Perhaps the most ambitious film ever made..., Jul 9 2004

The original plan was to create six films highlighting all of Napoleon's life. But Gance spent the entire budget on this one and it really shows.

From the opening scene depicting a snowball fight, I was immediately impressed with the sheer number of techniques Gance used to make it more enegetic. From "Russian montage" (rapid edits at a blinding speed) to mounting the camera on snow sleds, boats, and even a horse to put the viewer in the middle of the action. Gance also invented the idea of widescreen by mounting three cameras on one tripod.

Perhaps the single finest scene in the film has the intercutting of Napoleon in a small boat at sea fighting through a typhoon as the French parliment is falling apart (with the camera attached to a pendulum to simulate the ocean waves). Few scenes pack so much incredable energy as this one.

I was also very impressed with Albert Dieudonne's performance as Napoleon. He seems to channel the spirit of Napoleon himself through his eyes. And the film goes to great lengths establishing the future emperor as a man of destiny. All this, in spite of the fact that Dieudonne is clearly too old to play the young (20 or so) Napoleon.

It's a shame that this film still isn't on DVD.

If you're a lover of films, this is a must-have for your collection. The four-hour length of the movie may seem daunting, but it can be watched in 2 two hour viewings.

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