barber. Director/actor Guitry played the role of Talleyrand, controversial diplomat and first Prime Minister of France, narrating the story from a drawing room as if having just heard of Napoleon's death on the island of Saint Helena in 1821. Guitry had played Talleyrand before, in 1948's Le Diable boiteux. Yves Montand appears as Marshal Lefebvre and Maria Schell as Marie-Louise of Austria. The film also has cameo appearances by a number of notable actors, particularly Erich von Stroheim as Ludwig van Beethoven, and Orson Welles as Napoleon's British jailor, Sir Hudson Lowe.
The English version is a contemporary dub made as part of the original production, but does not run as long as the French version.
Plot[edit]
The film follows the life of Napoleon from his early life in Corsica to his death at Saint Helena. The film is notable for its use of location shooting for numerous scenes, especially at the French estates of Malmaison and Fontainebleau, the Palace of Versailles, and sites of Napoleonic battles including Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Principal cast[edit]
Young Napoleon: Daniel Gélin
Older Napoleon: Raymond Pellegrin
Talleyrand: Sacha Guitry
Joséphine de Beauharnais: Michèle Morgan
Eléonore Denuelle: Danielle Darrieux
Marie-Louise of Austria: Maria Schell
Marie Walewska: Lana Marconi
Marshal Ney: Clément Duhour
Joachim Murat: Henri Vidal
Lucien Bonaparte: Serge Reggiani
Montholon: Jean Marais
Louis XVIII: Lucien Baroux
Barras: Pierre Brasseur
Geraud Duroc: Jean Chevrier
Louis XV: Maurice Escande
Cambronne: Noël Roquevert
Lannes: Jean Gabin
Lefebvre: Yves Montand
Ludvig van Beethoven: Erich von Stroheim
Hudson Lowe: Orson Welles
Désirée Clary: Dany Robin
Hortense de Beauharnais: Micheline Presle
Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte:Jacques Dumesnil
Judith Magre:A wonderful
External links[edit]
Napoléon at the Internet Movie Database
Napoléon is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
Napoléon at AllMovie
Capsule at Fondation Napoléon
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Categories: French-language films
1955 films
French films
1950s drama films
Epic films
Biographical films about Napoleon
Films directed by Sacha Guitry
1950s French film stubs




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 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on_(1955_film)












Napoléon (1927 film)
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Napoléon
A monochrome photographic portrait of a handsome man in his late 20s wearing a French general's uniform from the 1790s and a cocked hat over stringy dark hair that reaches his shoulders
Albert Dieudonné as Napoleon

Directed by
Abel Gance
Produced by
Abel Gance
Written by
Abel Gance
Starring
Albert Dieudonné
Gina Manès
Antonin Artaud
Edmond Van Daële
Music by
Arthur Honegger (1927 in France)
Werner Heymann (1927 in Germany)
Carl Davis (1980 in the UK)
Carmine Coppola (1980 in the US)
Cinematography
Jules Kruger
Edited by
Marguerite Beaugé (1927)
 various others at later times
Distributed by
Gaumont (Europe)
MGM (USA)
Release dates
7 April 1927

Running time
various lengths
Country
France
Language
Silent film with intertitles
Napoléon is a 1927 epic silent French film directed by Abel Gance that tells the story of Napoleon's early years. On screen, the title is Napoléon vu par Abel Gance, meaning "Napoleon as seen by Abel Gance". The film is recognised as a masterwork of fluid camera motion, produced in a time when most camera shots were static. Many innovative techniques were used to make the film, including fast cutting, extensive close-ups, a wide variety of hand-held camera shots, location shooting, point of view shots, multiple-camera setups, multiple exposure, superimposition, underwater camera, kaleidoscopic images, film tinting, split screen and mosaic shots, multi-screen projection, and other visual effects.[1][2] A revival of Napoléon in the mid-1950s influenced the filmmakers of the French New Wave.[3]
The film begins in Brienne-le-Château with youthful Napoleon attending military school where he manages a snowball fight like a military campaign, yet he suffers the insults of other boys. It continues a decade later with scenes of the French Revolution and Napoleon's presence at the periphery as a young army lieutenant. He returns to visit his family home in Corsica but politics shift against him and put him in mortal danger. He flees, taking his family to France. Serving as an officer of artillery in the Siege of Toulon, Napoleon's genius for leadership is rewarded with a promotion to brigadier general. Jealous revolutionaries imprison Napoleon but then the political tide turns against the Revolution's own leaders. Napoleon leaves prison, forming plans to invade Italy. He falls in love with the beautiful Joséphine de Beauharnais. The emergency government charges him with the task of protecting the National Assembly. Succeeding in this he is promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Interior, and he marries Joséphine. He takes control of the army which protects the French–Italian border, and propels it to victory in an invasion of Italy.
Gance planned for Napoléon to be the first of six movies about Napoleon's career, a chronology of great triumph and defeat ending in Napoleon's death in exile on the island of Saint Helena. After the difficulties encountered in making the first film, Gance realised that the costs involved would make the full project impossible.
The film was first released in a gala at the Palais Garnier (then the home of the Paris Opera) on 7 April 1927. Napoléon had been screened in only eight European cities when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought the rights to it, but after screening it in London, it was cut drastically in length, and only the central panel of the three-screen Polyvision sequences were retained before it was put on limited release in the US. There, the silent masterpiece was indifferently received at a time when talkies were just starting to appear. The film was restored in 1981 after twenty years' work by silent film historian Kevin Brownlow.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot 1.1 Part One 1.1.1 Brienne
1.1.2 The French Revolution
1.2 Part Two
1.3 Part Three
2 Primary cast
3 Music
4 Triptych sequence
5 Released versions and screenings
6 Restorations
7 Reception
8 Home media
9 See also
10 References
11 External links

Plot[edit]
The scenario of the film as originally written by Gance was published in 1927 by Librairie Plon. Much of the scenario describes scenes that were rejected during initial editing, and do not appear in any known version of the film. The following plot includes only those scenes that are known to have been included in some version of the film. Not every scene described below can be viewed today.[4]
Part One[edit]
Brienne[edit]
In the winter of 1779–1780, ten-year-old Napoleon Buonaparte (Vladimir Roudenko) is enrolled at Brienne College, a military school for sons of nobility, run by the religious Minim Fathers in Brienne-le-Château, France. The boys at the school are holding a snowball fight organised as a battlefield. Two bullies—Philippeaux (Petit Vidal) and Peccaduc (Roblin)—schoolyard antagonists of Napoleon, are leading the larger side, outnumbering the side that Napoleon fights for. These two sneak up on Napoleon with snowballs enclosing stones. A hardened snowball draws blood on Napoleon's face. Napoleon is warned of another rock-snowball by a shout from Tristan Fleuri (Nicolas Koline), the school's scullion and a friend to Napoleon. Napoleon recovers himself and dashes alone to the enemy snowbank to engage the two bullies in close combat. The Minim Fathers, watching the snowball fight from windows and doorways, applaud the action. Napoleon returns to his troops and encourages them to attack ferociously. He watches keenly and calmly as this attack progresses, assessing the balance of the struggle and giving appropriate orders. He smiles as his troops turn the tide of battle. Carrying his side's flag, he leads his forces in a final charge and raises the flag at the enemy stronghold.
The monks come out of the school buildings to discover who led the victory. A young military instructor, Jean-Charles Pichegru (René Jeanne), asks Napoleon for his name. Napoleon responds "Nap-eye-ony" in Corsican-accented French, and is laughed at by the others. Pichegru tells him that he will go far.
In class, the boys study geography. Napoleon is angered by the condescending textbook description of Corsica. He is taunted by the other boys, and kicked by the two bullies who hold flanking seats. Another of the class's island examples is Saint Helena, which puts Napoleon into a pensive daydream.
Unhappy in school, Napoleon writes about his difficulties in a letter to his family. A bully reports to a monk that Napoleon is hiding letters in his bed, and the monk tears the letter to pieces. Angry, Napoleon goes to visit the attic quarters of his friend Fleuri, a place of refuge where Napoleon keeps his captive bird, a young eagle that was sent to him from Corsica by an uncle. Napoleon tenderly pets the eagle's head, then leaves to fetch water for the bird. The two bullies take this opportunity to set the bird free. Napoleon finds the bird gone and runs to the dormitory to demand the culprit show himself. None of the boys admits to the deed. Napoleon exclaims that they are all guilty, and begins to fight them all, jumping from bed to bed. In the clash, pillows are split and feathers fly through the air as the Minim Fathers work to restore order. They collar Napoleon and throw him outside in the snow. Napoleon cries to himself on the limber of a cannon, then he looks up to see the young eagle in a tree. He calls to the eagle which flies down to the cannon barrel. Napoleon caresses the eagle and smiles through his tears.
The French Revolution[edit]
In 1792, the great hall of the Club of the Cordeliers is filled with revolutionary zeal as hundreds of members wait for a meeting to begin. The leaders of the group, Georges Danton (Alexandre Koubitzky), Jean-Paul Marat (Antonin Artaud) and Maximilien Robespierre (Edmond Van Daële), are seen conferring. Camille Desmoulins (Robert Vidalin), Danton's secretary, interrupts Danton to tell of a new song that has been printed, called "La Marseillaise". A young army captain, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle (Harry Krimer) has written the words and brought the song to the club. Danton directs de Lisle to sing the song to the club. The sheet music is distributed and the club learns to sing the song, rising in fervor with each passage. At the edge of the crowd, Napoleon (Albert Dieudonné), now a young army lieutenant, thanks de Lisle as he leaves: "Your hymn will save many a cannon."
Splashed with water in a narrow Paris street, Napoleon is noticed by Joséphine de Beauharnais (Gina Manès) and Paul Barras (Max Maxudian) as they step from a carriage on their way into the house of Mademoiselle Lenormand (Carrie Carvalho), the fortune teller. Inside, Lenormand exclaims to Joséphine that she has the amazing fortune to be the future queen.
On the night of 10 August 1792, Napoleon watches impassively as mob rule takes over Paris and a man is hung by revolutionaries. In front of the National Assembly, Danton tells the crowd that they have cracked the monarchy. Napoleon senses a purpose rising within him, to bring order to the chaos. The mob violence has tempered his character.
Napoleon, on leave from the French Army, travels to Corsica with his sister, Élisa (Yvette Dieudonné). They are greeted by his mother, Letizia Buonaparte (Eugénie Buffet) and the rest of his family at their summer home in Les Milelli. The shepherd Santo-Ricci (Henri Baudin) interrupts the happy welcome to tell Napoleon the bad news that Corsica's president, Pasquale Paoli (Maurice Schutz) is planning to give the island to the British. Napoleon declares his intention to prevent this fate.
Riding a horse and revisiting places of his childhood, Napoleon stops in Milelli gardens and considers whether to retreat and protect his family, or to advance into the political arena. Later in the streets of Ajaccio, Pozzo di Borgo (Acho Chakatouny) encourages a mob to put Napoleon to death for opposing Paoli, and the townsfolk surround the Buonaparte home. Napoleon stands outside the door and stares the crowd down, dispersing them silently. Paoli signs a death warrant, putting a price on Napoleon's head. Napoleon's brothers, Lucien (Sylvio Cavicchia) and Joseph (Georges Lampin), leave for Calvi to see if French authorities can intervene. Napoleon faces the danger alone, walking into an inn where men are arguing politics, all of whom would like to see him dead. He confronts the men and says, "Our fatherland is France ...with me!" His arguments subdue the crowd, but di Borgo enters the inn, accompanied by gendarmes. Napoleon evades capture and rides away on his horse, pursued by di Borgo and his men.
Upstairs in the Ajaccio town hall, a council declares war on France even while the French flag flies outside the window. Napoleon climbs up the balcony and takes down the flag, shouting to the council, "It is too great for you!" The men fire their pistols at Napoleon but miss as he rides away.
While chasing Napoleon, di Borgo stretches a rope across a road that Napoleon is likely to take. As expected, Napoleon rides toward the rope, but he draws his saber and cuts it down. Napoleon continues at high speed to the shore where he finds a small boat. He abandons the horse and gets into the boat, discovering that it has no oars or sail. He unfurls the French flag from Ajaccio and uses it as a sail. He is drawn out into the open sea.
Meanwhile in Paris, meeting in the National Assembly, the majority Girondists are losing to the Montagnards: Robespierre, Danton, Marat and their followers. Robespierre calls for all Girondists to be indicted. (Napoleon's boat is tossed by increasing waves.) The Girondists seek to flee but are repulsed. (A storm throws Napoleon back and forth in his boat.) The assembly hall rolls with the struggle between Girondists and Montagnards. (Napoleon grimly bails water to prevent his violently rocking boat from sinking.)
Later, in calm water, the small boat is seen by Lucien and Joseph Buonaparte aboard a French ship, Le Hasard. The larger ship is steered to rescue the unknown boat, and as it is pulled close, Napoleon is recognised, lying unconscious at the bottom, gripping the French flag. Waking, Napoleon directs the ship to a cove in Corsica where the Buonaparte family is rescued. The ship sails for France carrying a future queen, three future kings, and the future Emperor of France. A British warship, the HMS Agamemnon, sights Le Hasard, and a young officer, Horatio Nelson (Olaf Fjord), asks his captain if he might be allowed to shoot at the enemy vessel and sink it. The captain denies the request, saying that the target is too unimportant to waste powder and shot. As Le Hasard sails away, an eagle flies to the Buonapartes and lands on the ship's flag pole.
Part Two[edit]



 Actor Albert Dieudonné played Napoleon
In July 1793, fanatic Girondist Charlotte Corday (Marguerite Gance) visits Marat in his home and kills him with a knife. Two months later, General Jean François Carteaux (Léon Courtois), in control of a French army, is ineffectively besieging the port of Toulon, held by 20,000 English, Spanish and Italian troops. Captain Napoleon is assigned to the artillery section and is dismayed by the obvious lack of French discipline. He confronts Carteaux in an inn run by Tristan Fleuri, formerly the scullion of Brienne. Napoleon advises Carteaux how best to engage the artillery against Toulon, but Carteaux is dismissive. An enemy artillery shot hits the inn and scatters the officers. Napoleon stays to study a map of Toulon while Fleuri's young son Marcellin (Serge Freddy-Karl) mimes with Napoleon's hat and sword. Fleuri's beautiful daughter Violine Fleuri (Annabella) admires Napoleon silently.
General Jacques François Dugommier (Alexandre Bernard) replaces Carteaux and asks Napoleon to join in war planning. Later, Napoleon sees a cannon being removed from a fortification and demands that it be returned. He fires a shot at the enemy, and establishes the position as the "Battery of Men Without Fear". French soldiers rally around Napoleon with heightened spirits. Dugommier advances Napoleon to the position of commander-in-chief of the artillery.
French troops under Napoleon prepare for a midnight attack. Veteran soldier Moustache (Henry Krauss) tells 7-year-old Marcellin, now a drummer boy, that the heroic drummer boy Joseph Agricol Viala was 13 when he was killed in battle. Marcellin takes courage; he expects to have six years of life left. Napoleon orders the attack forward amidst rain and high wind. A reversal causes Antoine Christophe Saliceti (Philippe Hériat) to name Napoleon's strategy a great crime. Consequently, Dugommier orders Napoleon to cease attacking, but Napoleon discusses the matter with Dugommier and the attack is carried forward successfully despite Saliceti's warnings. English cannon positions are taken in bloody hand-to-hand combat, lit by lightning flashes and whipped by rain. Because of the French advance, English Admiral Samuel Hood (W. Percy Day) orders the burning of the moored French fleet before French troops can recapture the ships. The next morning, Dugommier, seeking to promote Napoleon to the rank of brigadier general, finds him asleep, exhausted. An eagle beats its wings as it perches on a tree next to Napoleon.
Part Three[edit]
After being shamed in Toulon, Saliceti wants to put Napoleon on trial. Robespierre says he should be offered the command of Paris, but if he refuses he will be tried. Robespierre, supported by Georges Couthon (Louis Vonelly) and Louis Antoine de Saint-Just (Abel Gance), condemns Danton to death. Saint-Just puts Joséphine into prison at Les Carmes where she is comforted by General Lazare Hoche (Pierre Batcheff). Fleuri, now a jailer, calls for "De Beauharnais" to be executed, and Joséphine's ex-husband, Alexandre de Beauharnais (Georges Cahuzac) rises to accept his fate. Elsewhere, Napoleon is also imprisoned for refusing to serve under Robespierre. He works out the possibility of building a canal to Suez as Saliceti taunts him for not trying to form a legal defense.
In an archive room filled with the files of condemned prisoners, clerks Bonnet (Boris Fastovich-Kovanko) and La Bussière (Jean d'Yd) work secretly with Fleuri to destroy (by eating) some of the dossiers including those for Napoleon and Joséphine. Meanwhile, at the National Assembly, Violine with her little brother Marcellin, watches from the gallery. Voices are raised against Robespierre and Saint-Just. Jean-Lambert Tallien (Jean Gaudrey) threatens Robespierre with a knife. Violine decides not to shoot Saint-Just with a pistol she brought. Back at the archives, the prison clerks are given new dossiers on those to be executed by guillotine: Robespierre, Saint-Just and Couthon.
Joséphine and Napoleon are released from their separate prisons. Napoleon declines the request by General Aubry to command infantry in the War in the Vendée under General Hoche, saying he would not fight Frenchman against Frenchman when 200,000 foreigners were threatening the country. He is given a minor map-making command as punishment for refusing the greater post. He draws up plans for an invasion of Italy. In Nice, General Schérer (Alexandre Mathillon) sees the plans and laughs at the foolhardy proposal. The plans are sent back, and Napoleon pastes them up to cover a broken window in the poor apartment he shares with Captain Marmont (Pierre de Canolle), Sergeant Junot (Jean Henry) and the actor Talma (Roger Blum). Napoleon and Junot see the contrast of cold, starving people outside of wealthy houses.
Joséphine convinces Barras to suggest to the National Assembly that Napoleon is the best man to quell a royalist uprising. On 3 October 1795 Napoleon accepts, and supplies 800 guns for defense. Directed by Napoleon, Major Joachim Murat (Genica Missirio) seizes a number of cannon to fight the royalists. Di Borgo shoots at Napoleon but misses; di Borgo is then wounded by Fleuri's accidental musket discharge. Saliceti is prevented from escaping in disguise. Napoleon sets Saliceti and di Borgo free. Joseph Fouché (Guy Favière) tells Joséphine that the noise of the fighting is Napoleon "entering history again". Napoleon is made General in Chief of the Army of the Interior to great celebration.
A Victim's Ball is held at Les Carmes, formerly the prison where Joséphine was held. To amuse the attendees, Fleuri re-enacts the tragedy of the executioner's roll-call. The beauty of Joséphine is admired by Thérésa Tallien (Andrée Standard) and Madame Juliette Récamier (Suzy Vernon), and Napoleon is also fascinated. He plays chess with Hoche, beating him as Joséphine watches and entices Napoleon with her charms. The dancers at the ball become uninhibited; the young women begin to dance partially nude.



 French actress Gina Manès played Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon's wife.
In his army office, Napoleon tells 14-year-old Eugène de Beauharnais (Georges Hénin) that he can keep his executed father's sword. The next day, Joséphine arrives with Eugène to thank Napoleon for this kindness to her only son. The general staff officers wait for hours while Napoleon clumsily tries to convey his feelings for Joséphine. Later, Napoleon practises his amorous style under the guidance of his old friend Talma, the actor. Napoleon visits Joséphine daily. Violine is greatly hurt to see Napoleon's attentions directed away from herself. In trade for agreeing to marry Napoleon, Joséphine demands of Barras that he place Napoleon in charge of the French Army of Italy. Playing with Joséphine's children, Napoleon narrowly misses seeing Barras in her home. Joséphine hires Violine as a servant.
Napoleon plans to invade Italy. He wishes to marry Joséphine as quickly as possible before he leaves. Hurried preparations go forward. However, on the wedding day, 9 March 1796, Napoleon is two hours late. He is found in his room planning the Italian campaign, and the wedding ceremony is rushed. That night, Violine and Joséphine both prepare for the wedding bed. Violine prays to a shrine of Napoleon. Joséphine and Napoleon embrace at the bed. In the next room, Violine kisses a shadowy figure of Napoleon that she has created from a doll.
Just before leaving Paris, Napoleon enters the empty National Assembly hall at night, and sees the spirits of those who had set the Revolution in motion. The ghostly figures of Danton and Saint-Just speak to Napoleon, and demand answers from him regarding his plan for France. All the spirits sing "La Marseillaise".
Only 48 hours after his wedding, Napoleon leaves Paris in a coach for Nice. He writes dispatches, and letters to Joséphine. Back in Paris, Joséphine and Violine pray at the little shrine to Napoleon.
Napoleon speeds to Albenga on horseback to find the army officers resentful and the soldiers starving. He orders a review of the troops. The troops respond quickly to the commanding presence of Napoleon and bring themselves to perfect attention. Fleuri, now a soldier, tries and fails to get a hint of recognition from Napoleon. The Army of Italy is newly filled with fighting spirit. Napoleon encourages them for the coming campaign into Italy, the "honour, glory and riches" which will be theirs upon victory. The underfed and poorly armed force advances into Montenotte and takes the town. Further advances carry Napoleon to Montezemolo. As he gazes upon the Alps, visions appear to him of future armies, future battles, and the face of Joséphine. The French troops move forward triumphantly as the vision of an eagle fills their path, a vision of the red, white and blue French flag waving before them.
Primary cast[edit]
Albert Dieudonné as Napoléon[5]
Vladimir Roudenko as Napoléon Bonaparte (child)
Edmond Van Daële as Maximilien Robespierre
Alexandre Koubitzky as Georges Danton
Antonin Artaud as Jean-Paul Marat
Abel Gance as Louis de Saint-Just
Gina Manès as Joséphine de Beauharnais
Marguerite Gance as Charlotte Corday
Yvette Dieudonné as Élisa Bonaparte
Philippe Hériat as Antoine Saliceti
Annabella as Violine Fleuri
Nicolas Koline as Tristan Fleuri
Music[edit]
The film features Gance's interpretation of the birth of the song "La Marseillaise", the national anthem of France. In the film, the French singer Maryse Damia portrays the spirit of the song. "La Marseillaise" is played by the orchestra repeatedly during a scene at the Club of the Cordeliers, and again at other points in the plot. During the 1927 Paris Opera premiere, the song was sung live by Alexandre Koubitzky to accompany the Cordeliers scene. Koubitzky played Danton in the film but he was also a well-known singer. Gance had earlier asked Koubitzky and Damia to sing during the filming of the Cordeliers scene to inspire the cast and extras.[6] Kevin Brownlow wrote in 1983 that he thought it was "daring" of Gance "to make a song the highpoint of a silent film!"[7]
The majority of the film is accompanied by incidental music. For this material, the original score was composed by Arthur Honegger in 1927 in France. A separate score was written by Werner Heymann in Germany, also in 1927. In pace with Brownlow's efforts to restore the movie to something close to its 1927 incarnation, two scores were prepared in 1979–1980; one by Carl Davis in the UK and one by Carmine Coppola in the US.[8]
Beginning in late 1979, Carmine Coppola composed a score incorporating themes taken from various sources such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Bedřich Smetana, Felix Mendelssohn and George Frideric Handel. He composed three original themes: an heroic one for Napoleon, a love theme for scenes with Josephine, and a Buonaparte family theme.[2] He also used French revolutionary songs that were supplied by Davis in early 1980 during a London meeting between Coppola, Davis and Brownlow.[8] Two such songs were "Ah! ça ira" and "La Carmagnole". Coppola returns to "La Marseillaise" as the finale. Coppola's score was heard first in New York at Radio City Music Hall performed for very nearly four hours, accompanying a film projected at 24 frames per second as suggested by producer Robert A. Harris.[8] Coppola included some sections of music carried solely by an organist to relieve the 60-piece orchestra.[2]
Working quickly from September 1980, Davis arranged a score based on selections of classical music; especially the Eroica Symphony by Beethoven who had initially admired Napoleon as a liberator, and had dedicated the symphony to Napoleon.[9] Taking this as an opportunity to research the music Napoleon would have heard, Davis also used folk music from Corsica, French revolutionary songs, a tune from Napoleon's favorite opera (Nina by Giovanni Paisiello) and pieces by other classical composers who were active in France in the 18th century.[9] Davis uses "La Marseillaise" as a recurring theme and returns to it during Napoleon's vision of ghostly patriots at the National Assembly. In scoring the film, Davis was assisted by David Gill and Liz Sutherland; the three had just completed the Thames Television documentary series Hollywood (1980), on the silent film era. To accompany a screening of 4 hours 50 minutes shown at 20 frames per second during the 24th London Film Festival, Davis conducted the Wren Orchestra.[9] Following this, work continued on restoration of the film with the goal of finding more footage to make a more complete version. In 2000, Davis lengthened his score and a new version of the movie was shown in London, projected at 20 frames per second for 5 hours 32 minutes. The 2000 score was performed in London in 2004 and 2013, and also in Oakland, California, in 2012, with Davis conducting local orchestras.
Triptych sequence[edit]



Abel Gance wrote, produced, directed and acted in the film.
Polyvision is the name that French film critic Émile Vuillermoz gave to a specialised widescreen film format devised exclusively for the filming and projection of Gance's Napoléon.[10] It involves the simultaneous projection of three reels of silent film arrayed in a horizontal row, making for a total aspect ratio of 4:1 (3× 1.33:1).[11] Director Abel Gance was worried that the film's finale would not have the proper impact by being confined to a small screen. Gance thought of expanding the frame by using three cameras next to each other. This is probably the most famous of the film's several innovative techniques.[12] Though American filmmakers began experimenting with 70mm widescreen (such as Fox Grandeur) in 1929, widescreen did not take off until CinemaScope was introduced in 1953.
Polyvision was only used for the final reel of Napoleon, to create a climactic finale. Filming the whole story in Polyvision was impractical as Gance wished for a number of innovative shots, each requiring greater flexibility than was allowed by three interlocked cameras. When the film was greatly trimmed by the distributors early on during exhibition, the new version only retained the center strip in order to allow projection in standard single-projector cinemas. Gance was unable to eliminate the problem of the two seams dividing the three panels of film as shown on screen, so he avoided the problem by putting three completely different shots together in some of the Polyvision scenes. When Gance viewed Cinerama for the first time in 1955, he noticed that the widescreen image was still not seamless, that the problem was not entirely fixed.[13]
Released versions and screenings[edit]

Date
Title
Length
Editor
Score
Venues
Triptych
Format

April 1927 Napoléon 5400 m (4:10) Marguerite Beaugé Arthur Honegger Paris Opera toned 35 mm
May 1927 Napoléon (version définitive) 12,800 m (9:22) Abel Gance Arthur Honegger Apollo Theatre, Paris none 35 mm
October 1927 Napoléon (UFA) under 3:00 Universum Film AG Werner Heymann Germany and Central Europe toned 35 mm
November 1927 Napoléon total 4:10, shown in two seatings, some scenes repeated Abel Gance Arthur Honegger Marivaux Theatre, Paris toned, shown twice 35 mm
Winter 1927–28 Napoléon various   French provinces  35 mm
ca. 1928 Napoleon (version définitive as sent to the U.S. in 29 reels) 29,000 feet (8,800 m) (6:43) Abel Gance  none none 35 mm
March–April 1928 Napoléon (Gaumont) Shown in two parts totaling about 3:00 Gaumont Film Company Arthur Honegger Gaumont-Palace none 35 mm
June 1928 Napoleon (UK 1928) 11,400 m (7:20) Abel Gance Arthur Honegger UK toned 35 mm
January 1929 Napoleon (USA 1929) 8,000 feet (2,400 m) (1:51) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  USA none 35 mm
ca. 1928 Napoléon (Pathé-Rural) 17 reels   Rural France none 17.5 mm
1928 Napoléon (Pathé-Baby) 9 reels   French homes none 9.5 mm
1929 Napoléon (Pathescope) 6 reels   UK homes none 9.5 mm
1935 Napoléon Bonaparte vu et entendu par Abel Gance 13,000 feet (4,000 m), later 10,000 feet (3,000 m) Abel Gance Henri Verdun  none 35 mm
1935 Napoléon Bonaparte (Film-Office version) 5,000 feet (1,500 m) Abel Gance Henri Verdun  none 16 mm
 9.5 mm
 8 mm
1935 Napoléon Bonaparte (Studio 28 version)     black and white 35 mm
1965 Napoléon  Henri Langlois  Cinematheque Francaise none 35 mm
1970 Bonaparte et la Révolution 4:45 at 20 fps (4:00 at 24 fps) Abel Gance   none 35 mm
1979 Napoléon (Brownlow) 4:55 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow None: ad lib accompaniment on electronic piano[14] Telluride Film Festival, Colorado black and white 35 mm
1980 Napoléon (Brownlow 1980) 4:50 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis National Film Theatre, London black and white 35 mm
1980 Napoleon (Coppola) 4:00 at 24 fps Francis Ford Coppola Carmine Coppola USA black and white 35 mm
 70 mm
1983 Napoléon (Brownlow 1983) 5:13 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Cinematheque Francaise black and white 35 mm
1983 Napoléon (Brownlow 1983 TV cut) 4:50 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Channel 4 (UK television) none 35 mm
1989 Napoleon (Brownlow 1980) 4:50 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Marius Constant Cité de la Musique, Paris none 35 mm
1989 Napoléon (Brownlow 1989 TV cut) 4:50 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Channel 4 (UK television) toned, letterboxed inside 4:3 35 mm
2000 Napoléon (Brownlow 2000) 5:30 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Royal Festival Hall toned 35 mm
2004 Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) 5:32 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Royal Festival Hall toned 35 mm
2012 Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) 5:32 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Paramount Theatre (Oakland, California) toned 35 mm
2013 Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) 5:32 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Royal Festival Hall, London toned 35 mm
2014 Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) 5:32 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam toned 35 mm

Restorations[edit]



Abel Gance (left) and composer Arthur Honegger in 1923
The film historian Kevin Brownlow conducted the reconstruction of the film in the years leading up to 1980, including the Polyvision scenes. As a boy, Brownlow had purchased two 9.5 mm reels of the film from a street market. He was captivated by the cinematic boldness of short clips, and his research led to a lifelong fascination with the film and a quest to reconstruct it. On 31 August 1979, Napoléon was shown to a crowd of hundreds at the Telluride Film Festival, in Telluride, Colorado.[15] The film was presented in full Polyvision at the specially constructed Abel Gance Open Air Cinema, which is still in use today. Gance was in the audience until the chilly air drove him indoors after which he watched from the window of his room at the New Sheridan Hotel. Kevin Brownlow was also in attendance and presented Gance with his Silver Medallion.[16][17][18]



 A group of friends gathers outside of the Chicago Theatre in 1981 to see Francis Ford Coppola's version of Napoléon
Brownlow's 1980 reconstruction was re-edited and released in the United States by American Zoetrope (through Universal Pictures) with a score by Carmine Coppola performed live at the screenings. The restoration premiered in the United States at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on 23–25 January 1981; each performance showed to a standing room only house. Gance could not attend because of poor health. At the end of the 24 January screening, a telephone was brought onstage and the audience was told that Gance was listening on the other end and wished to know what they had thought of his film. The audience erupted in an ovation of applause and cheers that lasted several minutes. The acclaim surrounding the film's revival brought Gance much-belated recognition as a master director before his death only 11 months later, in November 1981.[19]
Another restoration was made by Brownlow in 1983. When it was screened at the Barbican Centre in London, French actress Annabella, who plays the fictional character Violine in the film (personifying France in her plight, beset by enemies from within and without), was in attendance. She was introduced to the audience prior to screenings and during one of the intervals sat alongside Kevin Brownlow, signing copies of the latter's book about the history and restoration of the film.



 Poster made for the 1980 Coppola theatrical run
Brownlow re-edited the film again in 2000, including previously missing footage rediscovered by the Cinémathèque Française in Paris. Altogether, 35 minutes of reclaimed film had been added, making the total film length of the 2000 restoration five and a half hours.
The film is properly screened in full restoration very rarely due to the expense of the orchestra and the difficult requirement of three synchronised projectors and three screens for the Polyvision section. One such screening was at the Royal Festival Hall in London in December 2004, including a live orchestral score of classical music extracts arranged and conducted by Carl Davis. The screening itself was the subject of hotly contested legal threats from Francis Ford Coppola via Universal Studios to the British Film Institute over whether the latter had the right to screen the film without the Coppola score. An understanding was reached and the film was screened for both days.[20] Coppola's single-screen version of the film was last projected for the public at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in two showings in celebration of Bastille Day on 13–14 July 2007, using a 70 mm print struck by Universal Studios in the early 1980s.[21]
At the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in July 2011, Brownlow announced that there would be four screenings of his 2000 version, shown at the original 20 frames per second, with the final triptych and a live orchestra, to be held at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California, from 24 March to 1 April 2012. These, the first US screenings of his 5.5-hour-long restoration were described as requiring three intermissions, one of which was a dinner break. Score arranger Carl Davis led the 46-piece Oakland East Bay Symphony for the performances.[22][23][24][25][1]
At a screening of Napoleon on 30 November 2013, at the Royal Festival Hall in London, full to capacity, the film and orchestra received a standing ovation, without pause, from the front of the stalls to the rear of the balcony. Davis conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra in an outstanding performance that spanned a little over eight hours, including a 100-minute dinner break.[26][27]
Reception[edit]
Napoleon is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most innovative films of the silent era. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 92% of critics have given the film a positive review, based upon 12 reviews, with an average score of 8.7/10, making the film a "Certified Fresh" on the website's rating system. [28]
The 2012 screening has been acclaimed, with Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle calling the film, "A rich feast of images and emotions." He also praised the triptych finale, calling it, "An overwhelming and surprisingly emotional experience."[29]
Home media[edit]
The Brownlow-edited film with a score by Davis has never been released for home viewing.[30]
Carmine Coppola's score accompanying Francis Ford Coppola's 223-minute (3 hours and 43 minutes) version, projected at 24 fps, has been released on VHS and on Laserdisc in the US, and on DVD Region 2 and Region 4, but no DVD is available in the US.[30] To suit home viewers watching on a single standard-width television screen, the triptych portion is letterboxed, such that image height is reduced to one-third for that portion of the film.[31]
See also[edit]
List of biopics
Napoleon in popular culture
List of early colour feature films
List of longest films by running time
References[edit]
Notes
1.^ Jump up to: a b McKernan, Luke "urbanora" (26 March 2012). "Napoléon vu par Kevin Brownlow". The Bioscope: Reporting on the world of early and silent cinema. thebioscope.net. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c "Francis Ford Coppola presents Napoleon: Abel Gance's 1927 masterpiece". New York City: The Images Film Archive. 31 January – 1 February 1981. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
3.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1968, p. 518
4.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 264
5.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, pp. 261–263
6.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 152
7.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 16
8.^ Jump up to: a b c Brownlow 1983, p. 236
9.^ Jump up to: a b c Brownlow 1983, p. 237
10.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1968, p. 559
11.Jump up ^ Mast, Gerald; Kawin, Bruce F. (2006). A Short History of the Movies. Pearson/Longman. p. 248. ISBN 0-321-26232-8.
12.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, pp. 132–138
13.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 23
14.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 233
15.Jump up ^ Schrieger, Charles (3 September 1979). "Telluride: High Heaven for Cineastes". Los Angeles Times. p. D6.
16.Jump up ^ Pollock, Dale (20 November 1983). "Rescuing a monument". Los Angeles Times. p. M14.
17.Jump up ^ Benson, Sheia (15 November 1981). "Abel Gance's Spirit Is Liberated At Last". Los Angeles Times. p. L2.
18.Jump up ^ San Francisco Silent Film Festival (17 December 2011). "Abel Gance’s Napoléon Presented in 'Polyvision'". News. In70mm.com. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
19.Jump up ^ Brownlow 2004, pp. 217–236
20.Jump up ^ Jones, Rick (4 December 2004). "Napoleon – battle for the sound of silents". The Times (London: News International). Retrieved 22 January 2007. "Who owns Napoleon?"
21.Jump up ^ Thomas, Kevin (11 July 2007). "'Napoleon,' the man and mostly the myth". Los Angeles Times. p. E4. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
22.Jump up ^ "San Francisco Silent Film Festival to Present Abel Gance's Napoleon". Movie News: Top News Stories. Turner Classic Movies. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
23.Jump up ^ "Silent Film Festival to present 'Napoleon'". San Francisco Silent Film Festival. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
24.Jump up ^ "Calendar of Events". Oakland: Paramount Theatre of the Arts. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
25.Jump up ^ Gladysz, Thomas (14 July 2011). "Napoleon's cinematic exile to end in 2012". SFGate.com. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
26.Jump up ^ "Philharmonia Orchestra – Napoléon: film screening with live orchestra". Southbank Centre. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
27.Jump up ^ "A guide to London for Napoléon tourists". Silent London. 19 January 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
28.Jump up ^ Rotten Tomatoes
29.Jump up ^ LaSalle, Mick (26 March 2012). "Napoleon Review: Rich feast of images, emotions". San Francisco Chronicle.
30.^ Jump up to: a b "Frequently Asked Questions". Napoleon: Abel Gance's masterpiece. San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
31.Jump up ^ "Napoleon (1927) (1929)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
Bibliography
Brownlow, Kevin (1968). The Parade's Gone By... University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03068-0.
Brownlow, Kevin (1983). Napoleon: Abel Gance's classic film (1 ed.). New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-394-53394-1.
Brownlow, Kevin (2004). Napoleon: Abel Gance's classic film (2 ed.). London: Photoplay. ISBN 1-84457-077-0.
External links[edit]
Napoléon at the Internet Movie Database
Napoléon at Rotten Tomatoes
Napoléon at AllMovie
Napoléon, SilentEra.com
The 2000 restoration, SilentEra.com
Site Napo Ciné Pédia site based upon Napoleon on screen
1980 London screening
1980 London screenings, announcement
2004 London screening, symphony review
2004 London review
Brownlow's 2004 version
Kevin Brownlow interview with Mark Lyndon - Part 1
Projecting “Napoleon” – une pièce de resistance. Details of 2004 projection.
Various Napoléon movie posters, Adrian Curry in Notebook


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Napoléon (1927 film)
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Napoléon
A monochrome photographic portrait of a handsome man in his late 20s wearing a French general's uniform from the 1790s and a cocked hat over stringy dark hair that reaches his shoulders
Albert Dieudonné as Napoleon

Directed by
Abel Gance
Produced by
Abel Gance
Written by
Abel Gance
Starring
Albert Dieudonné
Gina Manès
Antonin Artaud
Edmond Van Daële
Music by
Arthur Honegger (1927 in France)
Werner Heymann (1927 in Germany)
Carl Davis (1980 in the UK)
Carmine Coppola (1980 in the US)
Cinematography
Jules Kruger
Edited by
Marguerite Beaugé (1927)
 various others at later times
Distributed by
Gaumont (Europe)
MGM (USA)
Release dates
7 April 1927

Running time
various lengths
Country
France
Language
Silent film with intertitles
Napoléon is a 1927 epic silent French film directed by Abel Gance that tells the story of Napoleon's early years. On screen, the title is Napoléon vu par Abel Gance, meaning "Napoleon as seen by Abel Gance". The film is recognised as a masterwork of fluid camera motion, produced in a time when most camera shots were static. Many innovative techniques were used to make the film, including fast cutting, extensive close-ups, a wide variety of hand-held camera shots, location shooting, point of view shots, multiple-camera setups, multiple exposure, superimposition, underwater camera, kaleidoscopic images, film tinting, split screen and mosaic shots, multi-screen projection, and other visual effects.[1][2] A revival of Napoléon in the mid-1950s influenced the filmmakers of the French New Wave.[3]
The film begins in Brienne-le-Château with youthful Napoleon attending military school where he manages a snowball fight like a military campaign, yet he suffers the insults of other boys. It continues a decade later with scenes of the French Revolution and Napoleon's presence at the periphery as a young army lieutenant. He returns to visit his family home in Corsica but politics shift against him and put him in mortal danger. He flees, taking his family to France. Serving as an officer of artillery in the Siege of Toulon, Napoleon's genius for leadership is rewarded with a promotion to brigadier general. Jealous revolutionaries imprison Napoleon but then the political tide turns against the Revolution's own leaders. Napoleon leaves prison, forming plans to invade Italy. He falls in love with the beautiful Joséphine de Beauharnais. The emergency government charges him with the task of protecting the National Assembly. Succeeding in this he is promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Interior, and he marries Joséphine. He takes control of the army which protects the French–Italian border, and propels it to victory in an invasion of Italy.
Gance planned for Napoléon to be the first of six movies about Napoleon's career, a chronology of great triumph and defeat ending in Napoleon's death in exile on the island of Saint Helena. After the difficulties encountered in making the first film, Gance realised that the costs involved would make the full project impossible.
The film was first released in a gala at the Palais Garnier (then the home of the Paris Opera) on 7 April 1927. Napoléon had been screened in only eight European cities when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought the rights to it, but after screening it in London, it was cut drastically in length, and only the central panel of the three-screen Polyvision sequences were retained before it was put on limited release in the US. There, the silent masterpiece was indifferently received at a time when talkies were just starting to appear. The film was restored in 1981 after twenty years' work by silent film historian Kevin Brownlow.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot 1.1 Part One 1.1.1 Brienne
1.1.2 The French Revolution
1.2 Part Two
1.3 Part Three
2 Primary cast
3 Music
4 Triptych sequence
5 Released versions and screenings
6 Restorations
7 Reception
8 Home media
9 See also
10 References
11 External links

Plot[edit]
The scenario of the film as originally written by Gance was published in 1927 by Librairie Plon. Much of the scenario describes scenes that were rejected during initial editing, and do not appear in any known version of the film. The following plot includes only those scenes that are known to have been included in some version of the film. Not every scene described below can be viewed today.[4]
Part One[edit]
Brienne[edit]
In the winter of 1779–1780, ten-year-old Napoleon Buonaparte (Vladimir Roudenko) is enrolled at Brienne College, a military school for sons of nobility, run by the religious Minim Fathers in Brienne-le-Château, France. The boys at the school are holding a snowball fight organised as a battlefield. Two bullies—Philippeaux (Petit Vidal) and Peccaduc (Roblin)—schoolyard antagonists of Napoleon, are leading the larger side, outnumbering the side that Napoleon fights for. These two sneak up on Napoleon with snowballs enclosing stones. A hardened snowball draws blood on Napoleon's face. Napoleon is warned of another rock-snowball by a shout from Tristan Fleuri (Nicolas Koline), the school's scullion and a friend to Napoleon. Napoleon recovers himself and dashes alone to the enemy snowbank to engage the two bullies in close combat. The Minim Fathers, watching the snowball fight from windows and doorways, applaud the action. Napoleon returns to his troops and encourages them to attack ferociously. He watches keenly and calmly as this attack progresses, assessing the balance of the struggle and giving appropriate orders. He smiles as his troops turn the tide of battle. Carrying his side's flag, he leads his forces in a final charge and raises the flag at the enemy stronghold.
The monks come out of the school buildings to discover who led the victory. A young military instructor, Jean-Charles Pichegru (René Jeanne), asks Napoleon for his name. Napoleon responds "Nap-eye-ony" in Corsican-accented French, and is laughed at by the others. Pichegru tells him that he will go far.
In class, the boys study geography. Napoleon is angered by the condescending textbook description of Corsica. He is taunted by the other boys, and kicked by the two bullies who hold flanking seats. Another of the class's island examples is Saint Helena, which puts Napoleon into a pensive daydream.
Unhappy in school, Napoleon writes about his difficulties in a letter to his family. A bully reports to a monk that Napoleon is hiding letters in his bed, and the monk tears the letter to pieces. Angry, Napoleon goes to visit the attic quarters of his friend Fleuri, a place of refuge where Napoleon keeps his captive bird, a young eagle that was sent to him from Corsica by an uncle. Napoleon tenderly pets the eagle's head, then leaves to fetch water for the bird. The two bullies take this opportunity to set the bird free. Napoleon finds the bird gone and runs to the dormitory to demand the culprit show himself. None of the boys admits to the deed. Napoleon exclaims that they are all guilty, and begins to fight them all, jumping from bed to bed. In the clash, pillows are split and feathers fly through the air as the Minim Fathers work to restore order. They collar Napoleon and throw him outside in the snow. Napoleon cries to himself on the limber of a cannon, then he looks up to see the young eagle in a tree. He calls to the eagle which flies down to the cannon barrel. Napoleon caresses the eagle and smiles through his tears.
The French Revolution[edit]
In 1792, the great hall of the Club of the Cordeliers is filled with revolutionary zeal as hundreds of members wait for a meeting to begin. The leaders of the group, Georges Danton (Alexandre Koubitzky), Jean-Paul Marat (Antonin Artaud) and Maximilien Robespierre (Edmond Van Daële), are seen conferring. Camille Desmoulins (Robert Vidalin), Danton's secretary, interrupts Danton to tell of a new song that has been printed, called "La Marseillaise". A young army captain, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle (Harry Krimer) has written the words and brought the song to the club. Danton directs de Lisle to sing the song to the club. The sheet music is distributed and the club learns to sing the song, rising in fervor with each passage. At the edge of the crowd, Napoleon (Albert Dieudonné), now a young army lieutenant, thanks de Lisle as he leaves: "Your hymn will save many a cannon."
Splashed with water in a narrow Paris street, Napoleon is noticed by Joséphine de Beauharnais (Gina Manès) and Paul Barras (Max Maxudian) as they step from a carriage on their way into the house of Mademoiselle Lenormand (Carrie Carvalho), the fortune teller. Inside, Lenormand exclaims to Joséphine that she has the amazing fortune to be the future queen.
On the night of 10 August 1792, Napoleon watches impassively as mob rule takes over Paris and a man is hung by revolutionaries. In front of the National Assembly, Danton tells the crowd that they have cracked the monarchy. Napoleon senses a purpose rising within him, to bring order to the chaos. The mob violence has tempered his character.
Napoleon, on leave from the French Army, travels to Corsica with his sister, Élisa (Yvette Dieudonné). They are greeted by his mother, Letizia Buonaparte (Eugénie Buffet) and the rest of his family at their summer home in Les Milelli. The shepherd Santo-Ricci (Henri Baudin) interrupts the happy welcome to tell Napoleon the bad news that Corsica's president, Pasquale Paoli (Maurice Schutz) is planning to give the island to the British. Napoleon declares his intention to prevent this fate.
Riding a horse and revisiting places of his childhood, Napoleon stops in Milelli gardens and considers whether to retreat and protect his family, or to advance into the political arena. Later in the streets of Ajaccio, Pozzo di Borgo (Acho Chakatouny) encourages a mob to put Napoleon to death for opposing Paoli, and the townsfolk surround the Buonaparte home. Napoleon stands outside the door and stares the crowd down, dispersing them silently. Paoli signs a death warrant, putting a price on Napoleon's head. Napoleon's brothers, Lucien (Sylvio Cavicchia) and Joseph (Georges Lampin), leave for Calvi to see if French authorities can intervene. Napoleon faces the danger alone, walking into an inn where men are arguing politics, all of whom would like to see him dead. He confronts the men and says, "Our fatherland is France ...with me!" His arguments subdue the crowd, but di Borgo enters the inn, accompanied by gendarmes. Napoleon evades capture and rides away on his horse, pursued by di Borgo and his men.
Upstairs in the Ajaccio town hall, a council declares war on France even while the French flag flies outside the window. Napoleon climbs up the balcony and takes down the flag, shouting to the council, "It is too great for you!" The men fire their pistols at Napoleon but miss as he rides away.
While chasing Napoleon, di Borgo stretches a rope across a road that Napoleon is likely to take. As expected, Napoleon rides toward the rope, but he draws his saber and cuts it down. Napoleon continues at high speed to the shore where he finds a small boat. He abandons the horse and gets into the boat, discovering that it has no oars or sail. He unfurls the French flag from Ajaccio and uses it as a sail. He is drawn out into the open sea.
Meanwhile in Paris, meeting in the National Assembly, the majority Girondists are losing to the Montagnards: Robespierre, Danton, Marat and their followers. Robespierre calls for all Girondists to be indicted. (Napoleon's boat is tossed by increasing waves.) The Girondists seek to flee but are repulsed. (A storm throws Napoleon back and forth in his boat.) The assembly hall rolls with the struggle between Girondists and Montagnards. (Napoleon grimly bails water to prevent his violently rocking boat from sinking.)
Later, in calm water, the small boat is seen by Lucien and Joseph Buonaparte aboard a French ship, Le Hasard. The larger ship is steered to rescue the unknown boat, and as it is pulled close, Napoleon is recognised, lying unconscious at the bottom, gripping the French flag. Waking, Napoleon directs the ship to a cove in Corsica where the Buonaparte family is rescued. The ship sails for France carrying a future queen, three future kings, and the future Emperor of France. A British warship, the HMS Agamemnon, sights Le Hasard, and a young officer, Horatio Nelson (Olaf Fjord), asks his captain if he might be allowed to shoot at the enemy vessel and sink it. The captain denies the request, saying that the target is too unimportant to waste powder and shot. As Le Hasard sails away, an eagle flies to the Buonapartes and lands on the ship's flag pole.
Part Two[edit]



 Actor Albert Dieudonné played Napoleon
In July 1793, fanatic Girondist Charlotte Corday (Marguerite Gance) visits Marat in his home and kills him with a knife. Two months later, General Jean François Carteaux (Léon Courtois), in control of a French army, is ineffectively besieging the port of Toulon, held by 20,000 English, Spanish and Italian troops. Captain Napoleon is assigned to the artillery section and is dismayed by the obvious lack of French discipline. He confronts Carteaux in an inn run by Tristan Fleuri, formerly the scullion of Brienne. Napoleon advises Carteaux how best to engage the artillery against Toulon, but Carteaux is dismissive. An enemy artillery shot hits the inn and scatters the officers. Napoleon stays to study a map of Toulon while Fleuri's young son Marcellin (Serge Freddy-Karl) mimes with Napoleon's hat and sword. Fleuri's beautiful daughter Violine Fleuri (Annabella) admires Napoleon silently.
General Jacques François Dugommier (Alexandre Bernard) replaces Carteaux and asks Napoleon to join in war planning. Later, Napoleon sees a cannon being removed from a fortification and demands that it be returned. He fires a shot at the enemy, and establishes the position as the "Battery of Men Without Fear". French soldiers rally around Napoleon with heightened spirits. Dugommier advances Napoleon to the position of commander-in-chief of the artillery.
French troops under Napoleon prepare for a midnight attack. Veteran soldier Moustache (Henry Krauss) tells 7-year-old Marcellin, now a drummer boy, that the heroic drummer boy Joseph Agricol Viala was 13 when he was killed in battle. Marcellin takes courage; he expects to have six years of life left. Napoleon orders the attack forward amidst rain and high wind. A reversal causes Antoine Christophe Saliceti (Philippe Hériat) to name Napoleon's strategy a great crime. Consequently, Dugommier orders Napoleon to cease attacking, but Napoleon discusses the matter with Dugommier and the attack is carried forward successfully despite Saliceti's warnings. English cannon positions are taken in bloody hand-to-hand combat, lit by lightning flashes and whipped by rain. Because of the French advance, English Admiral Samuel Hood (W. Percy Day) orders the burning of the moored French fleet before French troops can recapture the ships. The next morning, Dugommier, seeking to promote Napoleon to the rank of brigadier general, finds him asleep, exhausted. An eagle beats its wings as it perches on a tree next to Napoleon.
Part Three[edit]
After being shamed in Toulon, Saliceti wants to put Napoleon on trial. Robespierre says he should be offered the command of Paris, but if he refuses he will be tried. Robespierre, supported by Georges Couthon (Louis Vonelly) and Louis Antoine de Saint-Just (Abel Gance), condemns Danton to death. Saint-Just puts Joséphine into prison at Les Carmes where she is comforted by General Lazare Hoche (Pierre Batcheff). Fleuri, now a jailer, calls for "De Beauharnais" to be executed, and Joséphine's ex-husband, Alexandre de Beauharnais (Georges Cahuzac) rises to accept his fate. Elsewhere, Napoleon is also imprisoned for refusing to serve under Robespierre. He works out the possibility of building a canal to Suez as Saliceti taunts him for not trying to form a legal defense.
In an archive room filled with the files of condemned prisoners, clerks Bonnet (Boris Fastovich-Kovanko) and La Bussière (Jean d'Yd) work secretly with Fleuri to destroy (by eating) some of the dossiers including those for Napoleon and Joséphine. Meanwhile, at the National Assembly, Violine with her little brother Marcellin, watches from the gallery. Voices are raised against Robespierre and Saint-Just. Jean-Lambert Tallien (Jean Gaudrey) threatens Robespierre with a knife. Violine decides not to shoot Saint-Just with a pistol she brought. Back at the archives, the prison clerks are given new dossiers on those to be executed by guillotine: Robespierre, Saint-Just and Couthon.
Joséphine and Napoleon are released from their separate prisons. Napoleon declines the request by General Aubry to command infantry in the War in the Vendée under General Hoche, saying he would not fight Frenchman against Frenchman when 200,000 foreigners were threatening the country. He is given a minor map-making command as punishment for refusing the greater post. He draws up plans for an invasion of Italy. In Nice, General Schérer (Alexandre Mathillon) sees the plans and laughs at the foolhardy proposal. The plans are sent back, and Napoleon pastes them up to cover a broken window in the poor apartment he shares with Captain Marmont (Pierre de Canolle), Sergeant Junot (Jean Henry) and the actor Talma (Roger Blum). Napoleon and Junot see the contrast of cold, starving people outside of wealthy houses.
Joséphine convinces Barras to suggest to the National Assembly that Napoleon is the best man to quell a royalist uprising. On 3 October 1795 Napoleon accepts, and supplies 800 guns for defense. Directed by Napoleon, Major Joachim Murat (Genica Missirio) seizes a number of cannon to fight the royalists. Di Borgo shoots at Napoleon but misses; di Borgo is then wounded by Fleuri's accidental musket discharge. Saliceti is prevented from escaping in disguise. Napoleon sets Saliceti and di Borgo free. Joseph Fouché (Guy Favière) tells Joséphine that the noise of the fighting is Napoleon "entering history again". Napoleon is made General in Chief of the Army of the Interior to great celebration.
A Victim's Ball is held at Les Carmes, formerly the prison where Joséphine was held. To amuse the attendees, Fleuri re-enacts the tragedy of the executioner's roll-call. The beauty of Joséphine is admired by Thérésa Tallien (Andrée Standard) and Madame Juliette Récamier (Suzy Vernon), and Napoleon is also fascinated. He plays chess with Hoche, beating him as Joséphine watches and entices Napoleon with her charms. The dancers at the ball become uninhibited; the young women begin to dance partially nude.



 French actress Gina Manès played Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon's wife.
In his army office, Napoleon tells 14-year-old Eugène de Beauharnais (Georges Hénin) that he can keep his executed father's sword. The next day, Joséphine arrives with Eugène to thank Napoleon for this kindness to her only son. The general staff officers wait for hours while Napoleon clumsily tries to convey his feelings for Joséphine. Later, Napoleon practises his amorous style under the guidance of his old friend Talma, the actor. Napoleon visits Joséphine daily. Violine is greatly hurt to see Napoleon's attentions directed away from herself. In trade for agreeing to marry Napoleon, Joséphine demands of Barras that he place Napoleon in charge of the French Army of Italy. Playing with Joséphine's children, Napoleon narrowly misses seeing Barras in her home. Joséphine hires Violine as a servant.
Napoleon plans to invade Italy. He wishes to marry Joséphine as quickly as possible before he leaves. Hurried preparations go forward. However, on the wedding day, 9 March 1796, Napoleon is two hours late. He is found in his room planning the Italian campaign, and the wedding ceremony is rushed. That night, Violine and Joséphine both prepare for the wedding bed. Violine prays to a shrine of Napoleon. Joséphine and Napoleon embrace at the bed. In the next room, Violine kisses a shadowy figure of Napoleon that she has created from a doll.
Just before leaving Paris, Napoleon enters the empty National Assembly hall at night, and sees the spirits of those who had set the Revolution in motion. The ghostly figures of Danton and Saint-Just speak to Napoleon, and demand answers from him regarding his plan for France. All the spirits sing "La Marseillaise".
Only 48 hours after his wedding, Napoleon leaves Paris in a coach for Nice. He writes dispatches, and letters to Joséphine. Back in Paris, Joséphine and Violine pray at the little shrine to Napoleon.
Napoleon speeds to Albenga on horseback to find the army officers resentful and the soldiers starving. He orders a review of the troops. The troops respond quickly to the commanding presence of Napoleon and bring themselves to perfect attention. Fleuri, now a soldier, tries and fails to get a hint of recognition from Napoleon. The Army of Italy is newly filled with fighting spirit. Napoleon encourages them for the coming campaign into Italy, the "honour, glory and riches" which will be theirs upon victory. The underfed and poorly armed force advances into Montenotte and takes the town. Further advances carry Napoleon to Montezemolo. As he gazes upon the Alps, visions appear to him of future armies, future battles, and the face of Joséphine. The French troops move forward triumphantly as the vision of an eagle fills their path, a vision of the red, white and blue French flag waving before them.
Primary cast[edit]
Albert Dieudonné as Napoléon[5]
Vladimir Roudenko as Napoléon Bonaparte (child)
Edmond Van Daële as Maximilien Robespierre
Alexandre Koubitzky as Georges Danton
Antonin Artaud as Jean-Paul Marat
Abel Gance as Louis de Saint-Just
Gina Manès as Joséphine de Beauharnais
Marguerite Gance as Charlotte Corday
Yvette Dieudonné as Élisa Bonaparte
Philippe Hériat as Antoine Saliceti
Annabella as Violine Fleuri
Nicolas Koline as Tristan Fleuri
Music[edit]
The film features Gance's interpretation of the birth of the song "La Marseillaise", the national anthem of France. In the film, the French singer Maryse Damia portrays the spirit of the song. "La Marseillaise" is played by the orchestra repeatedly during a scene at the Club of the Cordeliers, and again at other points in the plot. During the 1927 Paris Opera premiere, the song was sung live by Alexandre Koubitzky to accompany the Cordeliers scene. Koubitzky played Danton in the film but he was also a well-known singer. Gance had earlier asked Koubitzky and Damia to sing during the filming of the Cordeliers scene to inspire the cast and extras.[6] Kevin Brownlow wrote in 1983 that he thought it was "daring" of Gance "to make a song the highpoint of a silent film!"[7]
The majority of the film is accompanied by incidental music. For this material, the original score was composed by Arthur Honegger in 1927 in France. A separate score was written by Werner Heymann in Germany, also in 1927. In pace with Brownlow's efforts to restore the movie to something close to its 1927 incarnation, two scores were prepared in 1979–1980; one by Carl Davis in the UK and one by Carmine Coppola in the US.[8]
Beginning in late 1979, Carmine Coppola composed a score incorporating themes taken from various sources such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Hector Berlioz, Bedřich Smetana, Felix Mendelssohn and George Frideric Handel. He composed three original themes: an heroic one for Napoleon, a love theme for scenes with Josephine, and a Buonaparte family theme.[2] He also used French revolutionary songs that were supplied by Davis in early 1980 during a London meeting between Coppola, Davis and Brownlow.[8] Two such songs were "Ah! ça ira" and "La Carmagnole". Coppola returns to "La Marseillaise" as the finale. Coppola's score was heard first in New York at Radio City Music Hall performed for very nearly four hours, accompanying a film projected at 24 frames per second as suggested by producer Robert A. Harris.[8] Coppola included some sections of music carried solely by an organist to relieve the 60-piece orchestra.[2]
Working quickly from September 1980, Davis arranged a score based on selections of classical music; especially the Eroica Symphony by Beethoven who had initially admired Napoleon as a liberator, and had dedicated the symphony to Napoleon.[9] Taking this as an opportunity to research the music Napoleon would have heard, Davis also used folk music from Corsica, French revolutionary songs, a tune from Napoleon's favorite opera (Nina by Giovanni Paisiello) and pieces by other classical composers who were active in France in the 18th century.[9] Davis uses "La Marseillaise" as a recurring theme and returns to it during Napoleon's vision of ghostly patriots at the National Assembly. In scoring the film, Davis was assisted by David Gill and Liz Sutherland; the three had just completed the Thames Television documentary series Hollywood (1980), on the silent film era. To accompany a screening of 4 hours 50 minutes shown at 20 frames per second during the 24th London Film Festival, Davis conducted the Wren Orchestra.[9] Following this, work continued on restoration of the film with the goal of finding more footage to make a more complete version. In 2000, Davis lengthened his score and a new version of the movie was shown in London, projected at 20 frames per second for 5 hours 32 minutes. The 2000 score was performed in London in 2004 and 2013, and also in Oakland, California, in 2012, with Davis conducting local orchestras.
Triptych sequence[edit]



Abel Gance wrote, produced, directed and acted in the film.
Polyvision is the name that French film critic Émile Vuillermoz gave to a specialised widescreen film format devised exclusively for the filming and projection of Gance's Napoléon.[10] It involves the simultaneous projection of three reels of silent film arrayed in a horizontal row, making for a total aspect ratio of 4:1 (3× 1.33:1).[11] Director Abel Gance was worried that the film's finale would not have the proper impact by being confined to a small screen. Gance thought of expanding the frame by using three cameras next to each other. This is probably the most famous of the film's several innovative techniques.[12] Though American filmmakers began experimenting with 70mm widescreen (such as Fox Grandeur) in 1929, widescreen did not take off until CinemaScope was introduced in 1953.
Polyvision was only used for the final reel of Napoleon, to create a climactic finale. Filming the whole story in Polyvision was impractical as Gance wished for a number of innovative shots, each requiring greater flexibility than was allowed by three interlocked cameras. When the film was greatly trimmed by the distributors early on during exhibition, the new version only retained the center strip in order to allow projection in standard single-projector cinemas. Gance was unable to eliminate the problem of the two seams dividing the three panels of film as shown on screen, so he avoided the problem by putting three completely different shots together in some of the Polyvision scenes. When Gance viewed Cinerama for the first time in 1955, he noticed that the widescreen image was still not seamless, that the problem was not entirely fixed.[13]
Released versions and screenings[edit]

Date
Title
Length
Editor
Score
Venues
Triptych
Format

April 1927 Napoléon 5400 m (4:10) Marguerite Beaugé Arthur Honegger Paris Opera toned 35 mm
May 1927 Napoléon (version définitive) 12,800 m (9:22) Abel Gance Arthur Honegger Apollo Theatre, Paris none 35 mm
October 1927 Napoléon (UFA) under 3:00 Universum Film AG Werner Heymann Germany and Central Europe toned 35 mm
November 1927 Napoléon total 4:10, shown in two seatings, some scenes repeated Abel Gance Arthur Honegger Marivaux Theatre, Paris toned, shown twice 35 mm
Winter 1927–28 Napoléon various   French provinces  35 mm
ca. 1928 Napoleon (version définitive as sent to the U.S. in 29 reels) 29,000 feet (8,800 m) (6:43) Abel Gance  none none 35 mm
March–April 1928 Napoléon (Gaumont) Shown in two parts totaling about 3:00 Gaumont Film Company Arthur Honegger Gaumont-Palace none 35 mm
June 1928 Napoleon (UK 1928) 11,400 m (7:20) Abel Gance Arthur Honegger UK toned 35 mm
January 1929 Napoleon (USA 1929) 8,000 feet (2,400 m) (1:51) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer  USA none 35 mm
ca. 1928 Napoléon (Pathé-Rural) 17 reels   Rural France none 17.5 mm
1928 Napoléon (Pathé-Baby) 9 reels   French homes none 9.5 mm
1929 Napoléon (Pathescope) 6 reels   UK homes none 9.5 mm
1935 Napoléon Bonaparte vu et entendu par Abel Gance 13,000 feet (4,000 m), later 10,000 feet (3,000 m) Abel Gance Henri Verdun  none 35 mm
1935 Napoléon Bonaparte (Film-Office version) 5,000 feet (1,500 m) Abel Gance Henri Verdun  none 16 mm
 9.5 mm
 8 mm
1935 Napoléon Bonaparte (Studio 28 version)     black and white 35 mm
1965 Napoléon  Henri Langlois  Cinematheque Francaise none 35 mm
1970 Bonaparte et la Révolution 4:45 at 20 fps (4:00 at 24 fps) Abel Gance   none 35 mm
1979 Napoléon (Brownlow) 4:55 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow None: ad lib accompaniment on electronic piano[14] Telluride Film Festival, Colorado black and white 35 mm
1980 Napoléon (Brownlow 1980) 4:50 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis National Film Theatre, London black and white 35 mm
1980 Napoleon (Coppola) 4:00 at 24 fps Francis Ford Coppola Carmine Coppola USA black and white 35 mm
 70 mm
1983 Napoléon (Brownlow 1983) 5:13 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Cinematheque Francaise black and white 35 mm
1983 Napoléon (Brownlow 1983 TV cut) 4:50 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Channel 4 (UK television) none 35 mm
1989 Napoleon (Brownlow 1980) 4:50 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Marius Constant Cité de la Musique, Paris none 35 mm
1989 Napoléon (Brownlow 1989 TV cut) 4:50 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Channel 4 (UK television) toned, letterboxed inside 4:3 35 mm
2000 Napoléon (Brownlow 2000) 5:30 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Royal Festival Hall toned 35 mm
2004 Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) 5:32 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Royal Festival Hall toned 35 mm
2012 Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) 5:32 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Paramount Theatre (Oakland, California) toned 35 mm
2013 Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) 5:32 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Royal Festival Hall, London toned 35 mm
2014 Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) 5:32 at 20 fps Kevin Brownlow Carl Davis Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam toned 35 mm

Restorations[edit]



Abel Gance (left) and composer Arthur Honegger in 1923
The film historian Kevin Brownlow conducted the reconstruction of the film in the years leading up to 1980, including the Polyvision scenes. As a boy, Brownlow had purchased two 9.5 mm reels of the film from a street market. He was captivated by the cinematic boldness of short clips, and his research led to a lifelong fascination with the film and a quest to reconstruct it. On 31 August 1979, Napoléon was shown to a crowd of hundreds at the Telluride Film Festival, in Telluride, Colorado.[15] The film was presented in full Polyvision at the specially constructed Abel Gance Open Air Cinema, which is still in use today. Gance was in the audience until the chilly air drove him indoors after which he watched from the window of his room at the New Sheridan Hotel. Kevin Brownlow was also in attendance and presented Gance with his Silver Medallion.[16][17][18]



 A group of friends gathers outside of the Chicago Theatre in 1981 to see Francis Ford Coppola's version of Napoléon
Brownlow's 1980 reconstruction was re-edited and released in the United States by American Zoetrope (through Universal Pictures) with a score by Carmine Coppola performed live at the screenings. The restoration premiered in the United States at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on 23–25 January 1981; each performance showed to a standing room only house. Gance could not attend because of poor health. At the end of the 24 January screening, a telephone was brought onstage and the audience was told that Gance was listening on the other end and wished to know what they had thought of his film. The audience erupted in an ovation of applause and cheers that lasted several minutes. The acclaim surrounding the film's revival brought Gance much-belated recognition as a master director before his death only 11 months later, in November 1981.[19]
Another restoration was made by Brownlow in 1983. When it was screened at the Barbican Centre in London, French actress Annabella, who plays the fictional character Violine in the film (personifying France in her plight, beset by enemies from within and without), was in attendance. She was introduced to the audience prior to screenings and during one of the intervals sat alongside Kevin Brownlow, signing copies of the latter's book about the history and restoration of the film.



 Poster made for the 1980 Coppola theatrical run
Brownlow re-edited the film again in 2000, including previously missing footage rediscovered by the Cinémathèque Française in Paris. Altogether, 35 minutes of reclaimed film had been added, making the total film length of the 2000 restoration five and a half hours.
The film is properly screened in full restoration very rarely due to the expense of the orchestra and the difficult requirement of three synchronised projectors and three screens for the Polyvision section. One such screening was at the Royal Festival Hall in London in December 2004, including a live orchestral score of classical music extracts arranged and conducted by Carl Davis. The screening itself was the subject of hotly contested legal threats from Francis Ford Coppola via Universal Studios to the British Film Institute over whether the latter had the right to screen the film without the Coppola score. An understanding was reached and the film was screened for both days.[20] Coppola's single-screen version of the film was last projected for the public at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in two showings in celebration of Bastille Day on 13–14 July 2007, using a 70 mm print struck by Universal Studios in the early 1980s.[21]
At the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in July 2011, Brownlow announced that there would be four screenings of his 2000 version, shown at the original 20 frames per second, with the final triptych and a live orchestra, to be held at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California, from 24 March to 1 April 2012. These, the first US screenings of his 5.5-hour-long restoration were described as requiring three intermissions, one of which was a dinner break. Score arranger Carl Davis led the 46-piece Oakland East Bay Symphony for the performances.[22][23][24][25][1]
At a screening of Napoleon on 30 November 2013, at the Royal Festival Hall in London, full to capacity, the film and orchestra received a standing ovation, without pause, from the front of the stalls to the rear of the balcony. Davis conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra in an outstanding performance that spanned a little over eight hours, including a 100-minute dinner break.[26][27]
Reception[edit]
Napoleon is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most innovative films of the silent era. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 92% of critics have given the film a positive review, based upon 12 reviews, with an average score of 8.7/10, making the film a "Certified Fresh" on the website's rating system. [28]
The 2012 screening has been acclaimed, with Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle calling the film, "A rich feast of images and emotions." He also praised the triptych finale, calling it, "An overwhelming and surprisingly emotional experience."[29]
Home media[edit]
The Brownlow-edited film with a score by Davis has never been released for home viewing.[30]
Carmine Coppola's score accompanying Francis Ford Coppola's 223-minute (3 hours and 43 minutes) version, projected at 24 fps, has been released on VHS and on Laserdisc in the US, and on DVD Region 2 and Region 4, but no DVD is available in the US.[30] To suit home viewers watching on a single standard-width television screen, the triptych portion is letterboxed, such that image height is reduced to one-third for that portion of the film.[31]
See also[edit]
List of biopics
Napoleon in popular culture
List of early colour feature films
List of longest films by running time
References[edit]
Notes
1.^ Jump up to: a b McKernan, Luke "urbanora" (26 March 2012). "Napoléon vu par Kevin Brownlow". The Bioscope: Reporting on the world of early and silent cinema. thebioscope.net. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
2.^ Jump up to: a b c "Francis Ford Coppola presents Napoleon: Abel Gance's 1927 masterpiece". New York City: The Images Film Archive. 31 January – 1 February 1981. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
3.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1968, p. 518
4.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 264
5.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, pp. 261–263
6.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 152
7.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 16
8.^ Jump up to: a b c Brownlow 1983, p. 236
9.^ Jump up to: a b c Brownlow 1983, p. 237
10.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1968, p. 559
11.Jump up ^ Mast, Gerald; Kawin, Bruce F. (2006). A Short History of the Movies. Pearson/Longman. p. 248. ISBN 0-321-26232-8.
12.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, pp. 132–138
13.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 23
14.Jump up ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 233
15.Jump up ^ Schrieger, Charles (3 September 1979). "Telluride: High Heaven for Cineastes". Los Angeles Times. p. D6.
16.Jump up ^ Pollock, Dale (20 November 1983). "Rescuing a monument". Los Angeles Times. p. M14.
17.Jump up ^ Benson, Sheia (15 November 1981). "Abel Gance's Spirit Is Liberated At Last". Los Angeles Times. p. L2.
18.Jump up ^ San Francisco Silent Film Festival (17 December 2011). "Abel Gance’s Napoléon Presented in 'Polyvision'". News. In70mm.com. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
19.Jump up ^ Brownlow 2004, pp. 217–236
20.Jump up ^ Jones, Rick (4 December 2004). "Napoleon – battle for the sound of silents". The Times (London: News International). Retrieved 22 January 2007. "Who owns Napoleon?"
21.Jump up ^ Thomas, Kevin (11 July 2007). "'Napoleon,' the man and mostly the myth". Los Angeles Times. p. E4. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
22.Jump up ^ "San Francisco Silent Film Festival to Present Abel Gance's Napoleon". Movie News: Top News Stories. Turner Classic Movies. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
23.Jump up ^ "Silent Film Festival to present 'Napoleon'". San Francisco Silent Film Festival. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
24.Jump up ^ "Calendar of Events". Oakland: Paramount Theatre of the Arts. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
25.Jump up ^ Gladysz, Thomas (14 July 2011). "Napoleon's cinematic exile to end in 2012". SFGate.com. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
26.Jump up ^ "Philharmonia Orchestra – Napoléon: film screening with live orchestra". Southbank Centre. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
27.Jump up ^ "A guide to London for Napoléon tourists". Silent London. 19 January 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
28.Jump up ^ Rotten Tomatoes
29.Jump up ^ LaSalle, Mick (26 March 2012). "Napoleon Review: Rich feast of images, emotions". San Francisco Chronicle.
30.^ Jump up to: a b "Frequently Asked Questions". Napoleon: Abel Gance's masterpiece. San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
31.Jump up ^ "Napoleon (1927) (1929)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
Bibliography
Brownlow, Kevin (1968). The Parade's Gone By... University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-03068-0.
Brownlow, Kevin (1983). Napoleon: Abel Gance's classic film (1 ed.). New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-394-53394-1.
Brownlow, Kevin (2004). Napoleon: Abel Gance's classic film (2 ed.). London: Photoplay. ISBN 1-84457-077-0.
External links[edit]
Napoléon at the Internet Movie Database
Napoléon at Rotten Tomatoes
Napoléon at AllMovie
Napoléon, SilentEra.com
The 2000 restoration, SilentEra.com
Site Napo Ciné Pédia site based upon Napoleon on screen
1980 London screening
1980 London screenings, announcement
2004 London screening, symphony review
2004 London review
Brownlow's 2004 version
Kevin Brownlow interview with Mark Lyndon - Part 1
Projecting “Napoleon” – une pièce de resistance. Details of 2004 projection.
Various Napoléon movie posters, Adrian Curry in Notebook


[hide]
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Films directed by Abel Gance


Silent films
La Digue ·
 La Pierre philosophe ·
 Le Nègre blanc ·
 Il y a des pieds au plafond ·
 The Mask of Horror ·
 Strass et Compagnie ·
 L'Héroïsme de Paddy ·
 La Folie du Docteur Tube ·
 La Fleur des ruines ·
 The Enigma of Ten Hours ·
 Un drame au château d'Acre ·
 Ce que les flots racontent ·
 Le Périscope ·
 Le Fou de la falaise ·
 Fioritures ·
 Le Droit à la vie ·
 Les Gaz mortels ·
 The Torture of Silence ·
 Barberousse ·
 The Zone of Death ·
 Ecce Homo ·
 The Tenth Symphony ·
 J'accuse (1919) ·
 La Roue ·
 Au Secours! ·
 Napoléon ·
 Marines et cristeaux
 

Sound films
End of the World ·
 Mater dolorosa ·
 The Ironmaster ·
 Poliche ·
 Napoléon Bonaparte ·
 Le Roman d'un jeune homme pauvre ·
 The Queen and the Cardinal ·
 Lucrezia Borgia ·
 Beethoven's Great Love ·
 J'accuse! (1938) ·
 The Woman Thief ·
 Louise ·
 Paradis perdu ·
 Vénus aveugle ·
 Le Capitaine Fracasse ·
 Manolete ·
 Quatorze juillet 1953 ·
 Tower of Nesle ·
 Magirama ·
 Austerlitz ·
 Cyrano et d'Artagnan ·
 Marie Tudor ·
 Valmy ·
 Bonaparte et la révolution
 

 


Categories: 1927 films
1920s drama films
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French drama films
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French war films
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Films set in the 1790s
Films directed by Abel Gance
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Films set in France
Films set in Corsica
Films set in Italy
Films shot in Corse-du-Sud
Biographical films about Napoleon
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