Napoleon

“Impossible is not French” I’m absolutely speechless. I genuinely don’t even know where to start. First of all, I know 5,5h sounds insanely long, and it definitely is, but the pacing is unbelievably strong. Compared to something like Nosferatu, this almost feels like watching an action blockbuster. I was never bored for a single second. The film just keeps moving. The second thing that completely blew me away is how beautiful this film looks. Every single frame feels monumental. But it’s not only beautiful, it’s technically unbelievable. It’s honestly not crazy to say that Napoléon (1927) is one of the most important films ever made and one of the biggest reasons cinematography became what it is today. The camera movement, the tracking shots, the superimpositions, the editing, the coloring and of course the Polyvision. it’s all just revolutionary. There were so many moments where I genuinely couldn’t believe this film came out in 1927. I’ll split this review into the four acts. Act I We first see Napoleon as a child during the famous snowball fight at military school. Right from the beginning we already see the potential he has. Even as a kid he’s leading people and thinking differently than everyone else. At the same time we also learn a lot about his character. He isn’t liked by the other children and he isn’t really liked by the adults either. He’s alone. The only thing he really has is his eagle, which becomes one of the strongest symbols throughout the whole film. As Napoleon rises higher and higher, so does the eagle. Then the film jumps around fifteen years into the future. Napoleon is now a lieutenant while the French Revolution is beginning. We see the Revolution unfold and we also get a better understanding of Napoleon himself. He’s for the Revolution, but against pointless violence, something the Revolution quickly becomes full of. I also loved how moments of rage are shown through the red tint. Some of those shots are absolutely gorgeous. After this Napoleon reunites with his family after years apart, but another problem immediately appears. Pasquale Paoli wants to hand Corsica over to England, something Napoleon refuses to accept. Soon afterwards a bounty of 500 pounds, dead or alive, is placed on him. People begin arguing over whether Corsica belongs to France, Italy or England until suddenly Napoleon appears and delivers one of the most beautiful speeches I’ve ever seen about unity and hope. Once again the eagle appears, making the whole scene even more powerful. Afterwards Napoleon is baited by the authorities and has to flee, but before leaving he takes the French flag with him. Then comes the scene I already mentioned earlier. Napoleon is caught in a violent storm at sea while, at the exact same time, the Revolution erupts back in Paris. Through the incredible overlapping technique the storm and the Revolution almost become the same event shown from two completely different perspectives. This sequence alone is one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen in silent cinema. After surviving the storm Napoleon reunites with his family, who tell him their house has burned down and they have nowhere left to live. Then Napoleon says: “Then we only have one home left. France.” Such a monumental ending to the first act. Act II The second act starts with the assassination of Marat before introducing the Siege of Toulon. The first thing we see is how terrible the French army actually is. There’s barely any food, everything is dirty, nobody has discipline and the commander is openly mocked because he used to be an artist before the Revolution. Napoleon introduces himself as an artillery officer and confidently presents his battle plan, only to get laughed at. One of my favorite scenes happens shortly afterwards. A cannonball crashes into the building and everybody immediately runs away while Napoleon doesn’t even react and just keeps planning his next move. After an intertitle tells us the old commander was too incompetent, Napoleon begins training the soldiers himself. Before the battle there’s one incredibly haunting scene where a young drummer asks when the last drummer boy died. “Thirteen.” “Then I’ve got at least six years left.” It’s such a small moment but perfectly shows how cruel war really is. Then the Battle of Toulon begins and it’s honestly one of the best battle sequences I’ve ever seen. It’s brutal, dirty and chaotic while still looking absolutely beautiful. Once again Napoleon proves himself as an incredible leader, constantly putting his own life on the line. After France wins, Napoleon is promoted to Brigadier General. Ironically, his superiors wanted to stop the attack, but Napoleon ignored them and kept pushing forward until victory. For me, the second act was even stronger than the first one, and somehow the pacing keeps getting better. Act III This is probably the most important act of Napoleon’s life. The Terror reaches its peak. We see Danton executed before Robespierre and Saint-Just completely take control of France. Napoleon is imprisoned after refusing to command the Paris army. At the same time Joséphine is also imprisoned. Then probably the biggest hero in the whole film appears. Some random guy literally eats both execution papers, saving Napoleon and Joséphine from the guillotine. After Robespierre falls, Napoleon is asked to stop the Royalist uprising. At first he refuses because, in his eyes, he doesn’t want to fight against France itself. After being degraded we get to see something history rarely shows. We always hear about Napoleon as this legendary military genius, but here we see him living a pretty miserable life after losing everything. I honestly loved that part because it made him feel so much more human. Even though we never actually see the battle against the Royalists, we see Napoleon planning everything. After the victory he becomes General of the Army of the Interior and suddenly one of the most important men in France. His fame explodes. People buy merchandise of him, crowds gather outside his house and he even has to disguise himself just to leave home. Considering how lonely he was as a child, it’s honestly really satisfying to see. Then comes my favorite scene in the whole film. The Ball of the Victims. The whole sequence is covered in this beautiful pink tint symbolizing hope after the Terror. This is where Napoleon first meets Joséphine. The chess game between Napoleon and Hoche is such a cool way of showing two military geniuses facing each other without an actual battle. I also loved how socially awkward Napoleon is. History often describes him that way and the film absolutely nails it. The “Romeo” sequence is another highlight. One of the overlapping shots places Joséphine’s face over the globe, almost symbolizing that she has become Napoleon’s entire world. Eventually Barras arranges Napoleon’s marriage with Joséphine while also giving him command of the Army of Italy because he wants to get rid of his own affair with her. For Napoleon it’s basically a win-win. He gets the woman he loves and the army he always wanted. One detail I found hilarious is Napoleon lying on the floor on his wedding day completely focused on maps and battle plans while almost forgetting that he’s literally getting married. I also really liked the scenes where Violine fantasizes about Napoleon because they show just how influential he has already become. Act IV Act IV starts immediately after Napoleon’s marriage as he travels with forty thousand men to Italy. Before leaving he visits the abandoned convent one last time. The place almost feels haunted. It feels as if all the leaders of the Revolution are placing France’s future into Napoleon’s hands. This is probably one of my favorite scenes in the entire film because it feels like the exact moment Napoleon accepts his destiny. When he finally arrives in Italy, his army is starving, exhausted and completely undisciplined. At first nobody really respects him because of his age. That changes almost immediately. After hearing his plans they apologize to him and even admit that he frightens them. Within what feels like an hour Napoleon completely transforms the entire army. This is also where Abel Gance fully unleashes the Polyvision, and honestly, it’s just unbelievable. Even today it feels revolutionary. After one final speech Napoleon leads his army into battle before the film ends with probably my favorite montage ever put on screen. The red tinted battle scenes, the incredible superimpositions, Napoleon’s dreams, his ambitions and his victories all merge together until we reach the final Polyvision shot with the French flag and the eagle. Genuinely one of the most beautiful final shots I’ve ever seen. This wasn’t an ordinary film. It was an experience I genuinely can’t describe. If you’re scared of the runtime, seriously just give it a chance. I watched all 5,5h in one sitting and wasn’t bored for a single second. The pacing is so much stronger than people make it out to be and if you can just put your phone away for a few hours you’ll experience one of the greatest achievements in cinematic history. It’s honestly heartbreaking that Abel Gance never got to finish his planned six film saga because after watching this I would’ve immediately watched every single one. We only get Napoleon’s early years, but honestly, the ending still feels monumental. In the end this is probably the most beautiful film ever made and definitely the most technically important film OAT. I’m honestly kinda sad that I “only” watched the normal 5.5h version instead of the full Apollo version. I already own the BFI Blu-ray and the second the Apollo version gets announced I’m buying it instantly. I need to experience this beautiful film in its full length. It deserves nothing less.