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Abel Gance's Napoleon (1927)

Original title: Napoléon

dir: Abel Gance

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.

Cast:

Featured Reviews

Napoleon (1927, silent)

philip

I recommend taking a look at the Wikipedia page. TL;DR: Waaaaay too long, but the music was magnificent. So was the theater. The movie is five and a half hours long, not counting 2 intermissions and a break for a meal. It was directed by Abel Gance, who has a small roll in it. Get this: it's the first of ...

joriskeuvelhouwer joriskeuvelhouwer rated Abel Gance's Napoleon

10 stars

spolonio spolonio rated Abel Gance's Napoleon

10 stars

vintitres vintitres rated Abel Gance's Napoleon

6 stars

pagowe2 pagowe2 rated Abel Gance's Napoleon

9 stars

philip philip rated Abel Gance's Napoleon

8 stars

philip philip wrote a review of Abel Gance's Napoleon

I recommend taking a look at the Wikipedia page. TL;DR: Waaaaay too long, but the music was magnificent. So was the theater. The movie is five and a half hours long, not counting 2 intermissions Read the article

FitFortDanga FitFortDanga wrote about Napoleon

So masterfully filmed, it's mind-blowing. The energy, intensity, quality and brilliance never lets up. Gance's command of cinematic language is awe-inspiring. Cross-cutting, rapid editing, flashbacks, superimpositions and the triple-screen ending; he exploits technique to the fullest to enhance his storytelling. And a great story it is, too, with one of history's most fascinating characters at the center. A compelling tale full of drama, intrigue, action, comedy and romance.

10 stars

Stain Stain wrote about Napoleon

I can't take all the damn camera waving. It's the first of a long line of "art" films in which the director grabs you by the lapels and screams in your face, "CAN'T YOU SEE HOW BRILLIANT I AM"

6 stars

Spunkie Spunkie wrote about Napoleon

(2x, Music in 12 Parts) Napoleon standing on a pile of corpses on the battlefield, probably contemplating his next advance. Now, this may as well be what Kinski drew inspiration from.Gance's rendition of Bonaparte has no apologies, no -your hero of day infact had many inherent weaknesses-, it's lasersight delivery of one of the inhuman persona in history. And the sheer size of it is jawdropping. If a movie is shot today with the techniques within here it's be considered reforming.

9 stars