Napoléon (1927 film)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2020) |
Napoléon | |
---|---|
Directed by | Abel Gance |
Written by | Abel Gance |
Produced by | Abel Gance |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Jules Kruger |
Edited by |
|
Music by |
|
Distributed by | Gaumont |
Release date |
|
Running time | 330 minutes (and various other lengths) |
Country | France |
Language | Silent film with intertitles |
Box office | $2.5 million (1981 reissue)[1] |
Napoléon is a 1927 French
The film begins in
Gance planned for Napoléon to be the first of six films about Napoleon's career, a chronology of great triumph and defeat ending in Napoleon's death in exile on the island of Saint Helena. After the difficulties encountered in making the first film, Gance realised that the costs involved would make the full project impossible.
Napoléon was first released in a gala at the Palais Garnier (then the home of the Paris Opera) on 7 April 1927. Napoléon had been screened in only eight European cities when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought the rights to it, but after screening it in London, it was cut drastically in length, and only the central panel of the three-screen Polyvision sequences was retained before it was put on limited release in the United States. There, the film was indifferently received at a time when talkies were just starting to appear. The film was restored in 1981 after twenty years' work by silent film historian Kevin Brownlow, with further restoration done under his supervision in 2016. A new restoration of the film supervised by Georges Mourier will premiere in France in July 2024.[7]
Plot
The scenario of the film as originally written by Gance was published in 1927 by Librairie Plon. Much of the scenario describes scenes that were rejected during initial editing, and do not appear in any known version of the film. The following plot includes only those scenes that are known to have been included in some version of the film. Not every scene described below can be viewed today.[8]
Act I
Brienne
In the winter of 1783, young Napoleon Buonaparte (
The monks come out of the school buildings to discover who led the victory. A young military instructor, Jean-Charles Pichegru (René Jeanne), asks Napoleon for his name. Napoleon responds "Nap-eye-ony" in Corsican-accented French and is laughed at by the others. Despite the fact Pichegru thought Napoleon had said "Paille-au-nez" (straw in the nose), Pichegru tells him that he will go far.
In class, the boys study geography. Napoleon is angered by the condescending textbook description of Corsica. He is taunted by the other boys and kicked by the two bullies who hold flanking seats. Another of the class's island examples is Saint Helena, which puts Napoleon into a pensive daydream.
Unhappy in school, Napoleon writes about his difficulties in a letter to his family. A bully reports to a monk that Napoleon is hiding letters in his bed, and the monk tears the letter to pieces. Angry, Napoleon goes to visit the attic quarters of his friend Fleuri, a place of refuge where Napoleon keeps his captive bird, a young eagle that was sent to him from Corsica by an uncle. Napoleon tenderly pets the eagle's head, then leaves to fetch water for the bird. The two bullies take this opportunity to set the bird free. Napoleon finds the bird gone and runs to the dormitory to demand the culprit show himself. None of the boys admits to the deed. Napoleon exclaims that they are all guilty, and begins to fight them all, jumping from bed to bed. In the clash, pillows are split and feathers fly through the air as the Minim Fathers work to restore order. They collar Napoleon and throw him outside in the snow. Napoleon cries to himself on the limber of a cannon, then he looks up to see the young eagle in a tree. He calls to the eagle which flies down to the cannon barrel. Napoleon caresses the eagle and smiles through his tears.
The French Revolution
In 1792, the great hall of the
Splashed with water in a narrow Paris street, Napoleon is noticed by
On the night of
Napoleon, on leave from the French Army, travels to Corsica with his sister,
Riding a horse and revisiting places of his childhood, Napoleon stops in
Upstairs in the Ajaccio town hall, a council declares war on France even while the French flag flies outside the window. Napoleon climbs up the balcony and takes down the flag, shouting to the council, "It is too great for you!" The men fire their pistols at Napoleon but miss as he rides away.
While chasing Napoleon, di Borgo stretches a rope across a road that Napoleon is likely to take. As expected, Napoleon rides toward the rope, but he draws his sabre and cuts it down. Napoleon continues at high speed to the shore where he finds a small boat. He abandons the horse and gets into the boat, discovering that it has no oars or sail. He unfurls the French flag from Ajaccio and uses it as a sail. He is drawn out into the open sea.
Meanwhile, in Paris, meeting in the National Assembly, the majority
Later, in calm water, the small boat is seen by Lucien and Joseph Buonaparte aboard a French ship, Le Hasard. The larger ship is steered to rescue the unknown boat, and as it is pulled close, Napoleon is recognised, lying unconscious at the bottom, gripping the French flag. Waking, Napoleon directs the ship to a cove in Corsica where the Buonaparte family is rescued. The ship sails for France carrying a future queen, three future kings, and the future Emperor of France. The British warship HMS Agamemnon sights Le Hasard, and a young officer, Horatio Nelson (Olaf Fjord), asks his captain if he might be allowed to shoot at the enemy vessel and sink it. The captain denies the request, saying that the target is too unimportant to waste powder and shot. As Le Hasard sails away, an eagle flies to the Buonapartes and lands on the ship's flagpole.
Act II
In July 1793, fanatic Girondist
General Jacques François Dugommier (Alexandre Bernard) replaces Carteaux and asks Napoleon to join in war planning. Later, Napoleon sees a cannon being removed from a fortification and demands that it be returned. He fires a shot at the enemy and establishes the position as the "Battery of Men Without Fear". French soldiers rally around Napoleon with heightened spirits. Dugommier advances Napoleon to the position of commander-in-chief of the artillery.
French troops under Napoleon prepare for a midnight attack. Veteran soldier Moustache (
Act III
After being shamed in Toulon, Saliceti wants to put Napoleon on trial. Robespierre says he should be offered the command of Paris, but if he refuses, he will be tried. Robespierre, supported by Georges Couthon (Louis Vonelly) and Louis Antoine de Saint-Just (Abel Gance), condemns Danton to death. Saint-Just puts Joséphine into prison at Les Carmes where she is comforted by General Lazare Hoche (Pierre Batcheff). Fleuri, now a jailer, calls for "De Beauharnais" to be executed, and Joséphine's ex-husband, Alexandre de Beauharnais (Georges Cahuzac) rises to accept his fate. Elsewhere, Napoleon is also imprisoned for refusing to serve under Robespierre. He works out the possibility of building a canal to Suez as Saliceti taunts him for not trying to form a legal defence.
In an archive room filled with the files of condemned prisoners, clerks Bonnet (Boris Fastovich-Kovanko ) and La Bussière (Jean d'Yd) work secretly with Fleuri to destroy (by eating) some of the dossiers including those for Napoleon and Joséphine. Meanwhile, at the National Assembly, Violine with her little brother Marcellin, watches from the gallery. Voices are raised against Robespierre and Saint-Just. Jean-Lambert Tallien (Jean Gaudrey) threatens Robespierre with a knife. Violine decides not to shoot Saint-Just with a pistol she brought. Back at the archives, the prison clerks are given new dossiers on those to be executed by guillotine: Robespierre, Saint-Just and Couthon.
Joséphine and Napoleon are released from their separate prisons. Napoleon declines the request by
Joséphine convinces Barras to suggest to the National Assembly that Napoleon is the best man to quell a royalist uprising. On 3 October 1795 Napoleon accepts and supplies 800 guns for defence. Directed by Napoleon, Major Joachim Murat (Genica Missirio) seizes a number of cannons to fight the royalists. Di Borgo shoots at Napoleon but misses; di Borgo is then wounded by Fleuri's accidental musket discharge. Saliceti is prevented from escaping in disguise. Napoleon sets Saliceti and di Borgo free. Joseph Fouché (Guy Favières) tells Joséphine that the noise of the fighting is Napoleon "entering history again". Napoleon is made General in Chief of the Army of the Interior to great celebration.
A Victim's Ball is held at Les Carmes, formerly the prison where Joséphine was held. To amuse the attendees, Fleuri re-enacts the tragedy of the executioner's roll-call. The beauty of Joséphine is admired by Thérésa Tallien (Andrée Standard) and Madame Juliette Récamier (Suzy Vernon), and Napoleon is also fascinated. He plays chess with Hoche, beating him as Joséphine watches and entices Napoleon with her charms. The dancers at the ball become uninhibited; the young women begin to dance partially nude.
In his army office, Napoleon tells 14-year-old Eugène de Beauharnais (Georges Hénin) that he can keep his executed father's sword. The next day, Joséphine arrives with Eugène to thank Napoleon for this kindness to her only son. The general staff officers wait for hours while Napoleon clumsily tries to convey his feelings for Joséphine. Later, Napoleon practises his amorous style under the guidance of his old friend Talma, the actor. Napoleon visits Joséphine daily. Violine is greatly hurt to see Napoleon's attentions directed away from herself. In trade for agreeing to marry Napoleon, Joséphine demands of Barras that he place Napoleon in charge of the French Army of Italy. Playing with Joséphine's children, Napoleon narrowly misses seeing Barras in her home. Joséphine hires Violine as a servant.
Napoleon plans to invade Italy. He wishes to marry Joséphine as quickly as possible before he leaves. Hurried preparations go forward. On the wedding day, 9 March 1796, Napoleon is 2 hours late. He is found in his room planning the Italian campaign, and the wedding ceremony is rushed. That night, Violine and Joséphine both prepare for the wedding bed. Violine prays to a shrine of Napoleon. Joséphine and Napoleon embrace at the bed. In the next room, Violine kisses a shadowy figure of Napoleon that she has created from a doll.
Act IV
Just before leaving Paris, Napoleon enters the empty National Assembly hall at night, and sees the spirits of those who had set the Revolution in motion. The ghostly figures of Danton and Saint-Just speak to Napoleon, and demand answers from him regarding his plan for France. All the spirits sing "La Marseillaise".
Only 48 hours after his wedding, Napoleon leaves Paris in a coach for Nice. He writes dispatches, and letters to Joséphine. Back in Paris, Joséphine and Violine pray at the little shrine to Napoleon.
Napoleon speeds to Albenga on horseback to find the army officers resentful and the soldiers starving. He orders a review of the troops. The troops respond quickly to the commanding presence of Napoleon and bring themselves to perfect attention. Fleuri, now a soldier, tries and fails to get a hint of recognition from Napoleon. The Army of Italy is newly filled with fighting spirit. Napoleon encourages them for the coming campaign into Italy, the "honour, glory and riches" which will be theirs upon victory. The underfed and poorly armed force advances into Montenotte and takes the town. Further advances carry Napoleon to Montezemolo. As he gazes upon the Alps, visions appear to him of future armies, future battles, and the face of Joséphine. The French troops move forward triumphantly as the vision of an eagle fills their path, a vision of the blue, white and red French flag waving before them.
Primary cast
- Napoléon[10]
- Vladimir Roudenko as Napoléon Bonaparte (child)
- Edmond Van Daële as Maximilien Robespierre
- Alexandre Koubitzky as Georges Danton
- Antonin Artaud as Jean-Paul Marat
- Louis de Saint-Just
- Gina Manès as Joséphine de Beauharnais
- Marguerite Gance as Charlotte Corday
- Élisa Bonaparte
- Antoine Saliceti
- Max Maxudian as Barras
- Annabella as Violine Fleuri
- Nicolas Koline as Tristan Fleuri
- Maurice Schutz as Pasquale Paoli
- Andrée Standart as Thérèse Tallien
- Madame Récamier
- Petit Vidal as Phélippeaux
- Francine Mussey as Lucile Desmoulins
- Robert Vidalin as Camille Desmoulins
- Couthon
- Jean d'Yd as La Bussière
- René Jeanne as Jean-Charles Pichegru
- Henri Beaulieu as Beaumarchais
Music
The film features Gance's interpretation of the birth of the song "La Marseillaise", the national anthem of France. In the film, the French singer Maryse Damia portrays the spirit of the song. "La Marseillaise" is played by the orchestra repeatedly during a scene at the Club of the Cordeliers, and again at other points in the plot. During the 1927 Paris Opera premiere, the song was sung live by Alexandre Koubitzky to accompany the Cordeliers scene. Koubitzky played Danton in the film, but he was also a well-known singer. Gance had earlier asked Koubitzky and Damia to sing during the filming of the Cordeliers scene to inspire the cast and extras.[11] Kevin Brownlow wrote in 1983 that he thought it was "daring" of Gance "to make a song the highpoint of a silent film!"[12]
The majority of the film is accompanied by
Beginning in late 1979, Carmine Coppola composed a score incorporating themes taken from various sources such as
Working quickly from September 1980, Davis arranged a score based on selections of classical music; especially the
Triptych sequence
Polyvision was only used for the final reel of Napoleon, to create a climactic finale. Filming the whole story in Polyvision was logistically difficult as Gance wished for a number of innovative shots, each requiring greater flexibility than was allowed by three interlocked cameras. When the film was greatly trimmed by the distributors early on during exhibition, the new version only retained the centre strip to allow projection in standard single-projector cinemas. Gance was unable to eliminate the problem of the two seams dividing the three panels of film as shown on screen, so he avoided the problem by putting three completely different shots together in some of the Polyvision scenes. When Gance viewed Cinerama for the first time in 1955, he noticed the widescreen image was still not seamless, and the problem was not entirely fixed.[21]
Released versions and screenings
Date | Title | Length | Editor | Score | Venues | Triptych | Format |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
April 1927 | Napoléon | 5400 m (4 hours, 10 minutes) |
Marguerite Beaugé | Arthur Honegger | Paris Opera | toned | 35 mm |
May 1927 | Napoléon (version définitive) | 12,800 m (9 hours, 22 minutes) | Abel Gance | Arthur Honegger | Apollo Theatre, Paris | none | 35 mm |
October 1927 | Napoléon (UFA) | under 3 hours | Universum Film AG
|
Werner Heymann
|
Germany and Central Europe | toned | 35 mm |
November 1927 | Napoléon | total 4 hours, 10 minutes, shown in two seatings, some scenes repeated | Abel Gance | Arthur Honegger | Marivaux Theatre, Paris | toned, shown twice | 35 mm |
Winter 1927–28 | Napoléon | various | French provinces | 35 mm | |||
ca. 1928 | Napoleon (version définitive as sent to the U.S. in 29 reels) | 29,000 feet (8,800 m) (6 hours, 43 minutes) | Abel Gance | none | none | 35 mm | |
March–April 1928 | Napoléon (Gaumont) | Shown in two parts totaling about 3 hours | Gaumont Film Company | Arthur Honegger | Gaumont-Palace, Paris | none | 35 mm |
June 1928 | Napoleon (UK 1928) | 11,400 m (7 hours, 20 minutes) | Abel Gance | Arthur Honegger | UK | toned | 35 mm |
January 1929 | Napoleon (USA 1929) | 8,000 feet (2,400 m) (1 hour, 51 minutes) | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | USA | none | 35 mm | |
ca. 1928 | Napoléon (Pathé-Rural) | 17 reels | Rural France | none | 17.5 mm | ||
1928 | Napoléon (Pathé-Baby) | 9 reels | French homes | none | 9.5 mm | ||
1929 | Napoléon (Pathescope) | 6 reels | UK homes | none | 9.5 mm | ||
1935 | Napoléon Bonaparte vu et entendu par Abel Gance | 13,000 feet (4,000 m), later 10,000 feet (3,000 m) | Abel Gance | Henri Verdun | none | 35 mm | |
1935 | Napoléon Bonaparte (Film-Office version) | 5,000 feet (1,500 m) | Abel Gance | Henri Verdun | none | 16 mm 9.5 mm 8 mm | |
1955 | Napoléon Bonaparte (Studio 28 version) | black and white | 35 mm | ||||
1965 | Napoléon | Henri Langlois | Cinémathèque Française | none | 35 mm | ||
1970 | Bonaparte et la Révolution | 4 hours, 45 minutes at 20 fps (4 hours at 24 fps) | Abel Gance | none | 35 mm | ||
1979 | Napoléon (Brownlow) | 4 hours, 55 minutes at 20 fps | Kevin Brownlow | None: ad lib accompaniment on electronic piano[22] | Telluride Film Festival, Colorado | black and white | 35 mm |
1980 | Napoléon (Brownlow 1980) | 4 hours, 50 minutes at 20 fps | Kevin Brownlow | Carl Davis | Edinburgh Film Festival; National Film Theatre , London
|
black and white | 35 mm |
1980 | Napoleon (Coppola) | 4 hours at 24 fps | Francis Ford Coppola | Carmine Coppola | Radio City Music Hall, New York City | black and white, letterboxed inside 4:3 | 35 mm 70 mm |
1983 | Napoléon (Brownlow 1983) | 5 hours, 13 minutes at 20 fps | Kevin Brownlow | Carl Davis | Cinémathèque Française | black and white | 35 mm |
1983 | Napoléon (Brownlow 1983 TV cut) | 4 hours, 50 minutes at 20 fps | Kevin Brownlow | Carl Davis | Channel 4 (UK television) | none | 35 mm |
1989 | Napoleon (Brownlow 1980) | 4 hours, 50 minutes at 20 fps | Kevin Brownlow | Marius Constant | Cité de la Musique, Paris | none | 35 mm |
1989 | Napoléon (Brownlow 1989 TV cut) | 4 hours, 50 minutes at 20 fps | Kevin Brownlow | Carl Davis | Channel 4 (UK television) | toned, letterboxed inside 4:3 | 35 mm |
2000 | Napoléon (Brownlow 2000) | 5 hours, 30 minutes at 20 fps | Kevin Brownlow | Carl Davis | Royal Festival Hall, London | toned | 35 mm |
2004 | Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) | 5 hours, 32 minutes at 20 fps | Kevin Brownlow | Carl Davis | Royal Festival Hall, London | toned | 35 mm |
2012 | Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) | 5 hours, 32 minutes at 20 fps | Kevin Brownlow | Carl Davis | Paramount Theatre, Oakland | toned | 35 mm |
2013 | Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) | 5 hours, 32 minutes at 20 fps | Kevin Brownlow | Carl Davis | Royal Festival Hall, London | toned | 35 mm |
2014 | Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) | 5 hours, 32 minutes at 20 fps | Kevin Brownlow | Carl Davis | Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam | toned | 35 mm |
2016 | Napoléon (Brownlow 2004) | 5 hours, 32 minutes | Kevin Brownlow | Carl Davis | Bristol Watershed
|
toned | DCP, DVD, Blu-ray |
2024 | Napoléon (Mourier 2024) | 7 hours, 5 minutes | Georges Mourier | Frank Strobel | La Seine Musicale, Paris | (TBA) | (TBA) |
Restorations
The film historian Kevin Brownlow conducted the reconstruction of the film in the years leading up to 1980, including the Polyvision scenes. As a boy, Brownlow had purchased two 9.5 mm reels of the film from a street market. He was captivated by the cinematic boldness of short clips, and his research led to a lifelong fascination with the film and a quest to reconstruct it. On 31 August 1979, Napoléon was shown to a crowd of hundreds at the Telluride Film Festival, in Telluride, Colorado.[23] The film was presented in full Polyvision at the specially constructed Abel Gance Open Air Cinema, which is still in use today. Gance was in the audience until the chilly air drove him indoors after which he watched from the window of his room at the New Sheridan Hotel. Kevin Brownlow was also in attendance and presented Gance with his Silver Medallion.[24][25][26]
Brownlow's 1980 reconstruction was re-edited and released in the United States by
Another restoration was made by Brownlow in 1983. When it was screened at the Barbican Centre in London, French actress Annabella, who plays the fictional character Violine in the film (personifying France in her plight, beset by enemies from within and without), was in attendance. She was introduced to the audience prior to screenings and during one of the intervals sat alongside Kevin Brownlow, signing copies of the latter's book about the history and restoration of the film. Brownlow re-edited the film again in 2000, including previously missing footage rediscovered by the
The film is properly screened in full restoration very rarely due to the expense of the orchestra and the difficult requirement of three synchronised projectors and three screens for the Polyvision section. One such screening was at the
At the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in July 2011, Brownlow announced there would be four screenings of his 2000 version, shown at the original 20 frames per second, with the final triptych and a live orchestra, to be held at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California, from 24 March to 1 April 2012. These, the first US screenings of his 5.5-hour-long restoration were described as requiring 3 intermissions, one of which was a dinner break. Score arranger Carl Davis led the 46-piece Oakland East Bay Symphony for the performances.[2][30][31][32][33]
At a screening of Napoléon on 30 November 2013, at the Royal Festival Hall in London, full to capacity, the film and orchestra received a standing ovation, without pause, from the front of the stalls to the rear of the balcony. Davis conducted the Philharmonia Orchestra in a performance that spanned a little over eight hours, including a 100-minute dinner break.[34][35]
On 13 November 2016, Napoléon was the subject of the Film Programme on BBC Radio 4. The BBC website announced: "Historian Kevin Brownlow tells Francine Stock about his 50-year quest to restore Abel Gance's silent masterpiece Napoleon to its five and half-hour glory, and why the search for missing scenes still continues even though the film is about to be released on DVD for the very first time."[36]
A restoration of the almost-seven-hour-long so-called Apollo version (i.e. the version of Napoléon shown at the Apollo Theatre in Paris in 1927), conducted by
Reception
Napoléon is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most innovative films of the silent era and of all time. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 88% of critics have given the film a positive review, based upon 40 reviews, with an average score of 9.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Monumental in scale and distinguished by innovative technique, Napoléon is an expressive epic that maintains a singular intimacy with its subject."[40]
Anita Brookner of London Review of Books wrote that the film has an "energy, extravagance, ambition, orgiastic pleasure, high drama and the desire for endless victory: not only Napoleon’s destiny but everyone’s most central hope."[41] The 2012 screening has been acclaimed, with Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle calling the film, "A rich feast of images and emotions." He also praised the triptych finale, calling it, "An overwhelming and surprisingly emotional experience."[42] Judith Martin of The Washington Post wrote that the movie "inspires that wonderfully satisfying theatrical experience of whole-heartedly cheering a hero and hissing villains, while also providing the uplift that comes from a real work of art" and praised its visual metaphors, editing, and tableaus.[43] Peter Bradshaw wrote in The Guardian that Napoléon "looks startlingly futuristic and experimental, as if we are being shown something from the 21st century’s bleeding edge. It’s as if it has evolved beyond spoken dialogue into some colossal mute hallucination."[6] Mark Kermode described the film "as significant to the evolution of cinema as the works of Sergei Eisenstein and D. W. Griffith" that "created a kaleidoscopic motion picture which stretched the boundaries of the screen in every way possible."[44]
Director Stanley Kubrick was not a fan of the film, saying in an interview "I found it really terrible. Technically [Gance] was ahead of his time and he introduced new film techniques – in fact Eisenstein credited him with stimulating his initial interest in montage – but as far as story and performance goes it's a very crude picture."[45]
Home media
For many years the Brownlow restoration with Carl Davis's score was unavailable for home viewing.[46] In 2016 it was released by BFI and Photoplay Productions on DVD, Blu-ray and for streaming via the BFI Player.[47]
Francis Ford Coppola's 1980 edit (3 hours and 43 minutes), accompanied by Carmine Coppola's score and projected at 24 fps, has been released on
See also
- Cultural depictions of Napoleon
- List of biographical films
- List of early color feature films
- List of longest films
References
- Notes
- ISBN 9780835717762. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
- ^ a b McKernan, Luke "urbanora" (26 March 2012). "Napoléon vu par Kevin Brownlow". The Bioscope: Reporting on the world of early and silent cinema. thebioscope.net. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ a b c "Francis Ford Coppola presents Napoleon: Abel Gance's 1927 masterpiece" (PDF). New York City: The Images Film Archive. 31 January – 1 February 1981. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ Brownlow 1968, p. 518
- ^ a b c "A monumental reckoning: how Abel Gance's Napoleon was restored to full glory | Sight & Sound". British Film Institute. 3 August 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ^ a b c Bradshaw, Peter (10 November 2016). "Napoleon review – silent-era epic more thrilling than ever". The Guardian.
- ^ a b "The 7-Hour Version of Abel Gance's Napoleon, a Restoration 16 Years in the Making, Will Premiere This Summer". thefilmstage. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 264
- ^ Ebert, Roger (27 February 1981). "Napoléon".
- ^ Brownlow 1983, pp. 261–263
- ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 152
- ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 16
- ^ a b c Brownlow 1983, p. 236
- ^ a b Magazine, Smithsonian; Eagan, Daniel. "Forget the Artist, the Restoration of Napoleon is the Silent Film Event of the Year". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ a b Ebert, Roger (12 February 1981). "Napoleon conquers Radio City Music Hall". rogerebert.com.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (19 April 1981). ""Napoleon" & Carmine Coppola". rogerebert.com.
- ^ a b c Brownlow 1983, p. 237
- ^ Brownlow 1968, p. 559
- ISBN 0-321-26232-8.
- ^ Brownlow 1983, pp. 132–138
- ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 23
- ^ Brownlow 1983, p. 233
- ^ Schrieger, Charles (3 September 1979). "Telluride: High Heaven for Cineastes". Los Angeles Times. p. D6.
- ^ Pollock, Dale (20 November 1983). "Rescuing a monument". Los Angeles Times. p. M14.
- ^ Benson, Sheia (15 November 1981). "Abel Gance's Spirit Is Liberated at Last". Los Angeles Times. p. L2.
- ^ San Francisco Silent Film Festival (17 December 2011). "Abel Gance's Napoléon Presented in 'Polyvision'". News. In70mm.com. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ^ Brownlow 2004, pp. 217–236
- ^ Jones, Rick (4 December 2004). "Napoleon – battle for the sound of silents". The Times. London. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011.
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (11 July 2007). "'Napoleon,' the man and mostly the myth". Los Angeles Times. p. E4. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ^ "San Francisco Silent Film Festival to Present Abel Gance's Napoleon". Movie News: Top News Stories. Turner Classic Movies. 14 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ "Silent Film Festival to present 'Napoleon'". San Francisco Silent Film Festival. 15 July 2011. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ "Calendar of Events". Oakland: Paramount Theatre of the Arts. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ Gladysz, Thomas (14 July 2011). "Napoleon's cinematic exile to end in 2012". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- ^ "Philharmonia Orchestra – Napoléon: film screening with live orchestra". Southbank Centre. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ "A guide to London for Napoléon tourists". Silent London. 19 January 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ BBC Radio 4 network. The Film Programme episode of 13 November 2016 dedicated to Brownlow's story with the film and news of its release on DVD Retrieved 25 November 2023
- ^ "Abel Gance : les rêves de Napoléon en polyvision enfin restaurés". France Culture (in French). 27 February 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ "Netflix Romancing French Industry". The Hollywood Reporter. 15 January 2021. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
- ^ Hirschhausen, Alina (1 October 2021). "Netflix and the Cinématheque Française". Vague Visages. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
- ^ "Napoléon (1929)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
- ^ Brookner, Anita (7 November 1981). "Anita Brookner goes to see Abel Gance's film 'Napoleon'". London Review of Books.
- ^ LaSalle, Mick (26 March 2012). "Napoleon Review: Rich feast of images, emotions". San Francisco Chronicle.
- ^ Martin, Judith (12 February 1982). "The Charm of an Old 'Napolean'". The Washington Post.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Kermode, Mark (22 December 2017). "Mark Kermode reviews Napoleon BFI Player". British Film Institute.
- ^ Gelmis, Joseph (1970). The Film Director as Superstar. Garden City, New York: Doubleday. p. 298.
- ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". Napoleon: Abel Gance's masterpiece. San Francisco Silent Film Festival. Archived from the original on 4 March 2012. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ "Abel Gance's Napoleon to get UK-wide theatrical, online and Blu-ray/DVD release". British Film Institute. 28 January 2016.
- ^ "Napoleon (1927) (1929)". Amazon. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
- Bibliography
- ISBN 0-520-03068-0.
- Brownlow, Kevin (1983). Napoleon: Abel Gance's classic film (1 ed.). New York: Knopf. ISBN 0-394-53394-1.
- Brownlow, Kevin (2004). Napoleon: Abel Gance's classic film (2 ed.). London: Photoplay. ISBN 1-84457-077-0.
External links
- Napoléon at IMDb
- Napoléon at Rotten Tomatoes
- Napoléon at AllMovie
- Napoléon, SilentEra.com
- The 2000 restoration, SilentEra.com
- 1980 London screening
- 1980 London screenings, announcement
- 2004 London screening, symphony review
- Brownlow's 2004 version
- Projecting “Napoleon” – une pièce de resistance. Details of 2004 projection.
- Various Napoléon movie posters, Adrian Curry in Notebook