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Stanley KubricksNapoleonis arguably theCitizen Kaneof unrealized projects.
Napoleon is an extraordinarily easy historical figure to adapt to the screen, even for filmmakers without battle-scene budgets.
His disastrous snowbound retreat from Moscow is a staggering finale matched only by his final defeat at Waterloo.
Denied martyrdom, he died broken and bitter on a windswept island.
And he did it all in uniform.
Through it all, Napoleon is rife with contradictions.
He wasnt even French!
He was an incurable Wife Guy!
He was a staunch Republican (notthatkind of Republican) who didnt hesitate to seize absolute power.
Hes a (short) person, too.Vive lEmpereur cinematographique!
Incidents in the Life of Napoleon and Josephine(1909)
Directed bypioneering animatorJ.
(His ghostly presence created using superimposition even haunts her after she retreats to Malmaison.)
Francis Ford Coppola personally oversaw its American rerelease in 1980.
Martin Scorsese called it a genuine sensation.
Theres not much here besides a few decent slapstick sequences, including a half-interesting carriage jacking and chase scene.
Just dont tell Vin Diesel.
The last thing we need isFast & Furious: Austerlitz Blitz.
Like the exile-focused movies it predates, the power struggle between Lowe and Napoleon dominates the narrative.
The final third of the movie drips with pathos as Napoleon is slowly abandoned by his entourage.
As Napoleon, Charles Boyer is extremely self-possessed.
Hes notnotsuave, yet hes totally unconcerned with propriety.
This ends up not being a turnoff because its 1937 by way of 1806.
ButConquests Napoleon is a great man of history forever doomed to choose ambition over love.
In other words, even Napoleon cant have it all.
That is, until he discards her the moment Josephine comes along.
(Maybe it was the very prominent bulge in his white pants that won her over?
Guitry plays Tallyrand, his recollections of Napoleon providing narration and the films framing unit.
(This is not a surprising cameo.
Welles also briefly appears in 1955sNapoleonand 1970sWaterloo.)
The costumes and production design are wondrous, as are Gances full-to-bursting frames.
Still,Austerlitzfeels lackluster, never quite worthy of its historical namesake or its own director.
Get around to it.
Its quite possibly the best film(s) set during the Napoleonic Wars, period.
Its a masterpiece in every sense.
If there was an upside to the Cold War, its that it gave us this.
Once it begins, a peculiar amorality takes hold.
It does, however, squeeze out some depth by positioning the Duke of Wellington and Napoleon as foils.
Anyway, you know how it ends.
Will he take it?
Will he put clothes on first?
Tune in to find out!
When Napoleon occupies Moscow, Sonja and Boris decide to try their hand at assassination.
Granted,if you share Orson Welless opinion of Allen, youll hate it.
First on the list is Ian Holms Napoleon, encountered after the Battle of Castiglione.
Hes a farcical character and a sloppy drunk, more concerned with watching a puppet show than military strategy.
Nearly every joke is a short joke Five-foot-one and conqueror of Italy.
Not bad, huh?!
and he spends dinner with the bandits rattling off the heights of assorted luminaries from military history.
They just dont make em (for kids) like this anymore.
IfEagle in a Cageis any indication, thats harder than it looks.
To which Deacon responds, He was a dick!
Muhammad Alis robe!American Gothic!
Theres, like, a complex named after you.
Youre famous for being little.
