''Napoleon'' is a 2002 historical miniseries which explores the life of
Napoleon Bonaparte
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 ...
, portrayed by
Christian Clavier
Christian Jean-Marie Clavier (; born 6 May 1952) is a French actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. A co-founder of Le Splendid in the 1970s, a Parisian café-théâtre company which soon garnered success, he became widely popular aft ...
. It was the most expensive television miniseries in Europe up to that time, costing an equivalent of (
USD
The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...
) $46,330,000 to produce. The miniseries covered Napoleon's military successes and failures, including the battles of
Austerlitz,
Eylau, and
Waterloo and the retreat from
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
. It also delved into Napoleon's personal life: his marriage to and divorce from
Josephine de Beauharnais, his marriage to
Marie Louise
Marie Louise or Marie-Louise is a French feminine given name, compound given name. In other languages, it may take one of several alternate forms:
* Maria Luiza (Bulgarian, Portuguese)
* Maria Luisa (Italian, Spanish)
* Maria Luise (German)
* Mari ...
, the
Duchess of Parma
Consorts of Parma House of Farnese, 1545–1731
House of Bourbon-Anjou, 1731–1735
:None
House of Habsburg, 1735–1748
House of Bourbon-Parma, 1748–1802
House of Habsburg, 1814–1847
House of Bourbon-Parma, 1847–1859
...
and daughter of
Francis II, and his affairs with
Eleanore Denuelle and
Marie Walewska
Marie Walewska, Countess Walewska (; ; 7 December 1786 – 11 December 1817) was a Polish noblewoman in the court of Napoleon I who used her influence to sway the emperor towards the creation of an independent Polish state. In her later years ...
. The series draws from
Max Gallo's biography.
The miniseries was produced by GMT Productions in France and co-produced by Transfilm in Canada, A&E Networks in the US, and Spice Factory in the UK. In France it first aired October 7, 2002 on
France 2
France 2 () is a French free-to-air public television channel. The flagship channel of France Télévisions, it broadcasts generalist programming including news, entertainment (such as dramas, films, and game shows), factual programmes, and sp ...
, in Quebec it ran from February 2 to February 23, 2003, on
Super Écran
Super Écran (French: ''Super Screen'') is a Canadian French-language premium television network owned by Bell Media. It airs a mix of commercial-free films and television series. Films are primarily sourced from the United States and Canada, wh ...
and was then re-aired on
Télévision de Radio-Canada. In the United States, it aired from April 7 to April 8, 2003, on the Arts and Entertainment (
A&E) channel. The series received mixed to positive reviews, with praise for Clavier's portrayal of Napoleon and the battle scenes and realism.
Plot
In 1818, Napoleon is imprisoned on
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 ...
. Via flashback, Napoleon's life unfolds, with his first meeting the widow Josephine de Beauharnais, and follows his career breakthrough, the suppression of Royalist rioters on
13 Vendémiaire (1795). He takes part in the
Battle of Arcole
The Battle of Arcole or Battle of Arcola (15–17 November 1796) was fought between French and Austrian forces southeast of Verona during the War of the First Coalition, a part of the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle saw a bold maneuver ...
, 1796. The couple inspect their future house,
Château de Malmaison, and Napoleon allies with
Talleyrand and
Fouché. Napoleon conducts the
French campaign in Egypt and Syria
The French invasion of Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was a military expedition led by Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The campaign aimed to undermine British trade routes, expand French influence, and establish a ...
, 1798–1801, the
Coup of 18 Brumaire
The Coup of 18 Brumaire () brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul of the French First Republic. In the view of most historians, it ended the French Revolution and would soon lead to the coronation of Napoleon as Emperor of the Fr ...
, and avoids the
Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise
The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise, also known as the plot, was an assassination attempt on the First Consul of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, in Paris on 24 December 1800. It followed the of 10 October 1800 and was one of many Royalist and Catho ...
, 1800.
In 1804, Napoleon oversees the controversial arrest and execution of the ''
duc d'Enghien
Duke of Enghien (, pronounced with a silent ''i'') was a noble title pertaining to the House of Condé. It was only associated with the town of Enghien for a short time.
Dukes of Enghien – first creation (1566–1569)
The title was first confe ...
'', followed by the elevation of members of the
House of Bonaparte
The House of Bonaparte (originally ''Buonaparte'') is a former imperial and royal European dynasty of French and Italian origin. It was founded in 1804 by Napoleon I, the son of Corsican nobleman Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Buonaparte (née ...
, and
Napoleon's imperial coronation. He takes part in the
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...
, 1805, followed by the
Battle of Jena-Auerstedt
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
, 1806. Napoleon has an affair with
Maria Walewska, as troubles converge with his wife. In the
Battle of Eylau
The Battle of Eylau (also known as the Battle of Preussisch-Eylau) was a bloody and strategically inconclusive battle on 7 and 8 February 1807 between Napoleon's and the Imperial Russian Army under the command of General Levin August von Be ...
, 1807, Napoleon waits desperately for the reinforcements led by Marshal
Michel Ney
Michel Ney, 1st Prince de la Moskowa, 1st Duke of Elchingen (; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
The son of ...
who makes the timely arrival. Napoleon then concludes a short-lived peace treaty with Alexander at
Tilsit
Sovetsk (; ) is a town in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the south bank of the Neman River which forms the border with Lithuania.
History Early history
Tilsit, which received civic rights from Albert, Duke of Prussia in 1552,''Sło ...
as the costly
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
starts and troubles with his family and imperial succession begin to dominate. He experiences a defeat at the
Battle of Aspern-Essling, 1809, and he marries the
Duchess of Parma
Consorts of Parma House of Farnese, 1545–1731
House of Bourbon-Anjou, 1731–1735
:None
House of Habsburg, 1735–1748
House of Bourbon-Parma, 1748–1802
House of Habsburg, 1814–1847
House of Bourbon-Parma, 1847–1859
...
in 1810 who gives birth to a son in 1811. Napoleon, feeling provoked by the Russians,
invades in 1812 and watches from the Kremlin as Moscow ignites.
Napoleon makes the bitter retreat from Russia. Sensing France's weakness, the
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition () (December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (), a coalition of Austrian Empire, Austria, Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia, Russian Empire, Russia, History of Spain (1808– ...
erupts in 1813, and, outnumbered, Napoleon's forces are reduced and
Paris is taken in 1814. After attempting suicide, and being
forced to abdicate, he becomes the
sovereign of Elba. Escaping from Elba, Napoleon encounters the 5th Regiment and Ney and convinces them over to his side, even reconciliation with Ney. The
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days ( ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition (), marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII o ...
culminates with the
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...
, 1815, and the defeat of the imperial forces. Napoleon is exiled to the island of Saint Helena, where his only friend and confidante is a young English girl to whom he relates the story of his life. He dies in 1821.
Cast
*
Christian Clavier
Christian Jean-Marie Clavier (; born 6 May 1952) is a French actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. A co-founder of Le Splendid in the 1970s, a Parisian café-théâtre company which soon garnered success, he became widely popular aft ...
as
Napoléon Bonaparte
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 ...
*
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (; born 18 June 1952) is an Italian actress and model. The daughter of Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is noted for her successful tenure as a Lancôme ...
as
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine Bonaparte (, born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie; 23 June 1763 – 29 May 1814) was the first wife of Emperor Napoleon I and as such Empress of the French from 18 May 1804 until their marriage was annulled on 10 Janua ...
*
Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor. An icon of French cinema, considered a world star in the same way as Alain Delon or Brigitte Bardot, he has completed over 250 films since 1967, most of which as ...
as
Joseph Fouché
Joseph Fouché, 1st Duc d'Otrante, 1st Comte Fouché (; 21 May 1759 – 26 December 1820) was a French statesman, revolutionary, and Minister of Police under First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte, who later became a subordinate of Emperor Napoleon. H ...
*
John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and ...
as
Charles Talleyrand
*
Anouk Aimée
Nicole Françoise Florence Dreyfus (; 27 April 1932 2024), known professionally as Anouk Aimée () or Anouk, was a French film actress who appeared in 70 films from 1947 until 2019. Having begun her film career at age 14, she studied acting and ...
as
Letizia Bonaparte
*
Heino Ferch
Heino Ferch (born 18 August 1963) is a German film, theatre and television actor. His notable film roles include Albert Speer in '' Downfall'' (2004) and Harry Melchior in ''The Tunnel'' (2001).
Biography
The son of a merchant sea captain, Hei ...
as
Armand Augustin Louis de Caulaincourt
Armand-Augustin-Louis de Caulaincourt, duc de Vicenza, Vicence (, 9 December 177319 February 1827), was a French people, French military officer, diplomat and close advisor to Napoleon I.
Early life and family
Armand de Caulaincourt was born int ...
*
Sebastian Koch
Sebastian Koch is a German television and film actor. He is known for roles in the 2007 Academy Award-winning film '' The Lives of Others'', in Steven Spielberg's '' Bridge of Spies'', and as Otto Düring in the fifth season of the Showtime s ...
as Marshal
Jean Lannes
Jean Lannes, 1st Duke of Montebello, Prince of Siewierz (; 10 April 1769 – 31 May 1809), was a French military commander and a Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
He was one of Napol ...
*
Ennio Fantastichini as
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte (born Giuseppe di Buonaparte, ; ; ; 7 January 176828 July 1844) was a French statesman, lawyer, diplomat and older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. During the Napoleonic Wars, the latter made him King of Naples (1806–1808), an ...
*
as
Lucien Bonaparte
Lucien Bonaparte, 1st Prince of Canino and Musignano (; born Luciano Buonaparte; 21 May 1775 – 29 June 1840), was a French politician and diplomat of the French Revolution and the Consulate. He served as Minister of the Interior from 1799 to ...
*
Alexandra Maria Lara as
Countess Marie Walewska
*
Toby Stephens
Toby Stephens (born 21 April 1969) is an English actor who has appeared in films in the United Kingdom, United States, and India. He is known for the roles of Bond villain Gustav Graves in the 2002 James Bond film '' Die Another Day'', for whic ...
as
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I (, ; – ), nicknamed "the Blessed", was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first king of Congress Poland from 1815, and the grand duke of Finland from 1809 to his death in 1825. He ruled Russian Empire, Russia during the chaotic perio ...
*
Mavie Hörbiger as
Marie Louise of Austria
Marie Louise (Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Franziska Theresia Josepha Lucia; 12 December 1791 – 17 December 1847) was Duchess of Parma from 11 April 1814 until her death in 1847. She was Napoleon's second wife and as such Empress of the French a ...
*
Marie Bäumer
Henrike Marie Bäumer (; born 7 May 1969) is a German actress. She won two Bavarian Film Awards for her performances in ''Angst (2003 film), Angst'' (2003) and ''3 Days in Quiberon'' (2018). For her portrayal of Romy Schneider in the latter, sh ...
as
Caroline Bonaparte
Carolina Maria Annunziata Bonaparte ( French: ''Caroline Marie Annunciata Bonaparte''; 25 March 1782 – 18 May 1839), better known as Caroline Bonaparte, was an Imperial French princess; the seventh child and third daughter of Carlo Buonaparte ...
*
Claudio Amendola
Claudio Amendola (born 16 February 1963) is an Italian actor, film director and television presenter. He starred in the 1993 film '' The Escort'', which was entered into the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.
Biography
Born in Rome and the son of act ...
as Marshal
Joachim Murat
Joachim Murat ( , also ; ; ; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French Army officer and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the military titles of Marshal of the ...
*
Julian Sands
Julian Richard Morley Sands (4 January 1958 – ) was an English actor. He had his breakout role as George Emerson in '' A Room with a View'' (1985) and went on to appear in '' The Killing Fields'' (1984), '' Gothic'' (1986), '' Siesta'' (1987), ...
as
Klemens von Metternich
Klemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lothar, Prince of Metternich-Winneburg zu Beilstein ( ; 15 May 1773 – 11 June 1859), known as Klemens von Metternich () or Prince Metternich, was a German statesman and diplomat in the service of the Austrian Empire. ...
*
Ludivine Sagnier as
Hortense de Beauharnais
Hortense Eugénie Cécile Bonaparte (; , ; 10 April 1783 – 5 October 1837) was Kingdom of Holland, Queen of Holland as the wife of King Louis Bonaparte. She was the stepdaughter of Emperor Napoléon I as the daughter of his first wife, Joséphi ...
*
John Wood as
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...
*
Natacha Amal as Madame Bertrand
*
Charlotte Valandrey as
Madame Coigny
*
Florence Pernel as
Thérésa Tallien
*
Jessica Paré
Jessica Paré (born December 5, 1980) is a Canadian actress and musician known for her co-starring roles on the AMC series '' Mad Men'' and the CBS series '' SEAL Team''. She has also appeared in the films '' Stardom'' (2000), '' Lost and Del ...
as
Eléanore Denuelle
*
Tamsin Egerton-Dick as
Lucia Elizabeth "Miss Betsy" Balcombe
*
David La Haye as
Louis-Antoine-Henri de Bourbon-Condé, duc d'Enghien
* David Francis as
Sir Hudson Lowe
*
Jacky Nercessian as
Roustam Raza
*
Guillaume Depardieu
Guillaume Jean Maxime Antoine Depardieu (7 April 1971 – 13 October 2008) was a French actor, winner of a César Award, and the second oldest child of Gérard Depardieu.
Early life
Depardieu was the son of actor Gérard Depardieu and his first ...
as
Jean-Baptiste Muiron
* Alain Doutey as Marshal
Michel Ney
Michel Ney, 1st Prince de la Moskowa, 1st Duke of Elchingen (; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.
The son of ...
*
Serge Dupire as
Pierre Cambronne
Pierre Jacques Étienne, 1st Viscount Cambronne (26 December 1770 – 29 January 1842), was a general of the First French Empire. A main strategist of the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars, he was wounded at the Battle of Waterloo.
M ...
*
Philippe Volter as
Paul Barras
Paul François Jean Nicolas, Vicomte de Barras (; 30 June 1755 – 29 January 1829), commonly known as Paul Barras, was a French politician of the French Revolution, and the main executive leader of the Directory regime of 1795–1799.
Earl ...
*
Vincent Grass
Vincent Grass (born 9 January 1949) is a Belgian actor. He has appeared in a number of both European and American film and television productions, the first being the Belgian television production ''Siska Van Roosemaal'' in 1973. Grass played Fia ...
as
Charles IV of Spain
Charles IV (; 11 November 1748 – 20 January 1819) was King of Spain and ruler of the Spanish Empire from 1788 to 1808.
The Spain inherited by Charles IV gave few indications of instability, but during his reign, Spain entered a series of disa ...
*
Jean Dell as Malmaison's player
Production
Filming took place in Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Morocco and Switzerland. The filmmakers found that many locations in Hungary resembled 19th century France. However, matte paintings and various digital effects were also employed in post-production in order to recreate the historical setting. In many of the battle sequences, computer-generated soldiers created by Hybride Technologies were added into the footage.
[Karen Moltenbray, A Napoleonic Quest: Digital artists re-create history for the mini-series Napoleon, Computer Graphics World, October 2002, vol. 25, no. 10, pages 24-29] The fact that Napoleon left behind many historical records helped in the production, and other records were supplied by the modern-day French Army.
Historical accuracy
* During the
Plot of the Rue Saint-Nicaise
The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise, also known as the plot, was an assassination attempt on the First Consul of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, in Paris on 24 December 1800. It followed the of 10 October 1800 and was one of many Royalist and Catho ...
, Napoleon is seen travelling alongside his wife; in reality Joséphine was riding in a separate carriage.
* Napoleon and
Tsar Alexander are shown in 1808 at the
Congress of Erfurt listening to a performance of
Nicolo Paganini's
Caprice No. 24. In reality the piece was composed in 1817.
* The dressing down of Talleyrand during which Napoleon claimed that he was "shit in a silk stocking" occurred in front of Napoleon's marshals rather than in private chambers. By this time, Talleyrand had also already resigned his office, rather than being fired.
* Talleyrand warns King
Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...
that Napoleon and his army are advancing on Paris. In reality, Talleyrand was at the
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon, Napol ...
at the time.
*
Murat
Murat may refer to:
Places Australia
* Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia
* Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area
France
* Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier
* Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal
Elsew ...
is seen offering his services to Napoleon once more for the upcoming
Waterloo campaign
The Waterloo campaign, also known as the Belgian campaign (15 June – 8 July 1815) was fought between the French Army of the North (France), Army of the North and two War of the Seventh Coalition, Seventh Coalition armies, an Anglo-allied arm ...
, but in real life, Murat had actually done so through a dispatch and not in person, as the last time the two actually saw each other was in Germany in 1813 following Napoleon's defeat at the
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I, Karl von Schwarzenberg, and G ...
.
*
Cambronne is seen saying the infamous
word of Cambronne and later a variation of his famous response about the Guard during the
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...
. The accuracy of these words is disputed, though they are popularly attributed to him.
Reception
The series premiered at a time when many other books and films about Napoleon had recently come out or were in production, including a stage production called ''C'était Bonaparte'', which opened days before the miniseries premiered. Upon its release, it was the first television series to be broadcast simultaneously in all the participating European countries.
However, when originally broadcast in the United States, it was edited down to a running time of three hours, as opposed to the original six hours.
When it first aired in France it drew in on average more than seven million nightly viewers, which represented a share over 30% of all the TV viewers on those nights. Critical reviews have been mixed, with an average rating of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. Some reviewers were uneasy at the casting of
Christian Clavier
Christian Jean-Marie Clavier (; born 6 May 1952) is a French actor, screenwriter, film producer and director. A co-founder of Le Splendid in the 1970s, a Parisian café-théâtre company which soon garnered success, he became widely popular aft ...
, an actor known mostly for his work in comedy films, in the title role. French critics generally found Clavier to be "a good Napoleon but a poor Bonaparte." That is, striking an imposing figure but failing to give insight into the man.
[John Lichfield, Vive l'Empereur](_blank)
/ref> In terms of the dispute over whether Napoleon was a visionary, a tyrant, or an imposter, historian Jean Tulard considers the miniseries to be "too soft" on the emperor. However, the series also endows him with some unsavory characteristics, including a certain insensitivity towards the human costs of war. Clavier himself referred to the character he portrays as an intellectual and a true liberal.[BBC News, Napoleon series angers Italian party]
October 7, 2002,
Anthony Nield of ''DVD Times'' criticized the series's pacing. John Lichfield of the ''Independent'' found the battle scenes inconsistent in terms of realism. Neil Strauss of the New York Times stated that the series "shows how one lofty aim can lead to another. And sadly, the timely case is made that bloodshed has easily and often led to more bloodshed. The voice-over narration describes Napoleon as initially just ''an obscure Corsican,'' and after his early victories he wants nothing more than to become a mathematician. But in his life, as in his televised story, big-picture thinking is prone to gross miscalculations." One reviewer praised the performances of Clavier and Malkovich and the sets and costumes. Reviewing the DVD release,''myReviewer.com'' noted that "...on the whole Napoleon does not disappoint. The big scale feel of an epic production is there and some of the acting is first class." Ann Hodges also prasied Clavier's performance and the visuals but was critical of the supporting cast. C.W. Nevius offered a negative review. Michael Speier praised the series attention to detail and the performances. One reviewer called it a "limp disappointment".
In a 2023 article, in light of the release of Napoleon (2023 film), the 2023 titular film of the same name, Juilo Bardini compared the miniseries favourably, stating that "it still remains one interpretation of the historical facts".
Controversy
The series was praised in France, but received negative reviews in Italy. Italian politician, Umberto Bossi
Umberto Bossi (born 19 September 1941) is an Italian politician and former leader of (Northern League), a party seeking autonomy or independence for Northern Italy or Padania. He is married to the Sicilian Manuela Marrone, and has four sons, ...
, was angered by the series, stating that it glamorized Napoleon despite the fact that his occupation of Italy resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the looting of many of the country's artistic treasures. He also criticized Italy's RAI
(), commercially styled as since 2000 and known until 1954 as (RAI), is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many terrestrial and subscription television channels a ...
television network for co-funding the series. Producer and cast member Gérard Depardieu
Gérard Xavier Marcel Depardieu (, , ; born 27 December 1948) is a French actor. An icon of French cinema, considered a world star in the same way as Alain Delon or Brigitte Bardot, he has completed over 250 films since 1967, most of which as ...
defended the series, stating that it keeps to the truth and that "perhaps Bossi would have preferred an idiot Napoleon." Two other members of the cast, Clavier and Rossellini, vouched for the integrity of their respective portrayals of the French emperor and empress. Lichfield, on the other hand, says that the series omits most of the unsavory elements of Napoleon's Italian campaign.
Awards
In 2003, the series won a Bavarian TV award. In France, it won a 7 d'Or
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has symbolic associations in religion, mythology, super ...
award for Best Director. In the United States, it was nominated for nine Emmy award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
s, and it won the Emmy for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
DVD release
A three-disc DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
(full screen) recording, under the A&E label and with A&E extra features, is sold in the United States. In Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, there is a four-disc DVD (fullscreen) recording, under the REMSTAR label and without the A&E extra features, in both English and French editions. French edition is in 1.78:1 (16:9) widescreen.
Video game
A ''Risk
In simple terms, risk is the possibility of something bad happening. Risk involves uncertainty about the effects/implications of an activity with respect to something that humans value (such as health, well-being, wealth, property or the environ ...
''-style video game based on the miniseries, titled ''Napoleon'', was released on November 14, 2002 by Atari
Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...
and Infogrames
Atari SA (formerly Infogrames Entertainment SA ()), also known as Atari Group, is a French holding company headquartered in Paris that owns mainly video gaming-related interactive entertainment properties. Atari SA's core subsidiaries include ...
for Mac and Windows. The game allows players to recreate some of Napoleon's historical battles. Richard Grégoire, the composer of the soundtrack of the miniseries, also contributed a part of the game's music.
See also
* Cultural depictions of Napoleon
Napoleon, Napoleon I, List of French monarchs, Emperor of the French, has become a worldwide cultural icon generally associated with tactical brilliance, ambition, and Power (social and political), political power. His distinctive features ...
References
External links
*
An article about the special effects from Computer Graphics World
* https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/review/6057
{{DEFAULTSORT:Napoleon (Miniseries)
2000s French television miniseries
2002 French television series debuts
2002 French television series endings
Television series set in the 1790s
Television series set in the 1800s
Television series set in the 1810s
Television series set in the 1820s
Cultural depictions of Napoleon
Cultural depictions of Alexander I of Russia
Cultural depictions of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord
Cultural depictions of Klemens von Metternich
Cultural depictions of Joséphine de Beauharnais
Cultural depictions of Spanish monarchs
Napoleonic Wars in fiction
Peabody Award–winning television programs
Historical television series
Television shows directed by Yves Simoneau
Television shows filmed in Austria
Television shows filmed in the Czech Republic
Television shows filmed in Hungary
Television shows filmed in Morocco
Television shows filmed in Switzerland
Cultural depictions of Louis XVIII
Films about Napoleon
Cultural depictions of Joseph Bonaparte
Cultural depictions of Pope Pius VII
Cultural depictions of Joachim Murat
Cultural depictions of Michel Ney
Cultural depictions of Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma