Napoleon on Film

[Michael Hopcroft]

What are the movies you think of when you think of this era?

One of the most undeserving of box office failures comes to mind -- Waterloo, from 1970, which audiences rejected so soundly that Stanley Kubrick lost the funding for his own Napoleonic epic. Oddly enough it's a personal favorite movie that I intend to watch tonight. It features Rod Steiger as an aged, weary Napoleon and Christopher Plummer as Wellington. The buildup to the battle is fascinating (including a moment of supreme bada**ery from Napoleon when he makes an entire army back down just by presenting himself in front of them) and the battle is staged in the sort of spectacular fashion that would soon be a lost art.

War and Peace and The Duellists also come to mind.

[Fouche]

Well I would add Abel Gance's Napoleon which I had the pleasure in seeing (twice) in NYC at Radio City in 1980. Still have the program booklet of course. I have a copy of it on VHS. A great 1927 silent French film. First time had a live orchestra performing the score for the film.
[url=There has been controversy surrounding this film on the versions being aired http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on_(1927_film).][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on_(1927_film)[/url][/URL].
There has been controversy surrounding this film on the versions being aired.

When you say War and Peace..there have been a few versions. I would say while the version with Audrey Hepburn was good..the Russian version...was better and much longer (saw that film in two sittings - they had part one and part two playing a week apart). I should add however, Herbert Lom did a nice job as Napoleon in the Hepburn version (Herbert Lom was the French Emperor in an earlier film entitled Young Mr. Pitt).
The film Conquest with Charles Boyer...a good film.
The film Desiree with Marlon Brando...which should have been better (a silly presentation of Bernadotte).
The film The Emperor's New Clothes with Ian Holm as Napoleon....with a different wrinkle in history. Should be added Mr. Holm twice before performed as Napoleon - one being the film Time Bandits.

[Fouche]

I have to add a personal favorite of mine. A small black & white film (very limited budget!). Though there is no appearance of Napoleon until the last few frames (so this is off topic) it does deal with Robespierre. It is called the Reign of Terror (or the Black Book) directed by Anthony Mann - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reign_of_Terror_%28film%29.

[Le Ricain]

Well I would add Abel Gance's Napoleon which I had the pleasure in seeing (twice) in NYC at Radio City in 1980. Still have the program booklet of course. I have a copy of it on VHS. A great 1927 silent French film. First time had a live orchestra performing the score for the film.
[url=There has been controversy surrounding this film on the versions being aired http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on_(1927_film).][url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napol%C3%A9on_(1927_film)[/url][/URL].
There has been controversy surrounding this film on the versions being aired.

Abel Gance also did another Napoleon film, "Austerlitz" in 1960. It starred Jean Marais, Rossano Brazzi, Jack Palance, Orson Wells, Leslie Caron, Pierre Mondy and Claudia Cardinale among others. The first half of the film covers Napoleon's coronation and the second part covers the battle. Gance rewrote Part 3 of his six part 1920's Napoleon opus in order to make Austerlitz.

The attachment fLFc5nYX47l3NW1yXX7GpuAF1rE.jpg is no longer available

[Michael Hopcroft]

A more recent example of movies about this era is Master and Commander, about the naval war. It made some changes from what I'm told of the novel on which it is based, the big one being that the nationality of the ship the Surprise is pursuing is altered from American to French, but a lot of this movie is fascinating stuff. It's one of the best Hornblower films not to feature Hornblower.

[Field Marshal Hotzendorf]

Master and Commander was an excellent movie. I wish would see more historical movies from this time period being made. There are a lot of possibilities over that time frame.

[DrPostman]

The Horatio Hornblower series of TV movies was excellent. I still think the 1970 Waterloo
was and will be the best film ever made on the battle. I have a copy of the uncut version
that was very difficult to find.

Most of the Hornblower shows are on YouTube in full, start with this one:
[video=youtube;d6qtLWwJq9U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6qtLWwJq9U[/video]

[DrPostman]

And then there are the Sharpe series. Very authentic depiction of what it was like
in the British Army. Of course it stretches the imagination that someone brought
up from the ranks like Sharpe could end up being in so many major battles, including
Trafalgar! But the shows are very entertaining. Most of them are also online via YouTube:
(As usual though the Bernard Cornwell books are so much better than the show)

[video=youtube;YaJXMHWN4bI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaJXMHWN4bI[/video]

[marek1978]

Here is bit of a different story.
With this link you can watch full, english subtitled polish movie called "Popioly" meaning "Ashes"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi8eeTXzMsc

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AadRwQS1Eog



It is 1965 production and it is bit slow, black white but it does have certain charm and advantages.
It was directed by Andrzej Wajda - winner of Cannes, Venice festival and an Academy Award nominee and winner (for life achievement)

"Ashes" is based on the novel of Stefan Zeromski, good polish author.
It is a story of a generation then become adults at the and of XVIII century, on the ashes of the Polish - Lithuanian Commonwealth. So they lived on the ashes and the very same time they become ashes - died in a struggle to regain independence and become ashes of the modern polish nation that finally, after series of uprisings, struggle, terror campaigns managed to get back independence after 123 years in 1918...

The movie itself is kind of a historical picture and a romance but most of all a social story of what it meant for europe to see marching eagles...
i think it does have certain charm and good acting.

As for military dimension -there is plenty of those, almost every 10minutes there is some battle
if you jump to the 39 minute of the second part you can see Battle of Raszyn - 1809 battle in which Army of the Duchy of Warsaw is fighting Austrian army - poles are led by Count Josef Ponitowski - the only foreigner who would become Marshal of France, nephew of the last polish king and last commander of the polish army during 1792 war with Russia. Battle of Raszyn was one of his high points - he led the charge of the polish infantry.
In you jump to the 54 minute of the second part
you see polish infantry storming Saragossa in Spain in 1809..., it is very brutal, with rapes, mass killing of Spanish civilians
In 80 minute of the second part you can see Somosiera charge - polish guard lancers storming artillery position in what was polish version of the charge of the light brigade....
For me the most important, and most touching moment is first minute of the movie - you see young cosmopolitan member of polish aristocracy, spending time in Italy on of those educational trips of the young rich europeans, and his moment of national "enlightenment" when on a dusty road of northern Italy he sees long line of dirty tired soldiers singing some marching song.
These soldiers are polish legions - voluntary unit formed by french from Austrian POW, mostly former soldiers of Polish-Lithuanian army. They took part in 1796, 1799 campaigns.
One of the most bitter moments was surrender of mantua when french commanders allowed arrest of polish soldiers by Austrian
It is 42 minute of the movie
Their marching song become then polish national anthem....
It includes " march march, from Italy to Poland, we will save our nation , we will be victorious in a way of Napoleon Bonaparte"
So it makes us the only nation singing in its national anthem a praise to the napoleon ( but it is 1796 Napoleon, general of the republic, not some bloody dictator of the later years....or in the 88 minute of the second part

The whole story of the polish legions found an interesting end.
In 1801 those guys, orphans of the revolution were packed on ships and send to Haiti to fight rebels there.
its 6 minute of the second part
Upon arriving they realized they are asked to kill people fighting for freedom, so polish soldiers deserted en masse, hide as a group in the mountains, and started new life, finding themselves some female companions....
So right now there is a Haitian village with the group of the black, french speaking guys believing they are ancestors of the polish legions....

http://www.polska-haiti.org/pl31/teksty127/polska_haiti_historia_zapomniana

[Charles]

"Waterloo" was an excellent movie, Rod Steiger was great.

There is also the 2002 "Napoleon" french TV mini series starring Christian Clavier which is available on youtube

[Mickey3D]

With this link you can watch full, english subtitled polish movie called "Popioly" meaning "Ashes"

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi8eeTXzMsc

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AadRwQS1Eog

It is 1965 production and it is bit slow, black white but it does have certain charm and advantages.
It was directed by Andrzej Wajda - winner of Cannes, Venice festival and an Academy Award nominee and winner (for life achievement)

Thanks for the link. I've a quick look but that seems a huge achievement by Wajda.

[Mickey3D]

There is also the 2002 "Napoleon" french TV mini series starring Christian Clavier which is available on youtube

Christian Clavier is more known for his roles in comic movies (e.g. Astérix, Les Bronzés or The Visitors), so it's always a little bit strange to see him as Napoleon

[lecrop]

An interesting Napoleonic filmography here.

[lecrop]

Another one at Napoleon.org

[JohnPerry]

thanks for the link it look great.