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.

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Plot Keywords:

coup d'etat | french army | epic | french revolution | military leadership | 

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Taglines:

Abel Gance's 1927 Masterpiece [reissue]

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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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

Gross USA:

$10,000,000, 31 December 1981

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

Pasquale Paoli (or Pascal Paoli) was a Corsican who fought for Corsican independence from Genoa and France (after Genoa had sold Corsica to France in 1764). Bonaparte's family supported Paoli's original campaign until Paoli was defeated. He fled to England, returning in 1790 when he was elected President. He supported the revolution initially but reverted to the royalist party when he disagreed with the issue of the king's execution. Napoleon served in the Corsican National Guard at this time, splitting with Paoli and denouncing him as a traitor when he learned of Paoli's royalist leanings. Paoli eventually fled back to England in 1795. He remains a symbol of Corsican independence.

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Goofs

The French troops attacking Toulon and the Army of Italy use flags with triangles in corners, the pattern introduced in 1804. In 1793, the pattern was based around a large central cross with the regimental number surrounded by a wreath, with different patterns and colours in the four corners (one flag similar to this is seen carried by the Army of Italy).

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Alternate Versions

In 2000, film historian Kevin Brownlow prepared an even longer version of "Napoleon" (over 5 and a half hours) with improved film footage replacing existing footage, newly acquired segments, color tints, etc., bringing the film even closer to its original form. This newly restored version has been shown theatrically in England.

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Connections

Featured in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005)

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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

Abel Gance was a Visionist

"Napoleon" is an absolute masterpiece in the world's history of filmmaking. In 1927, it was completely overshadowed by the technology of "The Jazz Singer". And that was a real tragedy for decades. Abel Gance is a director I will always admire for his innovation in filmmaking that still is impressive in the 21st Century. He mounted cameras on skis and swings to give the audience the effects that he wanted to convey, and it works perfectly. I was impressed by two great scenes - the 'ocean storm' scene and the final battlefield scene, which was done in the tints of the three colors of the French flag. Any aspiring director should study the techniques of Abel Gance, because the brilliance of this great director would be inspiring! Gance was also instrumental in perfect casting. Though Albert Dieudonne was older, as actors go, he was perfectly cast as Napoleon. If this was an American film and not a French film, I'm sure it would be considered as one of the greatest films ever made by AFI and other organizations.

I was glad that Abel Gance was able to see the affection that audiences had for this film in the late 1980's and early 1990's when the film went on a world tour with a world class orchestra. It would have been sad if Gance had passed on without knowing that his film was considered a masterpiece. If their was ever a silent film that 'pulls out all of the stops', this film is it. Viva Le Gance - the Visionist!