Napoléon (1927)

Director:

Abel Gance

Writer:

Abel Gance (written by)

Release Date:

17 February 1929 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

Abel Gance's 1927 Masterpiece [reissue]

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Military | Corsica | French Revolution | Campaign | Snowball Fight

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	...	Antoine Quentin Fouquier de Tinville dit 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

Art Direction by
Alexandre Benois
Alexandre Lochakoff		(short period)

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

Art Department
Georges Jacouty	....	art decorator (uncredited)
Eugène Lourié	....	art decorator (uncredited)
Vladimir Meingard	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Serge Piménoff	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Pierre Schild	....	art decorator (uncredited)

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 (Greece) [el]
Napoleon (Brazil) [pt]
Napoleon (Poland) [pl]
Napoleone (Italy) [it]
Napolyon (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

Runtime:

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

Country:

France

Color:

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

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 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 film's finale wouldn't have the proper impact by being confined to a small screen. Gance thought of expanding the frame by using three cameras next to each other. For the first time, cinema utilized a rectangular image (with an approximate 4.00 : 1 aspect ratio). This is probably the most famous of the film's several innovative techniques. Though American filmmakers began experimenting with 70 mm widescreen in 1929, widescreen didn't take off until CinemaScope was invented in 1953.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Napoleon is appointed commander in chief in the Convention, the position of his arms changes between shots.

Movie Connections:

Featured in CinéMagique (2002)

Vive Napoleon! Vive Abel Gance!

January 23, 1981. Radio City Music Hall. Nearly midnight. One of the most thrilling experiences of my life. "Napoleon", restored, and reconstructed, not seen for over fifty years, was debuting in front of 6,000 people packed into the great theater with Carmine Coppolla conducting a huge orchestra rising up on the lift as lighting cast fifty foot shadows of the conductor on the walls. The score was magnificent. By the end of the film when the tryptyches stretched the size of the screen to triple size filling the glorious famous sunburst proscenium, Radio City Music Hall erupted in a standing ovation - and Kevin Brownlow, who restored the film, at that very moment from the theater had Abel Gance (soon to die) live on the phone from France to hear the ovation! Just incredible. Glorious. The film is a masterpiece of the Twentieth Century. And a must see. The best scene was the battle in the Convention between the Girondists and Jacobins superimposed on Napoleon's escape from Corsica in a sea storm. Staggering editing and camera work. It is a tragedy for us all the the remaining chapters of Napoleon's life were never put on film as Gance planned.