''Austerlitz'' is a 1960 French film directed by

Abel Gance Abel Gance (; born Abel Eugène Alexandre Péréthon; 25 October 188910 November 1981) was a French film director and producer, writer and actor. A pioneer in the theory and practice of montage, he is best known for three major silent films: ''J ...

and starring

Jean Marais Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998), known professionally as Jean Marais (), was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 f ...

, Rossano Brazzi,

Martine Carol Martine Carol (born Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer; 16 May 1920 – 6 February 1967) was a French film actress. Career Born Maryse Mourer (or Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer) in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, (France), she studied acting und ...

, Jack Palance, Claudia Cardinale, Vittorio De Sica, Orson Welles, Leslie Caron and Jean-Louis Trintignant.

Pierre Mondy Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

portrays

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in this film about his victory at the Battle of Austerlitz. Leslie Caron plays the role of his mistress Élisabeth Le Michaud d'Arçon.

Synopsis

The first half of this film covers Napoleon's coronation as Emperor and political manoeuvrings while the second half covers the actual battle, where he beat both Austrian and Russian forces in his drive eastward.

Cast

Noteworthy

Composer Jean Ledrut claimed that "La Marche d'Austerlitz" from his score had been plagiarised by producer/composer Joe Meek in the 1962 pop hit " Telstar". The case was eventually dismissed, but the

lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

prevented Meek from receiving

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...

from the record during his lifetime, and the issue was not resolved in Meek's favour until three weeks after his suicide in 1967. ''Austerlitz'' was not released in the UK until 1965, and Meek was unaware of the film when the lawsuit was filed in March 1963.

Versions

The original French version runs longer than the English dubbed international version. The French version contains extra scenes including ones with Napoleon visiting his mistress and of Jean Louis Trintignant imagining the coronation for the palace staff.

DVD

A French DVD was released including interviews with star Pierre Mondy and other participants.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Austerlitz (Film) 1960 films 1960 war films 1960s historical films Films directed by Abel Gance Films set in the Czech Republic Films set in Austria Films set in 1804 Films set in 1805 Italian historical drama films Yugoslav historical drama films French epic films French historical drama films French war drama films Depictions of Napoleon on film Cultural depictions of Joséphine de Beauharnais Cultural depictions of Horatio Nelson Cultural depictions of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord Napoleonic Wars films War epic films Battle of Austerlitz 1960s French-language films 1960s Italian films 1960s French films