Venere imperiale (1963)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Jean Delannoy

Writers:

Rodolphe-Maurice Arlaud (writer)
Jean Aurenche (writer)

Release Date:

1972 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance

Plot Keywords:

Historical | Beautiful Woman

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Giuseppe Addobbati
Elsa Albani	...	Pianista
Aldo Berti	...	Moribondo a Santo Domingo
Giulio Bosetti	...	Camillo Borghese
Andrea Bosic	...	Del Val
Stephen Boyd	...	Jules de Canouville
Lilla Brignone	...	Letizia
Ernesto Calindri	...	Cardinale Fesch
Tino Carraro	...	Canova
Claudio Catania	...	Gerolamo Bonaparte
Feodor Chaliapin Jr.	...	Maestro di ballo
Andrea Checchi	...	Doctor
Liana Del Balzo	...	Principessa Borghese
Giustino Durano	...	Bousque
Tom Felleghy
Pino Ferrara
Gabriele Ferzetti	...	Freron
Massimo Girotti	...	Leclerc
Marco Guglielmi	...	Junot
Tina Lattanzi
Gina Lollobrigida	...	Paulette Bonaparte
Evi Maltagliati	...	Madame Adelaide
Kathy O'Brien	...	Cameriera
Raymond Pellegrin	...	Napoleon Bonaparte
Micheline Presle	...	Josephine
Umberto Raho	...	Kerversau
Maria Laura Rocca	...	Laura de Barral
Jacques Stany	...	Ufficiale
Nando Tamberlani	...	Pontefice

Also Known As:

Imperial Venus (USA)
Vénus impériale (France)

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:PG | Argentina:Atp

Company:

Cineriz

IMPERIAL VENUS (Jean Delannoy, 1963) **1/2

Turgid historical saga, a semi-biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte's courtesan sister(!); the overall effect is as improbable as the Hollywood version, DESIREE' (1954), which had focused on the life of the famed French leader's 'girlfriend'.

Gina Lollobrigida is monotonous in the title role (not to mention unconvincing when it comes to the dramatic passages of the plot); incidentally, she had previously worked for the director on THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1957). In support of the star are the likes of Stephen Boyd (who would fare much better playing alongside the Italian sex symbol's rival, Sophia Loren, in THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE [1964]), Raymond Pellegrin (making for a pretty good Napoleon) and Massimo Girotti – while Micheline Presle (playing Josephine) and Gabriele Ferzetti put in 'guest appearances'.

At an interminable length of almost 2½ hours, for what amounts to a largely unexciting narrative, the film – which, at least, has the virtue of expansive locations and attractive widescreen photography – understandably adopts an episodic structure throughout. In fact, the heroine is seen being involved with various lovers (including officer Ferzetti and roguish Hussar Boyd) and husbands (General-turned-Viceroy Girotti and a wimpish Italian Prince)…apart from facing such calamities as war, plague, deaths in the family and, finally, the humiliating abdication of Napoleon himself!