IMDb > Napoléon (1927)
Napoléon
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Napoléon (1927) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.8/10   2,997 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 8% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Abel Gance
Writer:
Abel Gance (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Abel Gance's Napoleon on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 February 1929 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama | History | War more
Tagline:
Abel Gance's 1927 Masterpiece [reissue]
Plot:
A film about the French Field Marshal's youth and early military career. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
3 wins more
User Comments:
A hundred years ahead of its time more (43 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Abel Gance's Napoleon (USA)
Napoléon Bonaparte (France)
Napoléon vu par Abel Gance (France)
Napoleon (USA)
more
Runtime:
Spain:222 min (DVD edition) | UK:330 min (2000 restoration) | USA:235 min (1981 restored version) | 313 min (20 fps) (cinémathèque française print)
Country:
France
Color:
Black and White | Black and White (tinted) (some sequences)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby (1981 re-release) | Mono | Silent
Certification:
South Korea:All (2004) | Finland:K-12 (1966) | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | USA:G (1981 re-release)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Pozzo Di Borgo was Pasquale Paoli's principal aide when he was President of Corsica. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Napoleon finds his eagle escaped/ set free at the school, the cup of water switches between his right and left hands in three consecutive shots. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
15 out of 17 people found the following comment useful.
A hundred years ahead of its time, 1 September 2002
Author: Tim Evanson (tevanson@earthlink.net) from Washington, D.C.

Modern film-goers are used to explication, to having everything explained for them. The art of visual story-telling -- where images and action indicate the emotional state of characters, rather than have the actor tell you how angry or sad or excited they are -- has almost been lost. But "Napoleon" is a masterpiece of visual art. (Writer-director Abel Gance was honored at the Telluride film festival a few years ago for this film. Far too late, in my opinion.)

The film tells the life of Napoleon Bonaparte -- the Corsican who adopts France as his homeland, rises to supreme general of the French armies during the Revolution and eventually seizes the seat of government itself (twice!). It starts out with a lengthy (if perhaps mythological) examination of Napoleon's childhood in a Catholic school. Snowball fights between Napoleon and two future foes portend the future. Napoleon's friendship with a pet eagle foreshadows his role as emperor of France. But even though these scenes represent more artistic license than history, they are tremendously well-acted by the young Vladimir Roudenko (as young Napoleon). Among the many innovations are some relatively naturalistic acting by the members of the cast and some jaw-dropping editing and montage sequences (especially during the brawl during the snowball fight and the fight in the sleeping quarters). Such innovative use of editing probably wouldn't be seen for another 30 or 40 years!

After almost an hour of this three-hour epic, we're transported to the period of the adult Napoleon -- acted with gravitas and iciness by Albert Dieudonne (who is among the cast's taller actors, just as Napoleon was in reality fairly tall, too). The film dwells extensively on the formative period when Napoleon first arrives in Paris during the late Revolution, focusing heavily on how the chaos in the city stamped into Napoleon the authoritarianism and dictatorial leadership traits that would emerge later in life. This is perhaps the highlight of the film. The editing and visual images create a swirling, spinning, mind-blowing effect that is extremely effective.

The film then focuses on Napoleon's return to Corisca -- whose people held allegiances to Spain and Italy as well as France, and where Napoleon faced imprisonment due to his French leanings. For anyone interested in learning more about the life of Napoleon, this segment is pretty eye-opening. It's followed by a sequence at sea that's amazingly effective in conveying the power and terror of a storm at sea. For its time, this film contained some powerful ocean footage (watch for those amazing low-angle shots, and the ingenious intercutting of the "angry storm" of the French assembly and Napoleon's tiny skiff tossed about on the stormy seas).

The final hour and a half of the film depicts Napoleon's rise in the army and his tenure as emperor of France. This is perhaps the portion of the film that most viewers would think of as "the story of Napoleon." But perhaps one of the reasons why this film is so fascinating is that it delves deeply into the formative episodes in Napoleon's early life and gives as much importance to them as to his later actions on the battlefield in Italy, his tenure as emperor, and his subsequent exile, return, and exile. And the film does so without being heavy-handed, un-subtle or overly expositive.

A restored version of "Napoleon" is making the rounds in the US in cinemas and on television. It contains a new musical soundtrack by Carmine Coppola, which is fairly good (although at times repetitive and too loud). The film was restored and re-edited by Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope studio. Zoetrope added some tinting (the ocean scenes are all blue, the "angry mob" scenes are all red) that is interesting but perhaps not quite the "restoration" some viewers might have had in mind.

Watch "Napoleon." You'll be very surprised at how modern the film is. Compared to other silent films of the 1920s, with the undercranked action, overly emotive acting, fantastic plots and theatrical make-up and costumes, "Napoleon" is years ahead of its time. Silent films require concentration to watch. "Napoleon" will keep your interest.

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