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List Price: $24.95 | | Label: A&E Home Video
Salesrank: 13823
Released: April 29, 2003 |
| Our Price: $11.48 |
| Used Price: $15.99 |
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MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
From the campaign that transformed the Corsican outsider into a French hero to his bitter, final defeat at Waterloo, NAPOLEON charts the course of the man who defied centuries of tradition and forced his will upon a continent. Adapted by Didier Decoin (Les Miserables, Jakob the Liar) from Max Gallo's bestselling novel, this epic production explores the private struggles, political intrigues and bloody battles that marked Napoleon's tempestuous rise and rule. Directed by Yves Simoneau (Nuremburg, Amelia Earhart), NAPOLEON boasts an extraordinary international cast featuring Isabella Rossellini, Gerard Depardieu, John Malkovich, and Christian Clavier.
Description of Napoleon (TV Miniseries) (3-Disc Collector's Edition):
One of the Great Lives gets the full-scale miniseries treatment in this lavish international co-production (which aired on A&E). Even at a six-hour running time, there's barely room for all the extraordinary twists and turns of Napoleon Bonaparte's turbulent career as Emperor of France, from his brilliant early military victories after the Revolution to his megalomaniacal attempts to reign over all of Europe. While there are battle scenes galore, and court ceremonies staged with eye-popping pomp and circumstance, this production keeps returning to the intent, watchful face of Christian Clavier's Napoleon. The hawk-eyed, pint-sized actor appears born to play the role, and he draws out the humanity within the icon. Clavier dominates the film, although Isabella Rossellini's Josephine is heartfelt enough to convince you of the passion between these two, which later turned into a kind of pragmatic contract. (Hard to keep your love life straight when you're trying to rule the world.) John Malkovich, in his exquisite-decadent mode, provides amoral political advice as Talleyrand. Napoleon has the usual problems of international moviemaking, including the toneless line readings of supporting actors and the patchwork of accents. And it must move from A to B to C in predictable fashion, the curse of the historical biography. Abel Gance's silent epic Napoleon remains the cinematic standard for this life, but A&E's version gives a satisfying dramatic overview. --Robert Horton
Napoleon (TV Miniseries) (3-Disc Collector's Edition) Reviews:
Loved it! 
2009-10-28 - It will take you some getting used to the french actors speaking english, but its only annoying at first. Otherwise the acting, locations, and historical relevance and accuracy are right on.
Not up to "Band of Brothers" 
2009-03-18 - This series is called a "Super Production". But the inferiority of Directing technique and Directing talent between Yves Simoneau and Spielberg & Hanks is abysmal. To deserve a 5 star this series would have to be as good or better than Band of Brothers, or Saving Private Ryan. Or better than the 1970 film Waterloo, with Rod Steiger, Christopher Plummer, Orson Welles, and Jack Hawkins.
The acting is sometimes atrocious, some of the secondary characters just "say" their lines, they don't act.Christian Clavier as Napoleon is not convincing, he lacks the "Esprit", the Rage, the Drive the real Bonaparte had. He just acts, does not wear the whole personality of Bonaparte.
The battle scenes are horrendous, soldiers just throw their arms and "die" - their Special Effects guy is still in the 1950's. Compare to the battle scenes in Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan, and the gulf is absolutely enormous.
The sequence of scenes is also loosely tied - here I have to admit it is not the Director's fault but the Producer's - Napoleon's life should NEVER be tried to be shown in 4 hours, the man is so complex, his life so full of adventures, of ups and downs, of heroism and crookery (he brought back from Italy 248 carriages full of works of art to the Louvre, later taken back after his defeat at Waterloo). His life should be told in not less than a Band of Brothers length - 16 to 20 hours.
But even comparing it to WATERLOO the 1970 film it is much inferior. Rod Steiger is a real Napoleon, and C. Plummer excels in Wellington - if you want to feel Napoleon and his people, if you want to see literally thousands and thousands of extras in the battlefield, with helicopter taikes showing the battleground, go see Waterloo.
On the "Army", again this production is shallow, an "Army" is represented by 20 or 30 soldiers, like in Egypt, on the dunes, you only see about two dozens of soldiers - for God's sake, in Bands of Brothers they just used computers and "multiplied" 20 soldiers to seem like thousands, and this technology was fully available when this series was filmed. So don't expect to see big Armies, lots of Extras, etc. It clearly is a cheap production, despite the comment of another Amazon client that they used 3 old carriages - ok, but how about soldiers? No Armies.
I honestly don't recommend buying this, it's a waste of money, doesn't grip you, doesn't explain the man, and surely doesn't put you in the past.
It's like watching a Theater Play, with bad actors - only J. Malkovitch is convincing, as usual.
Locations? 
2009-03-02 - If anyone knows the name of the building that they used for the Tuileries Palace, please email me. This palace was destroyed in 1871 and some of the interior rooms are actually in Versailles.
This film neglects meaningful history
2008-09-30 - This film is more like a soap opera than a history movie. It heavily focuses on a few relationships but badly neglects why the countries were fighting, what reforms Napoleon was making, and why Napoleon was such a great commander.
You will learn far more watching the one hour documentary about Napoleon in the History Channel DVD *The Conquerors.* It shows how much this film leaves out.
Great!
2008-03-30 - Great reconstruction, amazing costumes, very good international cast.
Everything's good except Claviere english....but Napolean is french, isnt he?
