Napoléon (1927)

Director:

Abel Gance

Writer:

Abel Gance (written by)

Release Date:

17 February 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | War

Tagline:

Abel Gance's 1927 Masterpiece [reissue]

Plot:

A film about the French Field Marshal's youth and early military career.

Plot Keywords:

Political | Formal Ball | Nationalism | Saved From Execution | Bully

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Albert Dieudonné	...	Napoléon Bonaparte
Vladimir Roudenko	...	Napoléon Bonaparte enfant
Edmond Van Daële	...	Maximilien Robespierre
Alexandre Koubitzky	...	Danton
Antonin Artaud	...	Marat
Abel Gance	...	Louis Saint-Just
Gina Manès	...	Joséphine de Beauharnais
Suzanne Bianchetti	...	Marie-Antoinette
Marguerite Gance	...	Charlotte Corday
Yvette Dieudonné	...	Élisa Bonaparte
Philippe Hériat	...	Antonio Salicetti
Pierre Batcheff	...	Le général Lazare Hoche
Eugénie Buffet	...	Laetizia Bonaparte
Acho Chakatouny	...	Pozzo di Borgo
Nicolas Koline	...	Tristan Fleuri
Max Maxudian	...	Barras (as Maxudian)
Annabella	...	Violine Fleuri et Désirée Clary
Henri Baudin	...	Santo-Ricci, le berger
Alexandre Bernard	...	Dugommier
Roger Blum	...	Talma
Daniel Buiret	...	Augustin Robespierre
Georges Cahuzac	...	Le vicomte de Beauharnais
Adrien Caillard	...	Thomas Gasparin
Pierre de Canolle	...	Le capitaine Auguste Marmont
Mlle. Carvalho	...	La voyante
Sylvio Cavicchia	...	Lucien Bonaparte
Léon Courtois	...	Le général Carteaux
Gilbert Dacheux	...	Le général du Teil
Damia	...	La Marseillaise
Pierre Danis	...	Colonel Muiron
W. Percy Day	...	Amiral Hood
Raoul De Ansorena	...	Capitaine Desaix
Boris Fastovich	...	L'Oeil-Vert
Faviere	...	Fouché
Serge Freddy-Karl	...	Marcellin Fleuri
Jean Gaudrey	...	Jean-Lambert Tallien
Simone Genevois	...	Pauline Bonaparte
Georges Hénin	...	Eugène de Beauharnais
Jean Henry	...	Sergent Andoche Junot
Henry Krauss	...	Moustache
Harry Krimer	...	Rouget de l'Isle
Georges Lampin	...	Joseph Bonaparte
Alexandre Mathillon	...	Le général Scherer (as Mathillon)
Genica Missirio	...	Le capitaine Joachim Murat
Francine Mussey	...	Lucille Desmoulins
Jeanne Pen	...	Hortense de Beauharnais
Roblin	...	Picot de Peccaduc
Jack Rye	...	Le général O'Hara
Louis Sance	...	Louis XVI
Maurice Schutz	...	Pasquale Paoli
Andrée Standart	...	Thérèse Tallien (as Andrée Standard)
Suzy Vernon	...	Madame Récamier (as Susie Vernon)
Petit Vidal	...	Philippeaux
Robert Vidalin	...	Camille Desmoulins
François Viguier	...	Couthon
Jean d'Yd	...	La Bussière
René Jeanne	...	Le professeur de Briancon
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Francis
Lomon	...	Marie Jean Hérault de Séchelles
Médus
Florence Talma	...	Louise Gely
Raoul Villiers	...	Boissy d'Anglas / stabsofficer
Michel Zahar	...	Monk
Paul Amiot	...	Fouquier-Tinville (uncredited)
François Angely	...	General Henriot (uncredited)
Jean Arroy	...	Bit role (uncredited)
Armand Bernard	...	Jean-Jean (uncredited)
Camille Beuve	...	Giljotineraren (uncredited)
Albert Bras	...	(uncredited)
André Cerf	...	Bit role (uncredited)
Pierre Ferval	...	Monk (uncredited)
Jean Fleury	...	Carnot (uncredited)
Edmond T. Gréville	...	Monk (uncredited)
Joë Hamman	...	Bågskytt (uncredited)
Léon Larive	...	(uncredited)
Geo Leclercq	...	Dutheil (uncredited)
G.A. Martin	...	François-Marie Arouet de Voltaire (uncredited)
Grogoire Metchikoff	...	General Pierre François Charles Augereau (uncredited)
Jean Mitry	...	Bit role (uncredited)
Laurent Morléas	...	Stabsofficer (uncredited)
Marcel Pérès	...	Monk (uncredited)
Philippe Rolla	...	General André Masséna (uncredited)
Jean Wells	...	Bit role (uncredited)

Directed by
Abel Gance

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Abel Gance		written by

Produced by
Robert A. Harris	....	producer (1981 re-release)

Original Music by
Carmine Coppola		(1981)
Carl Davis		(1980)
Arthur Honegger

Cinematography by
Léonce-Henri Burel
Jules Kruger
Joseph-Louis Mundwiller		(as Jean-Paul Mundviller)
Nikolai Toporkoff

Film Editing by
Abel Gance

Casting by
Louis Osmont

Production Design by
Simon Feldman

Art Direction by
Alexandre Benois
Jacouty
Meinhardt
Serge Piménoff
Pierre Schild		(as Pierre Schildnecht)

Costume Design by
Mme. Augris
Mme. Neminsky
Charmy Sauvageau

Makeup Department
Boris de Fast	....	makeup artist
Wladimir Kwanine	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Noë Bloch	....	production manager
Edouard De Bersaucourt	....	production manager
Robert A. Harris	....	production supervisor (1981 re-release)
Louis Osmont	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Henri Andréani	....	assistant director
Jean Arroy	....	trainee assistant director
Pierre Danis	....	assistant director
Henry Krauss	....	assistant director
Anatole Litvak	....	assistant director
Jean Mitry	....	trainee assistant director
Mario Nalpas	....	assistant director
Sacher Purnal	....	trainee assistant director
Viktor Tourjansky	....	assistant director
Alexandre Volkoff	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Mike Berniker	....	recording director: Milan (1981 re-release)
Keith Klantwitter	....	sound engineer (1981 re-release) (as Keith Klawitter)
Brad Sherman	....	sound recordist (1981 re-release)

Special Effects by
Segundo de Chomón	....	special effects
Minime	....	special effects
Edward Scholl	....	special effects
Eugen Schüfftan	....	special effects
Nicolas Wilcké	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
W. Percy Day	....	matte painter
Eugen Schüfftan	....	visual effects supervisor
Nicolas Wilcké	....	miniature maker

Camera and Electrical Department
Albinet	....	gaffer
Paul Briquet	....	camera operator
Léonce-Henri Burel	....	additional photographer
Doublon	....	gaffer
Rusty Geller	....	assistant camera (1981 re-release)
Graza	....	gaffer
Roger Hubert	....	additional photographer
Georges Lucas	....	additional photographer
Jim McCoy	....	camera operator (1981 re-release)
Jean-Pierre Mundviller	....	additional photographer
Émile Pierre	....	additional photographer
Lee Planskoy	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jeanne Lanvin	....	costumes: Josephine

Editorial Department
Marguerite Beaugé	....	assistant editor
Henriette Pinson	....	associate editor

Music Department
Paul Bogaev	....	conductor (1981 re-release)
Carmine Coppola	....	conductor (1981 re-release)
Carmine Coppola	....	music arranger (1981 re-release)
Dennis James	....	musician: organ (1981 re-release)
Douglas M. Lackey	....	music editor (1981 re-release) (As Douglas Lackey)
Don MacDougall	....	music mixer (1981 re-release) (as Don Macdougal)
Colin Matthews	....	orchestrator: Carl Davis (uncredited)
David Matthews	....	orchestrator: Carl Davis (uncredited)
Christopher Palmer	....	orchestrator: Carl Davis (uncredited)
M. Szyfer	....	conductor (uncredited)

Other crew
Kevin Brownlow	....	restoration (1981 re-release)
Francis Ford Coppola	....	presenter (1981 re-release)
Simon Feldman	....	technical director
Constantin Geftman	....	production assistant
Grégoire Geftmann	....	production assistant
Edmond T. Gréville	....	production assistant
Hoden	....	production assistant
Leonid Komerovsky	....	production assistant
Georges Lampin	....	production assistant
Lemirt	....	armorer
Grogoire Metchikoff	....	production assistant
Henry Pauly	....	production assistant
Ivan Pavloff	....	production assistant
Andre Pironet	....	production assistant
P. Christopher Reyna	....	consultant: Polyvision alignment (1981 re-release) (as Christopher Reyna)
Rene Rufly	....	production assistant
Michel Scripnikoff	....	production assistant
Simone Surdieux	....	script supervisor
Peter Williamson	....	tinting supervisor (1981 re-release)

Production Companies

• Films Abel Gance
• Société générale des films

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1929) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinema Services Ltd. (1981) (USA) (re-release)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Francisco Hoyos Griñón (1985) (Spain)
• Images Film Archive (1981) (USA) (re-release)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (USA) (VHS)
• Manga Films (2004) (Spain) (DVD)
• Zoetrope Studios

Other Companies

• Cinema Services Ltd.  optical negative (1981 re-release)
• General Music  music publishing
• Gomillion Studios  post-production facilities (1981 re-release)
• John E. Allen Inc.  optical negative (1981 re-release)
• Merle Norman's Classic Beauty Collection  music recorded at (1981 re-release)
• National Film Archive, The  financial assistance provided by (1981 re-release)
• The International Federation of Film Archives  produced with the cooperation of the members of (1981 re-release)
• The Milan Philharmonic Orchestra  music performed by (1981 re-release)
• The Title Works  credits photography (1981 re-release)
• Zoetrope Images  70 mm Triptych optical negative (1981 re-release)

Also Known As:

Abel Gance's Napoleon (USA)
Napoléon Bonaparte (France)
Napoléon vu par Abel Gance (France)
Napoleon (USA)
Napoleon (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Napoleón (Spain) [es]
Napoleon (Brazil) [pt]
Napoleone (Italy) [it]

Runtime:

313 min (20 fps) (cinémathèque française print) | Spain:222 min (DVD edition) | UK:330 min (2000 restoration) | USA:235 min (1981 restored version)

Country:

France

Color:

Black and White | Black and White (tinted) (some sequences)

Aspect Ratio:

4.00 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (1981 re-release) | Mono | Silent

Certification:

South Korea:All (2004) | Finland:K-12 (1966) | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | USA:G (1981 re-release)

Filming Locations:

Briançon, Hautes-Alpes, France

Company:

Films Abel Gance

Trivia:

Director Abel Gance was worried that the images wouldn't have the proper impact by being confined to a small screen. Gance thought of expanding it by using three cameras next to each other. For the first time, cinema utilized a rectangular image (approx. 4.00:1 aspect ratio). It wouldn't be until later that the widescreen lens would be made and it wouldn't be until the American Cinemascope that this process goes mainstream.

Goofs:

Continuity: In Act IV - the Army of Italy sequence - there are a couple of shots of Napoleon's head where the image has been flipped. This is obvious because usually when viewed from the front, the tricolor on Napoleon's hat is over his left eye (the viewer's right), whereas in the flipped clips it's over his right eye (the viewer's left).

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 100 Greatest War Films (2005) (TV)

Different versions should be reviewed/scored separately

I was one of the thousands who were fortunate enough to see the fullest version of Napoleon at the Royal Festival Hall in early December 2004. As noted in 'alternate versions', this may prove to be the last showing until the second half of the Century (when copyright lapses) of what is so far the definitive version of the film.

It was a truly memorable experience. I had not seen 'Napoleon' for several decades, and that was a shorter version with piano accompaniment ~ though still played at the correct speed. This longer version at the correct speed with The London Philharmonic Orchestra and the RFH organ playing in full volume for the climax was a mind-blowing experience. I have not seen Coppola's 'keystone cops' version, but if the trailer on this website is any guide, with Napoleon strutting in Chaplinesque mode, it seems a travesty of what I saw; More 'Homage to Mack Sennett'.

It is clear that these two versions are radically different. It seems grossly unfair to score and review the two main versions in a single poll as if they were the same. The 95 minute difference in running time is longer than many complete films reviewed on this site ~ such as Bronenosets Potyomkin from the same era. There are clearly enough reports/votes to permit the two versions to be scored separately. I suspect the approval rating of the longer version would be significantly higher than for the Coppola version.

It there is ever another opportunity to see this latest version (or even better, an even fuller version) with the Carl Davis score, I shall do my utmost to seize the opportunity.