Napoleon

For years, I’ve been looking for a way to see this monolithic work of silent cinema. Randomly, it was streaming on this streaming service called Darkroom here in the states. I was able to watch the 5.5 hour Brownlow cut and it was outstanding. I do not think this was a perfect film, but it is easily one of the most epic and grandiose films I have ever seen. Albert Dieudonné IS Napoléon. His performance is on par with Renée Falconetti’s in The Passion of Joan of Arc. He exhibits a sense of grandeur in such a way that I do not think I could convincingly see anyone else as this character. I do agree with the criticism that the 3rd part of the film drags a bit with the “romancing Josephine” plotline. However, for a 5.5 hour silent film, this was remarkably well-paced and engaging. Nothing in the film compares to the mythic triptych sequence at the end of this movie. I saw it on my small TV screen, but it was still one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in this medium. The expanded screen, along with Carl Davis’ incredible score, was a marvel to behold. It is now my on my bucket list to somehow see this film with a live orchestra in a theater equipped for its epic finale. For now, I may just have to settle for getting a region free Blu-ray player, along with the BFI Blu-ray copy of this masterpiece.