Napoleon (1927)

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

Director:

Abel Gance

Writer:

Abel Gance

Stars:

Albert Dieudonné, Vladimir Roudenko, Edmond Van Daële

4 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Albert Dieudonné	...	Napoléon Bonaparte
Vladimir Roudenko	...	Napoléon Bonaparte enfant
Edmond Van Daële	...	Maximilien Robespierre
Alexandre Koubitzky	...	Georges-Jacques Danton
Antonin Artaud	...	Jean-Paul Marat
Abel Gance	...	Louis Saint-Just
Gina Manès	...	Joséphine de Beauharnais
Suzanne Bianchetti	...	La reine 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:

coup d'etat | napoleon bonaparte | french army | epic | french revolution | 

---

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:

Environs d'Ajaccio, Corse, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,448

Company Credits

Production Co:

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

Technical Specs

Runtime:

222 min (DVD) 330 min (2000 restoration) 235 min (1981 restored) 313 min (cinémathèque française print) 333 min (Blu-Ray digital restoration)

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

Originally produced by Giuseppe Barattolo (1882-1949), who had to pull out due to the Italian film industry's financial crisis (Rome, 30th January 1924).

---

Goofs

Junoit makes a comment about not needing sand when an artillery shell dumps soil on the sign he is painting. This is based on an actual incident, but Junot was writing a letter for Napoleon not painting a sign.

---

Alternate Versions

The film was deemed lost until film historian Kevin Brownlow managed to locate and restore many segments from various sources. In 1981 it was finally reissued in a 235-minutes version with a new music score by Carmine Coppola.

---

Connections

Referenced in As Time Goes By: A Trip to Los Angeles (1994)

---

Soundtracks

The Thrill of Being In Love (Love Theme of Napoleon and Josephine)
Music by Carmine Coppola
Lyrics by Italia Coppola (USA version)
UK version: score by Carl Davis (based largely on works by Beethoven)

User Reviews

Amazing achievement, but beware of US release version

The (more or less) full length version of Gance's NAPOLEON assembled by Kevin Brownlow over many years is an absolutely astounding achievement, both for Gance's inspired execution of a vision nearly too big for the screen, and Brownlow's dedication and perseverance, not to mention his superb reconstruction skills in bringing such a masterpiece back for the enjoyment of the world.

Well, not the whole world... Despite all this effort, the full restoration cannot be seen in the United States, on video or theatrically. It's a long story, but I just wanted potential and past viewers of this film to be aware of a few things:

-First of all, though video may be the only way to see this film in the U.S., keep in mind that home video can not even come close to providing the proper setting for such a gorgeous and epic film. The word "epic" has in fact never been so appropriate. So while I don't discourage people from seeing the video for lack of theatrical viewing opportunities, remember that the film was made on and meant to be seen on a grand scale.

-Secondly, the version currently available in the U.S. is not shown at the correct speed (24fps instead of the necessary 18/20fps). Also, it is missing footage. It is my understanding that in order to provide wider release possibilities in the U.S. upon the completion of the first major restoration in the '70s, the U.S. prints were edited somewhat to cut down on the admittedly long running time. This is also why the film is shown faster in the U.S., at "sound speed" or 24 frames per second. The newest restoration runs at 333 minutes, while the U.S. version is only 235.

The primary reason why the latest, glorious 2000 restoration of the film cannot be seen in the U.S. lies mainly with Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola controls the U.S. distribution rights, and allows only the U.S. version - with a score written by his father - to be shown. This is unlikely to change in the near future, so until then, deal with the substandard videotapes or plan your next European trip around one of the periodic English screenings of the film version - believe me, it's worth it!!