The Death of the Duke D'Enghien

In brief, the Duke D'Enghien was an officer in the Austrian forces when he was seized by Bonapartist spies, transported to France and, after some time, condemned to death and shot by orders signed by Napoleon under charges that there was a conspiracy to restore the Bourbons with the Duke as King.

Napoleon's enemies denied this and offered this as proof of his tyranny. Napoleon's supporters accepted the claim, and said this was a wise policy to discourage enemies of France.

What have I got to say about what happened in another country two centuries ago? I have no opinion except to note that clearly this was still a hot topic more than a century after the fact. I also think it's a clear indicator of how far films had come in less than a decade and a half. Had this movie been made in the late 1890s, it would probably have been less than a minute in length, directed by Georges Hatot, and have been a tableau vivante affair, possibly based on Conde's painting. A decade later, Albert Capellani made it a narrative.