Napoleon (1927)
"Napoléon" (original title)

A film about the French Field Marshal's youth and early military career.

Director:

Abel Gance

Writer:

Abel Gance

Stars:

Albert Dieudonné, Vladimir Roudenko, Edmond Van Daële

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Albert Dieudonné	...	Napoléon Bonaparte
Vladimir Roudenko	...	Napoléon Bonaparte enfant
Edmond Van Daële	...	Maximilien Robespierre
Alexandre Koubitzky	...	Danton
Antonin Artaud	...	Marat
Abel Gance	...	Louis Saint-Just
Gina Manès	...	Joséphine de Beauharnais
Suzanne Bianchetti	...	Marie-Antoinette
Marguerite Gance	...	Charlotte Corday
Yvette Dieudonné	...	Élisa Bonaparte
Philippe Hériat	...	Antonio Salicetti
Pierre Batcheff	...	Le général Lazare Hoche
Eugénie Buffet	...	Laetizia Bonaparte
Acho Chakatouny	...	Pozzo di Borgo
Nicolas Koline	...	Tristan Fleuri

Storyline

A massive six-hour biopic of Napoleon, tracing his career from his schooldays (where a snowball fight is staged like a military campaign), 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 (the film stops there because it was intended to be part one of six, but director Abel Gance never raised the money to make the other five). The film's legendary reputation is due to the astonishing range of techniques that Gance uses to tell his story, culminating in the final twenty-minute triptych sequence, which alternates widescreen panoramas with complex multiple- image montages projected simultaneously on three screens.

---

Plot Keywords:

military | corsica | french revolution | campaign | snowball fight | 

---

Taglines:

Abel Gance's 1927 Masterpiece [reissue]

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

---

Details

Country:

France

Release Date:

17 February 1929 (USA)

Also Known As:

Abel Gance's Napoleon

Filming Locations:

Briançon, Hautes-Alpes, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ciné France Films, Films Abel Gance, Isepa-Wengeroff Film GmbH

Technical Specs

Runtime:

240 min 222 min (DVD edition) 330 min (2000 restoration) 235 min (1981 restored) 313 min (cinémathèque française print)

Sound Mix:

Dolby (1981 re-release) Mono Silent

Color:

Black and White Black and White (tinted) (some sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shown in its entirety and presented by Francis Ford Coppola in New York's Radio City Music Hall on 23rd January 1981.

---

Goofs

When Charlotte Corday assassinates Marat, the position of the knife and Marat's clothing change between shots.

---

Connections

Featured in Cinerama Adventure (2002)

User Reviews

Fantastic performance in London with Carl Davies

At the weekend i went to see Napoleon at the Royal Festival Hall in London. I am a relative newcomer to silent moves but too see a 5 and a half hour performance with the London Philarmonic Orchestra was incredible. Loved it, there seems to be some dispute with Coppola about the rights to this production, but if it is ever done again, it is something that any serious movie goer should make an attempt to see. And to prevent others from seeing this with an orchestra would be a travesty. The music by Carl Davies added another dimension to what was a fantastic film. It would appear that the work is a lifes work for Kevin Brownlow, he should be very proud of this acheivements.