Napoleon (1927)

  |  Biography, Drama, History

Napoleon (1927) Poster

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

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Cast & Crew

Top Billed Cast

Director:

Abel Gance

Writer:

Abel Gance
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Awards

4 wins.

Reviews & Commentary

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User Reviews
11 April 2004 | Nazi_Fighter_David
8
| Gance needed a figure as powerful as "Napoleon" to fulfill his dream of super cinema
Abel Gance's 'Napoleon' was premiered on April 7, 1927, at the Paris Opera House, the first movie to be accorded such an honor… It was been shown on a triple screen and to full orchestral accompaniment, running slightly under four hours…

Impressive as it seems, it was conceived as the first of a six-part biography running many hours and tracing the life of Napoleon from childhood to the bitter end in St Helena… Fortunately-for Abel Gance who directed and for us-the project was only completed to that moment where Napoleon enters Italy at the head of the French army, and the later and less pleasant aspects of his spectacular career were left unfilmed... The Little Corporal, after all, is a less controversial figure than the Emperor…

Gance needed a figure as emblematic and powerful as 'Napoleon' to fulfill his dream of super cinema…

'Napoleon' is a masterpiece of excess:

  • The child Bonaparte keeps a pet eagle and wins a snow fight while at school in Brienne... In this sequence, the frame splits into nine subliminal images; as Napoleon watches his men entering Italy, the screen expands on each side to form a breathtaking panorama, then changes into three coordinated views of the scene…


  • The National Convention seems to sway and rock as Napoleon makes his escape from Corsica in a storm-tossed sailboat…


  • The Gallic of cabaret singers, Damia, leads French troops into battle personifying 'La Marseillaise'…


'Napoleon' is like one grand musical composition. It throbs with life…

That was Gance the great filmmaker who thought that film could do everything and who said to Kevin Brownlow: 'For me, the cinema is not just pictures. It is something great, mysterious and sublime.' Brownlow is known now not only as an English filmmaker and film historian but also as a great restorer of silent films, notably Abel Gance's 'Napoleon.'

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Did You Know?

Trivia

A copyright dispute over which music soundtrack should be performed with "Napoleon" exists between Zoetrope Studios/Francis Ford Coppola and the BFI/Kevin Brownlow/Carl Davis. When Brownlow assembled the original restored version in 1981, two scores were eventually produced, one (apparently for the American market) by Carmine Coppola (Francis' father) and another (apparently for the UK market) by Carl Davis, veteran of many new scores for old silent movies. Prior to two live performances of the Davis score in December 2004 to accompany a new five-hour-plus restoration of "Napoleon", Coppola attempted to prevent the performances going ahead without his late father's score on the grounds that his family owns the copyright over the film, even though Carmine Coppola's score was written for the short four-hour restoration. In the end the performances went ahead with Davis' score being used, although the dispute remains unresolved. Brownlow commented on this issue (comparing Coppola's behavior to that of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels) before Davis himself conducted the two London performances (Davis was recovering from a foot operation and was brought on stage in a wheelchair).

Goofs

When the teacher introduces the island of Saint Helena, Napoleon's quill varies between being in his hand and being on his book.

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.

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)

Storyline

Plot Summary

Genres

Biography | Drama | History | War

Details

Release Date:

17 February 1929

Country of Origin

France

Filming Locations

Environs d'Ajaccio, Corse, France

Box Office

Budget:

FRF20,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,448

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