Napoléon (2002– )

The year is 1816, and NAPOLEON, held prisoner by the British on the island of St. Helena, is telling the young English girl BETSY his life story. His meteoric rise to military prominence ... See full summary »

Stars:

Christian Clavier, Isabella Rossellini, Gérard Depardieu

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Christian Clavier	...	Napoléon (4 episodes, 2002)
Isabella Rossellini	...	Joséphine de Beauharnais (4 episodes, 2002)
Gérard Depardieu	...	Joseph Fouché (4 episodes, 2002)
John Malkovich	...	Charles Talleyrand (4 episodes, 2002)
Anouk Aimée	...	Letizia Bonaparte (4 episodes, 2002)
Heino Ferch	...	Armand Augustin Louis, Marquis de Caulaincourt (4 episodes, 2002)
Ennio Fantastichini	...	Joseph Bonaparte (4 episodes, 2002)
Marie Bäumer	...	Caroline Bonaparte (4 episodes, 2002)
Ludivine Sagnier	...	Hortense (4 episodes, 2002)
Alain Doutey	...	Maréchal Ney (4 episodes, 2002)
Claudio Amendola	...	Maréchal Joachim Murat (4 episodes, 2002)
André Oumansky	...	Sieyes (4 episodes, 2002)
Jacques Brunet	...	Roger-Ducos (4 episodes, 2002)
Jean-Gabriel Nordmann	...	Roederer (4 episodes, 2002)
Sylvain Corthay	...	Dr. Corvisard (4 episodes, 2002)
Tamsin Egerton	...	Betzy (4 episodes, 2002)
David Francis	...	Hudson Lowe (4 episodes, 2002)
Florence Darel	...	Madame Récamier (4 episodes, 2002)
Alain Teulié	...	Hippolyte Charles (4 episodes, 2002)
Michel Ouimet	...	Docteur Ivan (4 episodes, 2002)
Philip Lenkowsky	...	Cipriani (4 episodes, 2002)
Tom Rack	...	Pêcheur (4 episodes, 2002)
Geneviève Grandbois	...	Femme pêcheur (4 episodes, 2002)
Patrick Bordier	...	Vétéran (4 episodes, 2002)
Christopher Heyerdahl	...	Geoffroy St-Hilaire (4 episodes, 2002)
Benjamin Sacks	...	Jeune soldat pestiféré (4 episodes, 2002)
Emmanuel Karsen	...	Soldat hôpital (4 episodes, 2002)
Deborah Rudetzki	...	Julie (4 episodes, 2002)
Grégoire Bonnet	...	Louis (4 episodes, 2002)
Laurence Margerie	...	Élisa (4 episodes, 2002)
Constance Dollé	...	Pauline (4 episodes, 2002)
Dimitri Michelsen	...	Eugène (4 episodes, 2002)
Tomas Jaka	...	Grenadier blessé St-Cloud (4 episodes, 2002)
Laurent Larcher	...	Soldat St-Cloud (4 episodes, 2002)
Tristan Lignier	...	Officier Tuileries (4 episodes, 2002)
Grégoire Vigneron	...	Laquais Tuileries (4 episodes, 2002)
Bruce McEwen	...	Estafette Tuileries (4 episodes, 2002)
Lee Michelsen	...	Huissier Tuileries (4 episodes, 2002)
Mark Reed-Klevberg	...	Secrétaire Bonaparte (4 episodes, 2002)
László Görög	...	Marbot (4 episodes, 2002)
Andrew Hefler	...	Estafette blessé Danube (4 episodes, 2002)
Doug Rand	...	Percier (4 episodes, 2002)
Mike Dineen	...	Fortin (4 episodes, 2002)
Zsolt Zágoni	...	Adjudant Vincennes (4 episodes, 2002)
Stéphane Bourquin	...	Officier Fontainebleau (4 episodes, 2002)
Shawn Howard	...	Ordonnance Fontainebleau (4 episodes, 2002)
Christian Abomnes	...	Ordonnance Hudson Lowe (4 episodes, 2002)
Patrick Albenque	...	Policier (4 episodes, 2002)
François-Xavier Anseaume	...	Architecte (4 episodes, 2002)
Peter Bartfay	...	Soldier (4 episodes, 2002)
Václav Chalupa	...	Isabey (4 episodes, 2002)
Less Clack	...	Dignitaire (4 episodes, 2002)
Julie du Page	...	Jeune femme palais Erfurt (4 episodes, 2002)
Bill Dunn	...	Dignitaire (4 episodes, 2002)
Couy Griffin	...	Aide de camp église (4 episodes, 2002)
Richard Harris-Temple	...	Policier (4 episodes, 2002)
Zoltán Karácsony Pulika	...	Cavalier ferme (4 episodes, 2002)
Curtis Matthews	...	Officier QG Barras (4 episodes, 2002)
Franck Neckebrock		(4 episodes, 2002)
Tibor Pintér	...	Aide de camp (4 episodes, 2002)
Gerard Whelan	...	Officier Ettenheim (4 episodes, 2002)
Alexandra Maria Lara	...	Comtesse Marie Walewska (3 episodes, 2002)
Julian Sands	...	Klemens Metternich (2 episodes, 2002)
Mavie Hörbiger	...	Marie-Louise d'Autriche (2 episodes, 2002)
Roc LaFortune	...	Marchand (2 episodes, 2002)
Léopoldine Serre	...	Petite fille attentat (2 episodes, 2002)
Andy Cam	...	Homme attentat (2 episodes, 2002)
Sasa Rasilov	...	Policier rue St-Nicaise (2 episodes, 2002)
Jerry Di Giacomo	...	Fuyard St-Nicaise (2 episodes, 2002)

Storyline

The year is 1816, and NAPOLEON, held prisoner by the British on the island of St. Helena, is telling the young English girl BETSY his life story. His meteoric rise to military prominence begins with his victory over the Royalists in 1795, which is followed by campaigns in Italy and Egypt. He marries the young and capricious JOSEPHINE DE BEAUHARNAIS, the love of his life, who unfortunately cannot bear him any children. After a coup d'état he seizes power in France and crowns himself Emperor of the French in 1804. After his decisive victory at Austerlitz, Napoleon reorganizes Europe and makes his relatives into princes and kings. Continuing resistance by the Spanish results in some initial losses, however. Meanwhile, Napoleon is increasingly fascinated by other women, including the Polish patriot MARIA WALEWSKA, who bears him a son. Napoleon intends to found an imperial dynasty, however, to strengthen his position. After divorcing Josephine, he marries the Austrian princess MARIE-LUISE,...

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Plot Keywords:

army | campaign | battle | russia | british | 

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Taglines:

An epic life.

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History | Romance | War

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [fr]

Country:

France Germany Italy Canada USA UK Hungary Spain Czech Republic

Language:

French English

Release Date:

17 September 2002 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Napoleon

Filming Locations:

Agadir, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

€41,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

A&E Television Networks, ASP Productions, GMT Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

380 min 357 min (4 parts) 380 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In July 2003 dollars, the film costs $46,330,000 to make.

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Goofs

When Napoleon is with Eleanore Denuelle and his son to say goodbye, his hair is parted on his left side. When he leaves and turns around at the door, Napoleon's hair is parted on his right side.

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Quotes

French Soldier: How would you like to approach this, Monsieur?
Marquis de Caulaincourt: With style, and good manners. We shall knock politely on the front door.
French Soldier: And what if he doesn't open it?
Marquis de Caulaincourt: In that case, I regret, I shall be obliged to ask you to barrel it down.

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Connections

References Le souper (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Miss Betsy"
Written by Richard Grégoire
Performed by The Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra
Courtesy of Virgin Classics

User Reviews

Excellent

Not all movies have the BEST graphics, and maybe this one didn't have graphics that would blow you away, but that wasn't really the point, and it looked fine, to me.

I caught part of this on A&E, recently. I watched a few minutes, then turned the channel to watch a regular show. I came back to it, and watched the end of the first half. The next day, I ran into the second part. I missed quite a bit, but watched the last hour, or so. I started craving the rest of it. I got online and did a search, found it was out on DVD, and made a trip to my local video retailer. I got the 3-DVD set and have since made a website devoted to Christian Clavier because I thought he did a wonderful job, and this movie made me a fan almost instantly. I've always liked Isabella Rossellini, and her role as Josephine was very convincing.

I've always been a fan of Napoleon movies, and I've seen several, but this one has to be the best. The interaction between Napoleon and Josephine and the action during the war scenes had me on the edge of my seat. Most people know how the end turned out, but that didn't stop me from thinking that things would be different.

I highly recommend this movie, in DVD format for the "making of" section. I wish I had watched this in high school because I would have learned quite a bit.

Go watch this movie!