''Napoléon'' is a 1955 French
historical
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
epic film
Epic films have large scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The term is slightly ambiguous, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply big-budget films. Like epics in the classical literary sense, it is often focused on a her ...
written and directed by
Sacha Guitry
Alexandre-Pierre Georges "Sacha" Guitry (; 21 February 188524 July 1957) was a French stage actor, film actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright of the boulevard theatre (aesthetic), boulevard theatre. He was the son of a leading French ac ...
, which depicts major events in the life of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
(
Daniel Gélin as a young man,
Raymond Pellegrin in later life; the switch takes place during a scene at a barber).
Guitry played the role of
Talleyrand, controversial diplomat and first Prime Minister of France, narrating from a
drawing room
A drawing room is a room in a house where visitors may be entertained, and an alternative name for a living room. The name is derived from the 16th-century terms withdrawing room and withdrawing chamber, which remained in use through the 17th ce ...
as if having just heard of Napoleon's death on the island of
Saint Helena
Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory.
Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...
in 1821. The cast also features
Yves Montand
Ivo Livi (; 13 October 1921 – 9 November 1991), better known as Yves Montand (), was an Italian-born French actor and singer. He is said to be one of France's greatest 20th-century artists.
Early life
Montand was born Ivo Livi in Stignano, a ...
as
Marshal Lefebvre,
Maria Schell as
Marie-Louise of Austria
Marie Louise (Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Franziska Theresia Josepha Lucia; 12 December 1791 – 17 December 1847) was Duke of Parma, Duchess of Parma from 11 April 1814 until her death in 1847. She was Napoleon's second wife and as such Empress o ...
,
Erich von Stroheim
Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim, ; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, screenwriter, actor, and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of ...
as
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
, and
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
as Napoleon's British jailor, Sir
Hudson Lowe.
The
English dub was made as part of the original production, but is significantly shorter than the French version.
Plot
The film follows the life of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
from his early life in
Corsica
Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
to his death at
Saint Helena
Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory.
Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...
in May 1821. The film is notable for its use of
location shooting
Location shooting is the shooting of a film or television production in a real-world setting rather than a sound stage or backlot. The location may be interior or exterior.
When filmmaking professionals refer to shooting "on location", they are ...
for numerous scenes, especially at the French estates of
Malmaison and
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...
, the
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
, and sites of Napoleonic battles including
Austerlitz and
Waterloo.
Cast
References
External links
*
*
Capsuleat Fondation Napoléon
1955 films
1950s historical drama films
1950s biographical drama films
French historical drama films
French biographical drama films
French epic films
Italian historical drama films
Films about Napoleon
Cultural depictions of Robert Jenkinson, Earl of Liverpool
Films directed by Sacha Guitry
Films produced by Angelo Rizzoli
Cultural depictions of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
Cultural depictions of Alexander I of Russia
Cultural depictions of Joséphine de Beauharnais
Cultural depictions of Klemens von Metternich
Cultural depictions of Francis I of Austria
Cultural depictions of Michel Ney
Cultural depictions of Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma
Cultural depictions of Pope Pius VII
Depictions of Ludwig van Beethoven on film
Cultural depictions of Louis XV
1955 drama films
1950s French films
1950s Italian films
Cultural depictions of Louis XVIII
Cultural depictions of Joachim Murat
Films scored by Jean Françaix
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