A historical drama. The author of this review simply could not pass by such classics of world cinema, because, as they say, "you need to know." Moreover, this is the earliest painting about the legendary Frenchman, which perfectly fits the word "epic". A five-hour silent film telling about the life of Napoleon (from studies to the beginning of the Italian company). The author of this review could not look at the picture from beginning to end in one sitting, but it was successfully managed in two sittings. And here's a brief opinion for you - A silent masterpiece of French cinema. Despite the favorable impression and pleasant emotions, the author of this review will consider both the obvious advantages of this historical drama and the disadvantages (which could not be dispensed with). And this should end the much-needed introduction and proceed directly to the analysis.
So, the advantages:
1. The scenario - the picture shows and tells the story of the formation of Napoleon Bonaparte, from a young brave boy who fights against church dogmas and especially zealous peers to the beginning of the famous Italian company (in which the troops of revolutionary France, the hungry, who were also numerically inferior, were able to completely smash the well-groomed and fed Austrian troops, and expel them from Italy and Brigadier General Bonaparte led them to victory). We will see the Great French bourgeois Revolution, its leaders (Robespierre, Danton, Marat, Saint Just). The creators of the painting also forgot about the romantic line of Napoleon and Josephine. And many more things were included in the script. It turned out to be an epic film production, which even now, in the age of digital technology, is able to amaze and even surprise. A lot of events have been included here. The Napoleonologists will be happy, and it will not be superfluous for the layman to look at it.
2. The image of Napoleon - we will be shown the same legendary personality that everyone has admired for more than three hundred years. Moreover, that the young Napoleon (Vladimir Rudenko), that the adult Napoleon (Albert Dieudonte) is equally good, because they look like the real Napoleon (fortunately, there are many portraits of this personality). We see the formation of the indomitable character of our hero, even his confrontation with his personal enemy Pozzo di Borgo (this conflict is not often found in films about Napoleon), his victories (the siege of Toulon, for example), cunning and resourcefulness during the years of Terror. And they also did not forget to show him as a man who loves Josephine, because the creators succeeded in these moments. And although this image was slightly overplayed (all the characters react to Napoleon as soon as they see him, as if he were you know Who). The author of this review has not seen the best Napoleon in the cinema yet (with the exception of a series of documentaries from Star Media, where the role of Napoleon was superbly performed by the wonderful and talented Russian actor Georgy Bulat).
3. Costumes and decorations - here you just need to "take off your hat" to the creators of the picture, because it was filmed in the twenties of the twentieth century, and it was done by real professionals of that time. There are just a lot of extras here, and authentic costumes were sewn for everyone. The decorations still amaze the eye (this is especially noticeable in the restored version). You can recognize both the French and the British by their uniforms, not to mention the casual clothes of that time. The picture was shot in France, which adds to the atmosphere when watching. And not to mention the battle scenes - for those years it was the pinnacle. And how often will the siege of Toulon be shown in sufficient detail in the cinema about Napoleon?
4. Innovations - some director's finds are worth something. Three films were shot at the same time, the cameras were mounted in various objects. The picture is not only black and white, but also colored (since color filters were used during filming). Yes, there are a lot of things like that. If you describe everything, you can get stuck here for a long time. It was a tremendous effort by many people.
5. The restored picture - except for two points (where the restorers either cheated, or the negatives could no longer be brought to the right state), then we have a reference work and a living manual on how to restore an old movie. Each frame looks as if it was shot only yesterday. And don't forget that the negatives of the painting are reels with thousands of meters of film. How much time did people spend so that we, the audience, could see this masterpiece of Abel Hans in an improved form? I highly recommend everyone to see it in its restored form. And although the text in this version has not been translated into Russian (because only English is there), it is quite simple to understand what is happening there, and the text is not complicated, even for those who are ignorant of foreign languages.
6. Music - without the great music of Carl Davis and Arthur Honegger, this epic would not be so great, because the music selected here greatly affects the atmosphere and creates emotional involvement in the viewer. Here you will find both classics and a variation of the famous "Marseillaise" and what not mixed here.
So, the disadvantages: 1. Liberties with the real story - Nelson never met Napoleon, there was no game at the beginning of the picture, Josephine rejected Napoleon's courtship for a long time, considering him a fool, Napoleon did not escape from Corsica with the French flag, and so on. I remembered the most vivid moments. Not to mention the obvious allegories (which worked in the picture, no fooling around). No wonder Abel Hans made a postscript in the credits that this is how he sees Napoleon. And we, lovers and professionals of history, can forgive Abel Hans for this, because his invention served to benefit the cinema, and only strengthened the image of the unshakeable Napoleon.
2. Excessive emotionality and overplaying is not so much a minus as the ordinariness of that time and silent films in general. At that time, not everyone was able to transmit sound, so all that remained was to exaggerate gestures, make faces and overplay a lot, so that the audience would look at you more than at others. Therefore, be prepared for this and treat it with understanding.
3. Commercial failure - monstrous monetary costs, hundreds of books about Napoleon read, the enormous work of many people, thousands of meters of film - and a grandiose box office failure. And considering that Abel Hans conceived the trilogy, the total timing of all the paintings would have been around fifteen o'clock - then we never saw it. This is extremely sad, because this is a very high-quality work that has become iconic. It is a pity that we will never see the full "Napoleon" by Abel Hans, although, judging by the quality of the first part, we would have been further awaited by such an epic, which was like the "Lord of the Rings" for the noughties.
My rating is 9 out of 10 and my recommendation for viewing!
So, the advantages:
1. The scenario - the picture shows and tells the story of the formation of Napoleon Bonaparte, from a young brave boy who fights against church dogmas and especially zealous peers to the beginning of the famous Italian company (in which the troops of revolutionary France, the hungry, who were also numerically inferior, were able to completely smash the well-groomed and fed Austrian troops, and expel them from Italy and Brigadier General Bonaparte led them to victory). We will see the Great French bourgeois Revolution, its leaders (Robespierre, Danton, Marat, Saint Just). The creators of the painting also forgot about the romantic line of Napoleon and Josephine. And many more things were included in the script. It turned out to be an epic film production, which even now, in the age of digital technology, is able to amaze and even surprise. A lot of events have been included here. The Napoleonologists will be happy, and it will not be superfluous for the layman to look at it.
2. The image of Napoleon - we will be shown the same legendary personality that everyone has admired for more than three hundred years. Moreover, that the young Napoleon (Vladimir Rudenko), that the adult Napoleon (Albert Dieudonte) is equally good, because they look like the real Napoleon (fortunately, there are many portraits of this personality). We see the formation of the indomitable character of our hero, even his confrontation with his personal enemy Pozzo di Borgo (this conflict is not often found in films about Napoleon), his victories (the siege of Toulon, for example), cunning and resourcefulness during the years of Terror. And they also did not forget to show him as a man who loves Josephine, because the creators succeeded in these moments. And although this image was slightly overplayed (all the characters react to Napoleon as soon as they see him, as if he were you know Who). The author of this review has not seen the best Napoleon in the cinema yet (with the exception of a series of documentaries from Star Media, where the role of Napoleon was superbly performed by the wonderful and talented Russian actor Georgy Bulat).
3. Costumes and decorations - here you just need to "take off your hat" to the creators of the picture, because it was filmed in the twenties of the twentieth century, and it was done by real professionals of that time. There are just a lot of extras here, and authentic costumes were sewn for everyone. The decorations still amaze the eye (this is especially noticeable in the restored version). You can recognize both the French and the British by their uniforms, not to mention the casual clothes of that time. The picture was shot in France, which adds to the atmosphere when watching. And not to mention the battle scenes - for those years it was the pinnacle. And how often will the siege of Toulon be shown in sufficient detail in the cinema about Napoleon?
4. Innovations - some director's finds are worth something. Three films were shot at the same time, the cameras were mounted in various objects. The picture is not only black and white, but also colored (since color filters were used during filming). Yes, there are a lot of things like that. If you describe everything, you can get stuck here for a long time. It was a tremendous effort by many people.
5. The restored picture - except for two points (where the restorers either cheated, or the negatives could no longer be brought to the right state), then we have a reference work and a living manual on how to restore an old movie. Each frame looks as if it was shot only yesterday. And don't forget that the negatives of the painting are reels with thousands of meters of film. How much time did people spend so that we, the audience, could see this masterpiece of Abel Hans in an improved form? I highly recommend everyone to see it in its restored form. And although the text in this version has not been translated into Russian (because only English is there), it is quite simple to understand what is happening there, and the text is not complicated, even for those who are ignorant of foreign languages.
6. Music - without the great music of Carl Davis and Arthur Honegger, this epic would not be so great, because the music selected here greatly affects the atmosphere and creates emotional involvement in the viewer. Here you will find both classics and a variation of the famous "Marseillaise" and what not mixed here.
So, the disadvantages: 1. Liberties with the real story - Nelson never met Napoleon, there was no game at the beginning of the picture, Josephine rejected Napoleon's courtship for a long time, considering him a fool, Napoleon did not escape from Corsica with the French flag, and so on. I remembered the most vivid moments. Not to mention the obvious allegories (which worked in the picture, no fooling around). No wonder Abel Hans made a postscript in the credits that this is how he sees Napoleon. And we, lovers and professionals of history, can forgive Abel Hans for this, because his invention served to benefit the cinema, and only strengthened the image of the unshakeable Napoleon.
2. Excessive emotionality and overplaying is not so much a minus as the ordinariness of that time and silent films in general. At that time, not everyone was able to transmit sound, so all that remained was to exaggerate gestures, make faces and overplay a lot, so that the audience would look at you more than at others. Therefore, be prepared for this and treat it with understanding.
3. Commercial failure - monstrous monetary costs, hundreds of books about Napoleon read, the enormous work of many people, thousands of meters of film - and a grandiose box office failure. And considering that Abel Hans conceived the trilogy, the total timing of all the paintings would have been around fifteen o'clock - then we never saw it. This is extremely sad, because this is a very high-quality work that has become iconic. It is a pity that we will never see the full "Napoleon" by Abel Hans, although, judging by the quality of the first part, we would have been further awaited by such an epic, which was like the "Lord of the Rings" for the noughties.
My rating is 9 out of 10 and my recommendation for viewing!