Napoleon

Unrated

9/1/19794h 10m

Theatrical (limited) Release (US)

Overview:

A biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte, tracing the Corsican's career from his schooldays (where a snowball fight is staged like a military campaign) to his flight from Corsica, through the French Revolution (where a real storm is intercut with a political storm) and the Terror, culminating in his triumphant invasion of Italy in 1797.

Director:

Abel Gance

Status:

Released

Language:

French

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$39,448.00

Key words:

civil war
france
paris, france
italy
french revolution
biography
napoleon bonaparte
based on true story
guillotine
black and white
political campaign
silent film
18th century
french government
la marseillaise
military school
war in europe
revolutionary war
monochrome
robespierre
reign of terror
national hero
french impressionism
republic
toulon, france
french history
historical epic
history

Cast

Albert Dieudonné

~ as ~

Napoléon Bonaparte

Nicolas Roudenko

~ as ~

Napoléon Bonaparte (Child)

Edmond van Daële

~ as ~

Maximilien Robespierre

Alexandre Koubitzky

~ as ~

Georges Jacques Danton

Antonin Artaud

~ as ~

Jean-Paul Marat

Abel Gance

~ as ~

Louis Antoine Léon de Saint-Just

Gina Manès

~ as ~

Joséphine, Viscountess of Beauharnais

Nicolas Koline

~ as ~

Tristan Fleury

Annabella

~ as ~

Violine Fleury / Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary

Marguerite Gance

~ as ~

Charlotte Corday

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

CinemaSerf
Written 3 year(s) ago
8
Where to start? Carl Davis' recently composed inspiring score provides a wonderful accompaniment to the truly epic silent retrospective on the life of Napoleon. I saw a digital restoration recently and the quality of this over 90 year old film (in 2 parts) has lost none of its vivacity and vigour. We start with a snowball fight and end with high drama via some magnificent battle scenes. The tints and hues are subtle and vibrant and Abel Gance directs this with real flair and accomplishment. True, it is long; but compellingly so and if you are at all interested in the story of himself; the French reinvigoration that he led and inspired and of the subsequent historical events that gripped the whole of Europe then this is just the film. It seems way too brief a review for such a masterpiece, but in this case - less is definitely more. His megalomania and shrewd determination is writ large with excellent performances and grand cinematography well ahead of it's time. A big screen must if ever there was one - though take a cushion! (It is also worth acclaiming the skills of those responsible for the preservation and restoration of this film - it is astonishing how much of it has still survived, and in such great quality).