Napoleon - Cinema's Forgotten Masterpiece
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
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A deep look into Abel Gance's unparalleled 1927 masterpiece; Napoleon.
Posted with permission of The Film Preserve, Ltd. and Zoetrope Corp.
0:11 Introduction
1:39 France, 1820s
7:33 France, 1920s
26:08 France, 2020s
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NOTE TO VIEWER: Due to copyright issues audio elements have had to be removed from the video at around 14:36.
I saw the 1924 version of “Napoleon” at the Chicago theater, in Chicago. The Illinois Symphony orchestra, conducted by Carmine Coppola (Francis Ford’s father) and the magnificent pipe organ was used in the performance. The final scene was projected in 107mm using three projectors, where each third screen was tinted in red, white and blue. This was a show of a lifetime.
Oh! My father was there, but remembers it being in Detroit! Maybe it was played both, or he's remembering it off (he's lived in both places).
I saw the film at the Chicago Theater too Moshavnik! What an event that was! Incredible. I think the year was 1982 wasn't it? Many years ago.
I was there, too. Between the film itself, and the live orchestra conducted by Carmine Coppola, and it being in the palace that is the Chicago Theater, which at that time was in danger of being torn down, this remains one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced.
I still have the program booklet which is something rare to be handed out at a movie event. I should dig it out from its storage bin and see if there is any item of interest to add here. Stay tuned…
I saw a version of the film (not sure which one) in the 1980's at Radio City Music Hall. Also with Coppola Sr leading the orchestra. It was glorious! Just glorious.
I worked at Radio City Music Hall in the early 80s. Napoleon was presented at the Music Hall with music by Carmine Coppola. It was glorious!
Hope for 9h40 version :(((
The young Napoleon in this brilliant film looks like the current young actor Timothée Chalamet
Goal achieved!
with all these blurry, flickering images, this video should come with a seizure warning! I feel like I'ma have one if I keep watching it!
I couldn't stand watching a minute of this film, it looks so demanding. :-o
It was actually the first silent movie to completely capture my attention and watch the entire duration, after trying to watch Metropolis and Nosferatu. Many film tactics like fast shots are still in use today and each scene looks like a piece of art!
I remember locking myself up in my room, with no lights on, for 5 and a half hours, to watch Napoleon without interruption. I haven't concentrated for such a long time for anything else.
I watched it for the first time a few weeks ago, it's the first silent film to fully capture my attention for its entire duration
What about faust (1926)?
You need to check out more silent epics, my guy. Try Die Nibelungen and Pandora's Box next.@@kingkoi6542
I got to see this at an event with Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola’s late father was associated with the orchestra that played during the movie and the whole affair was an ode to him. It was played like it was originally, with the crescendo playing on 3 full sized movie screens standing side by side.
I had the same experience with an episode of Beavis and Butthead.
I really would love to see Kubricks version of Napoleon, glad we got Barry Lyndon tho
Check out Waterloo (1970) if you haven’t seen it. Unbelievable production.
It would have been so great.
Agreed. Barry is a gem
Barry Lyndon is probably better than Napoleon would have been. Different but I think Kubrick found a "better" story to adapt or at least a more unique one that could be more personal and less historical. Barry Lyndon is an absolute masterpiece that gets more appreciated as the years go by, which is surprising but also not so much.
@@exposfan94movies I stumbled upon Barry Lyndon a very long time ago. Didn't know what it was, but I just kept watching. It stuck with me ever since. Now I own it on DVD. It's one of the few films that really catapults the viewer back in time. Unlike many other historical films, it never seems like modern actors with modern attitudes just playing dress up. Everything about it has the feel of authenticity. It's like a bubble in time.
How ironic is it that a new movie with the same title just came out which feels hollow and empty.
Hopefully this one gets remembered longer than that one...
That was running through my mind too.
New doesn’t mean better
@@S3aCa1mRa1n 100%
I was a professional film critic all through the 80's, both in print, on radio and on television. I was constantly being asked, 'What is your favourite film... or what is the 'best film you have ever seen? I would always reply, that there could be no possible answer! Then I saw Abel Gance's 'Napoleon'. It's all of those things, and more! It is available on DVD and Blu-Ray in an almost 5hr version through the BFI (British Film Institute).
wow, for avery 1,000 suggestions from RUclips I get one that I really am delighted to find. Napoleon was the OG bad mf Abe Lincoln Saddam Hussein all in one
Best comment ever og
@@tonyb8660 hahaha he was all the bad mother fuckers ever rolled into one! ya know, like Abe Lincoln and *checks notes* Saddam Hussein
Thanks! I so want to see it again and show it to other people.
sadly, france has a stagnant view of art now, and has done so for decades, gance would never have been able to make this film a decade or so later.
we are plagued with 'art experts' who will discount brilliance because "we don't do it that way".
this is exactly why france fell to germany twice last centuary. the first time, the great war, our generals fielded an army still wearing uniforms more suited to 19th centuary battle, with tactics that were no better, absolutely convinced that 'this is the way we do things' would see off the bosche. the second time, because the armies were still 'departmental' services that were bogged down with burocratic stupidity as the various officers vied for importance, because throwing off burocracy in time of emergency 'is not how we do things'.
this is still the case in france, 'not my department' is used to 'professionally humiliate' other departments in ensuring that they fail in their own devoires.
this is why france today has a million and one nincompoops steering their various burocratic ship of fools to comfortable incompetence.
I can only imagine that this is how the likes of foucault and sartre became 'reknowned', because their twitterings are intellectually void, but so well enounciated, like the envious middleclass that caused the revolution.
yes, the revolution was not a 'grass roots' revolution, but one created by the 'nobility of the pen', the civil service titles that were discounted by the 'nobility of the sword', the aristocracy that had been elevated by deeds, not the words of niggardly malcontents, and our culture has been trying to claw it's way back to innovation ever since, constantly hobbled by this petty burocratic stupidity.
oh, what it would be to live during gance's time!
this is not to say that we do not have greats, they are just not recognized until they are well past their zenith, which discourages others from such artistic endeavours.
I stumbled upon this film waaaaay back in the 80s on some forgotten cable channel and I figured, "Hey! A silent film! I think I'll watch it. Silent films are all short, right?" And there I sat. And there I sat. And there I sat. I began wondering if it would EVER end. But, the point is, I kept SITTING. And watching.
In the late 70s/early '80s, local NYC tv stations like Channel 5 or PBS Channels 13 or 21 would play silent films at 1am, 2am in the morning (The Late , Late, Late Show). I remember seeing Fritz Lang's Metropolis. It would have been nice to this Napoleon. Although the commercial breaks were annoying, TV before cable/streaming wasn't all bad.
@@juniorjames7076 PBS was how I first saw Monty Python.
Becuz u lazy bro
😂@@stephenmeier4658
I keep waiting for a silent movie streaming channel... I can dream...
Better than Ridley Scott's !!!
I don't mean to sound offensive here but expecting a French silent film about Napoleon to be popular in an Anglocentric society is a bit foolish.
I mean Metropolis and Battleship Potemkin are non-anglophone silent films that any film buff worth their salt would know, and the latter explicitly deals with an episode of Russian history far less well-known than the exploits of Napoleon.
@@rgllkendall yes, among cinephiles, it's very well-respected.
It’s called a SILENT FILM for a reason. The vocabulary is visual.
@@explorerelka Of course, I understand that. The gentleman who made the video just seems a little too idealistic in my opinion. The film has been forgotten because the multitude struggles to appreciate this visual vocabulary.
It’s pretty damn popular, I don’t know what this guy was talking about
Back in 1981 this film was restored and had a small North American tour - with live orchestra. I saw it in Toronto. I still remember it as one of the most extraordinary experiences I've ever had in a cinema.
I say this 5-hour version with my parents in Seattle.
Thanks for placing the year for me. I saw it in Radio City Music Hall.
The only other cinema experience that comes close for me was seeing Malick's "The Tree of Life" with a full orchestra and clive choir at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Hugo’s novel is not called The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Its title is “Notre Dame de Paris”
I got to see this at an event with Francis Ford Coppola.
Coppola’s late father was associated with the orchestra that played during the movie and the whole affair was an ode to him. It was played like it was originally, with the crescendo playing on 3 full sized movie screens standing side by side.
Was this in the 80s? I read in the newspaper then it was going to be performed in Los Angeles. I was a poor college student, didn't have car (a couple hours away). I knew it would be a one-off and wanted to see it so badly. 😒
Wow! How cool! Thanks for sharing. Both of you. Great stories.
I did watch "La Roue" on DVD recently and was quite taken with that. Pretty hairy mountain locations.
@@peztopher7297 He hosted it at his winery in the Napa Valley.
@@peztopher7297As much as I love Abel Gance, Napoleon, and even the creativity of La Roue… I don’t know if I feel comfortable with some of that film’s incestuous themes.
I was at the Radio City Hall presentation back in the 80s when Francis Ford Coppola championed the film. Live orchestra blasting throughout and from the first snoball fight to that triptych at the finale, spread wide across that vast screen…absolutely spectactular.
I attended that showing also. It was in 1981 and there was a live orchestra. It was great!
I was also there. I was moved by Coppola holding up the phone so Gance in Paris could hear the standing ovation applause in Radio City Music Hall.
As was I.
Well… I do believe more people know about it in 2023 then people knew in 1927
And Anglophone people too...
Looks like Gance anticipated the first commercially-viable Cinerama screen format by about 25 years.
All I can think about after I first read about those Super Wide Screen moments: “DAMN this is gonna be so hrd to screen on digital”😅
Glad to see someone talking about this masterpiece. Watched it about six months ago. I watched all five and a half hours in just one sitting because it was so enthralling.
Seeing this just makes me dislike Ridley Scott’s Napoleon even more.
Who Played Napoleon as an adult? Omg he looks so much like that famous painting (which I think did not actually depict him accurately but was a hugely romantic idea of him) also reminds me of Conrad Veidt, a beautiful actor of that time.
Albert Dieudonné.
@@MajorDenisBloodnok thank you!
I read some account that when Albert put on the outfit he "became" the late Emperor, people from outside the set saw him and just felt his (Napoléon's) charisma and warmth.
'Cartography' is the science or practice of drawing maps.
I've only seen a three hour version of this film, in a small theatre in Buenos Aires, on a 9.5 mm copy. Despite not being the whole thing, it's probably the most epic movie I've ever seen.
donde cuando
@@nicoquet En Hasta Trilce (en Once, CABA), una proyección presentada por Fernando Martín Peña, hace varios años ya
I got to see this at an event with Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola’s late father was associated with the orchestra that played during the movie and the whole affair was an ode to him. It was played like it was originally, with the crescendo playing on 3 full sized movie screens standing side by side.
@@Bizagro That's amazing . . . thanks for sharing
Estuve ahí. Inolvidable función. Año 2018 fue.
The video essay’s sweeping and profound dialogue does not address the recent history about why Gance’s Napoleon is fading from the collective memory of society. Answer; it is not available on home media and it’s rarely shown in a theater.
A glance at Wikipedia will show why this has happened.
* First, Gance’s Napoleon since 1979 has repeatedly been altered by film historian Kevin Brownlow and others.
- From 1979 to 1980 versions were either 4 hours and 50 minutes or 4 hours with the Carmine Coppola score. I saw a performance of the 4 hour Carmine Coppola version with him conducting an orchestra. It led to a standing ovation with cheering. That version is not available on home media.
- In 1983 Brownlow increased the run time to 5 hours and 13 minutes. In 2000 Brownlow increased it again to 5 hours and 30 minutes both with a new score from Carl Davis.
- Currently Georges Mourier with a group in France is creating a 7 hour version of the film for a performance.
* With all these different versions, with different copyrighted scores, there is no definitive version of the movie. This has led to legal conflicts which has contributed to no version of the film currently being available on home media.
* It’s too bad. I would buy a copy of the version with the Carmine Coppola score but again, it’s not available.
The BFI blu-ray is the definitive home media version, it's the Carl Davis score. This has long been considered the best representation of the film (very much superior to the Coppola cut). Unfortunately, the BFI is out of print but can be found for sale if one is willing to shell out for it. Last I checked it was going for around $300.
That said, we'll have to see if this new 7 hour version gets a home/streaming release in the U.S. or U.K.
@@rob12231 ; I did some searching. DVDs and Blu-rays on Amazon are region 2/B (Europe, Middle-east, Africa, Australia) only. On EBay what I found was also region B/2 only. With EBay many sellers will not accept returns. I prefer not to use EBay.
There is one unauthorized stream but its quality is poor and to do this film justice, it needs to be on a big screen TV in high resolution.
The movie is just not widely available in the US and unless this changes, the memory for it there will fade. It’s unfortunate.
@@rob12231 PS. I understand the BFI version is better in terms of having more of the film. But much of the Carl Davis score is not original instead having long passages from Mozart and Beethoven. The Coppola version has original music all the way through which I prefer.
@@bb1111116 It's very much available on home video. In fact the BFI blu-ray set is the single most profoundly important home video releases of the last few years.
Also, rather wrong of you to brush Brownlow's largely superior efforts under the rug due to your preference for the Carmine Coppola score, which only fits an older, less complete reconstruction. IMO the Davis score is magnificent. Do you take issue with every contemporary soundtrack that samples classical music?
@@T_Black_Lodge No Napoleon is not available for sale for USA Blu-ray players. The BFI set in Blu-ray / DVD is only being sold for region 2/B (Europe) and not in region 1/A (USA). I checked.
I’ll get the Napoleon BFI set when it is being sold for the US again, but that is not the situation now.
The Coppola version has never been sold in the US on DVD.
I’d like both versions in my library for the film and the soundtrack.
* For instance I own several copies of Metropolis with different edits and music. The older one has samples of classical music. The newest ones have the soundtrack from the original score by Gottfried Huppertz. I also have the Giorgio Moroder version.
* By contrast Napoleon availability has been severely limited for the US. It’s too bad.
Excellent video, Lewis. Also, the surprise face reveal surprised me.
It’s good to put a face to the voice I’ve heard for many years.
The silent era was so creative in general because they HAD to be. It's easy to tell a story when you can have a voice over narrating everything in plain words, but silent film directors had to rely on what makes film unique, which is of course visual storytelling (and in black and white, of course). I think wannabe film makers out there should take note and, if something can be communicated visually, rather than linguistically, to do that instead.
"Most creative" 😅😅😅😅
What fools speaking saying nothing impressing others pretend to understand unknown to even self refuse correction refuse truth refuse to but pretend to understand guess you figured it out atheist to pope to Switzerland international postal union to everything else took in a divine name or providence they will hand it over and I will give it away like it says exactly
Very nice.
“Show, don’t tell” is one of the great quotes about art.
@@caitlinroseblaney226 You all done playing God you arrogant jackass liars age over real soon best know like thief's caught in the knight in broad daylight for all to see they will hand it over everything took in a divine name or providence and I will give it away real soon is the end of the age is eye for a I see in God's given understanding see is see what I mean see is I am the hope for the man of understanding see is see what I mean see see me from the words I say I am the superman five stand as one whole in one whole in one whole in one many in the divine spark light fire purified Holy Spirit in eye of fire is in me and five stand as one M1911 Michael my God given name God's Armys without borders will stand for one nation under God indivisible by 4 with each I stand for liberty and justice for all known to the true and just father and true virgin mother creator ALL in out of the darkness and into the light fire purified Holy Spirit in eye of fire out the divine spark light fire purified Holy Spirit in the first ttue star light fire purified Holy Spirit in eye of fire out the true virgin mother creator and divine spark light fire bore the first true star light fire purified Holy Spirit in eye of fire out the divine spark and true virgin mother creator cause and effect given amnesty from law won't taste death seen beginnings from ends first became last last first out womb and in man born the untouchable living book twin or other half in a whole in one choosen before he was known before he was proclaimed three times over before he was born again in life without tasting death born again in life in Christ the living Son of Man won't taste death known to the true virgin mother creator married the father out womb before I was born choose known proclaimed three times over before he was born in Christ in life without tasting death seen beginnings from ends first became last shown Way walking Path probation dark knights you will look for him and not be able to find him see him from eyes see true and just known what I mean see is I see in God's given understanding see I am the hope for the man of understanding see I can explain adds up makes sense doesn't change stays the same is God's given understanding see is I see in God's given eye is I speck in i beam out I am the superman five stand as one whole in one whole in one many Michael my God given name I understand exactly what I stand for i understand can explain adds up makes sense doesn't change stays the same is God's given understanding see is I see in God's given name as I see in God's Armys without borders will stand for one nation under God indivisible by 4 with each I stand angel and lines indivisible by 4 whole two doubled the day you one you became two .5 just .5 True unknown half of one whole divided split a piece of wood and I AM there where there is one or two God's I AM there three they are God's walked threw door 3 triple can't become two double 248 what will you do if you become two the day you one you became two the day you born you become two they made a copy of you the day you one you became two what will you do if you become two double the day you one you became two .5 just .5 True unknown strangers in self unknown deceiving even self pretend to understand guess you figured it out deceiving self and others pretend to be known and unknown deaf ears pretend to hear blind pretend to understand see is in what I mean see me from the words I say is in I see in me are God's given words I twin or other half in one whole in one two became in one whole in one untouchable living book was in me before I was born choose known proclaimed three times over before he was born in life without tasting death born again in Christ born 18.1.24 judgement multiply once 432 see perfect harmony in balance 369 with all in-laws above married the father known to the true virgin mother creator out womb a Trinity first and last beginning and end one and 99 born 100 one whole in one whole in one known to the true virgin mother creator before he was born choose before he was born known proclaimed three times over before he was born choose seen beginnings from ends first became last last first out womb and 1.24.76 add move right repeat return to one whole in one whole in three is one whole in one perfect true and just known self reborn two became one three returned in one whole in one whole in one many in the divine spark light fire purified Holy Spirit in eye of fire is in me and five stand as one Michael nickname Moezer at 3 speech impediment shorted to Moe out womb Jeremy Michael middle name nickname Moezer at 3 speech impediment shorted to Moe in the purple and gold state five stand as one known to the ALL undeniably proclaimed three times over before he was born known to the undeniable living one could proclaim you undeniably three times over before he was born choose known proclaimed three times over before he was born the untouchable living one won't taste death
I saw Napoleon years ago in school. Thanks for reminding me why I loved it so much.
I show clips from this to my film students. It isnt dead. Thanks for making sure we are all checking it out.
I could not agree more how this is one of the unparalleled masterpieces of film that, inexplicably is disappearing from view. I first saw it 35 years ago in when Coppola re-released it. I was utterly stunned (and still am) but I’ve been even more stunned at how few people these days appreciate it.
I was lucky enough to see the restored version is projected on five screens here in Paris shows it was amazing!
Outstanding work, once again!!! I first heard of this film in one of the 80s releases. TV was filled with ads for it. Again, outstanding.
You should have spread the word, I never heard of it before.. 😂
Just finished watching it and now you post a vid about it how lucky I am.
I've always wanted to watch this movie but I couldn't find it anywhere. However they recently uploaded the full film to youtube and I couldn't be happier.
As you've probably discovered, the full film got deleted over copyright issues and so did another one posted soon afterward. I am ETERNALLY grateful to RUclips's algorithm for suggesting it to me when it was still posted. I watched some of it, came back the next evening and it had been deleted! I bought the DVD set with the great Carl Davis score and some extras on ebay. Can play it on my laptop. Then bought Brownlow's book, an enthralling view of Gance's saga and then the restoration.
Watched this in the 80s. I've always viewed the film as the most astonishing cinema I have ever experienced.
perhaps the most creative technically speaking, I still think that much of Gance's cinematographic language comes from the Brighton brothers, Gance's language is based on a literary and theatrical concept, similar to Einsestein, which is extremely far from the essence of cinema, Tarkovsky or Ming Liang through their creativity find an essence closer to the potential of cinema.
I highly recommend that everyone watch the 6 part documentary series CINEMA EUROPE: The Other Hollywood. Its about the early history of silent films in Europe and it will blow you away!! We have no idea about the world we lost when sound was put into film. One chapter focuses on the making of Abel Ganse's Napoleon. These directors were the Spielbergs, Lucas', Corman's and Kubrik's of the Silent era. Its available of RUclips in you can find it.
Coppola…as well
thanks for this!
Magnificent ❤️
Yours is the best documentary
about “Napoleon 1927”
that I have ever seen. Salute!
I know relatively little about history of film, but I'm shocked that such sophisticated techniques existed at such an early point in the development of the medium.
I saw the film -- or at least a version of the film -- over 40 years ago here in San Francisco, I think at the Castro Theater.
Ironically, the general disappointment in the Imperial ambitions of Napoleon was the death of Romanticism in Germany.
Well, at least romanticism didn't die in music (although I understand Beethoven's dissapointment when he knew that Napoleon became Emperor of France, when he used to idolize Napoleon).
Thankfully, it was cringe
@@mariuspoppFMruh?
It's all about POWER, and 'EGO', ain't it Nappy🤔⁉️
BTW, good indepth documentary on Napoleon, and Hugo👍!!!
I also saw this at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in I believe 1981. As mentioned by others, Francis Ford Coppola was there to introduce the film with an orchestra conducted by his father, who had taken Music, much of it pre-composed by others, to accompany the film. In addition, there was a phone hook up to Paris, so Abul Gance, who was still alive, could hear the crowd reaction. It is the only film I have ever been to where the crowd repeatedly gave it standing ovations while the film was actually playing. The visual imagery was absolutely astonishing, and when color was introduced at the very end after a few hours of black-and-white the effect was electrifying. 😮I had originally gone at the suggestion of a coworker, who was a film buff and who told me that this film was one of the eight wonders of the world. He was absolutely right and in fact, in many ways, it superseded the other wonders. The film manages to be both intimate and epic at the same time.
The term Romanic (without the T) should be used to describe derivatives of Roman culture, language, etc.. - Although they are called Romance languages, the term Romantic (with the T) is used to describe amorous intentions.
I saw this film in 1981 at the Radio City Music Hall in NY. I really enjoyed it and there was a live orchestra.
I question your opening thesis. More people have watched Napoleon since the BFI released their Blu-ray in 2016 than in the proceeding decades. The film has definitely seen a resurgence in popularity - as much as one can reasonably expect for a six hour silent film.
That last sentence got me. 😂😂😂
I disagree and would go even further, it's a film that noone has seen let alone heard about, just read these comments they all talk about watching it at some obscure film fest or museum.
You make a compelling case for elevating the film's status in the history of film. But there's a difference between how filmmakers view a film and how everyone else views it. The difficulty with the film is that it draws way too much attention to its own medium. Consider this: is it good literature when the reader, while reading, is constantly being made aware of the metaphors being used, the placement of punctuation in a sentence, the choice of print font, the paper thickness of the page? The danger of making the reader overly aware of technique and medium is that the narrative purpose can be not only obscured, but completely lost. My problem with Abel Gance is that by choosing Napoleon as the subject for this inventive film, he relies so heavily on his french audience's cultural familiarity with the figure, that without this presupposition(!), the film would lose much of its impact. Without the assumed reverence for Napoleon, the film begins to look a bit histrionic, and even silly. And this is its problem. Interestingly, when I watched this commentary, I couldn't help but think of Leni Riefenstahl and her Roman-tic treatment of Adolf Hitler and National Socialism. I think Gance in 1927, and Riefenstahl in 1935 ("Triumph of the Will"), were so enthralled by a monumentalist approach to the language of cinema, that they thoughtlessly pressed it into the service of figures of the greatest political ambition. There is such a political naivete to their work that you can only shake your head in wonder.
That was very interesting. I saw the movie back in 1982 at the Chicago Theater. The theater had been recently restored, and the films presentation was a major event in Chicago. Strangely, it was also the first silent film I ever saw, soI was overwhelmed by many things, including have a seat way to the side. It was very long. There was som much imagery it was hard to comprehend, but I do remember the beginning andtheend very distinctly. These days, I've seen many more silent films, so it's easier to understand Napoleon's place and I can see how unique it is. I agree with much of what you said about it being innovative. Unfortunately, being the pinnacle of silent film artistry doomed it as sound was already appearing at this time. The irony is that sound suddenly stuck the cameras in one place, and for a few years, the public thought that wathcing stillness with sound was a technical acheivement quiteabove the artistry of films such as Napoleon.
Dang....just the clips are better than that CRAP Phoenix just starred in
Nine hours long is not a film.
I agree, it's absolutely brilliant but nine hours is too long.
Who said it was forgotten?
I can't remember it ever being screened on UK TV in the 80s and 90 and I've never seen it.
It could be the only film to show to students. Thanks for this romantic ode to Gance's work.
I met Monsieur Gance in Minneapolis during a short trip he had made in the US, a very interesting filmmaker. Had a wonderful sense of joiie de vivre. He also had people involved with the Academie Francaise in the midwest whom were sponsoring and helping him at the time when he was here. Glad to have had the chance to have met him. 😉 A national treasure of France!
So I'm guessing this is better than the Ridley Scott film?
"Forgotten?" I though when it was resurrected in the 1980s with a massive distribution that is would be remembered after its restoration.
I have to ask this LOADED question? HOw many US ACtors/ Directors could stand up to this scrutiny today? How many of them could withstand even one hour of film making this extreme and wonderful...let's ask the wonderful young actress: Rachel Ziegler? She''ll know the answers.
So the most creative is the best?
I've seen that whole movie, once on TV, it was awesome, especially his youth stood out. He was shown as an unstoppable fierce kid. Just snowball scene. Indeed a masterwork!
Fascinating insight, my friend, a true, historical, masterpiece…
I’m sure.
Worthy of Ridley, Scotts, restoration, and preservation film fund.
I’m sure he would agree ..
Come on Ridley, do something for history. Viva La film.🙂.
I saw this film in 1981 at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. Carmine Coppola, the uncle of Francis Ford Coppola, conducted an orchestra playing the score he composed for the film. I reviewed it in the Vacaville Reporter newspaper after experiencing this extraordinary film. So it was noticed, by me anyway, and the members of the audience that night, more than forty years ago.
I was there too
Really? Small world. I wouldn't mind swapping memories of that night.😊
Bro don’t do this to me, I just recently watched Satantango, can’t deal with another 4+ hour movie for a while 😅
For years the film wasn't shown because of difficulties with projection. Then came the decades long slog of restoration. But don't call it 'forgotten.' It was never forgotten. Also I wish the original score of Arthur Honegger had been likewise restored for this latest edition.
Thanks so much for your effort in making this video. Abel Gance's "Napoleon' " in my opinion one of the greatest films of all time. I have seen the film once, as a student back in the late 70's, and I have never forgotten how much I enjoyed the incredible cinematography. Thanks even more for showing the three camera scene, that was awesome! That scene was missing from the version I saw. Great video!!!
I wonder what you look for in the medium of the movie if you honestly consider it the best?
'' No worries. A remake is coming out as soon as enough dumb people know about it. ''
..was what I initially came here to write, before knowing what the subject matter is. Now I'm just crying and laughing at the same time.
Can't find this movie anywhere tho it's being gate kept by the Coppolas and the BFI lol. If it was more readily available it wouldn't be fading out of the public eye so rapidly.
Coppola is the only one doing the gate-keeping. BFI is doing the exact opposite with their home media release, which can be readily ordered from Amazon UK.
Remember when they first started selling us all on the internet and its impact on access to entertainment? I remember a commercial back in the day where a guy shows up at a hotel in the middle of nowhere. He asks the hotel worker what was available to watch, and she smugly replies, "All rooms have every movie ever made in every language any time." That's what we were sold. What a joke. You can't find ANYTHING on these streaming services. And this 1927 version of Napoleon? Not a chance in hell. Can't even rent it on Amazon. Another bait and switch.
I would question your idea that #Shakespeare is ground zero for #Romanticism. The bard himself is adapting other work- He adapts Chaucer in #Troilus..
This is a hugeeee ad to buy a region-less blu ray player
most creative director is Jodorowsky
Forgotten? I think many people know, but haven't seen, this Napoleon, which is more famous than other films about the Emperor who were made mainly for TV.
Abel Gance's Napoleon is not forgotten. It is regarded as a silent masterpiece. It was taught at my university - and not in the film department, in the comp lit department!
I scored two tickets to a showing of this "lost" film in the eighties, and really enjoyed it for a piece from it's time. But let's not go over the top: it's HARDLY a really great film at all.
Saw 'Napoleon' at film school. Terrific film. But the greatest film ever made is "La Strada' by Fellini. Might pick up 'Napoleon' on DVD to test this.
What doesn't help Napoleon's longevity is that, at least in the US, it's not readily available to watch on streaming or even physical media (other than a VHS print of the version with Coppola's father's score). Yes, it is more readily available on Region 2 media release, but that doesn't help us American cinephiles.
If your computer can play DVDs, you're in luck.
One minute in and you have yet to mention the name of this "forgotten masterpiece". No wonder no one knows about it, most people would have clicked off by now.
El personaje escogido es antipáticamente megalómano en su novelesca vida ... Sí la propaganda es para el Lenguaje cinemático sí lo logró... Pero la épica ya esta fenecida para ese entonces... Diziga Vertov es más moderno, da con la calle y el hombre de la calle enlaberintado en las imágenes cinéticas... Pateciera que Gance, quiso lograr lo que Víctor Hugo quería: un pintor que lograra plasmar el torbellino y fragor de la batalla... En Que Viva México, Einsestein logra una mejor obra cinemática (sin edición definitiva) sin tanto
exceso visual y con una historia de amplitud más grande y con remansos de lo cotidiano...
Completely an access issue. I’m in the US and want to watch this movie. It’s not available in the US. In order to watch it, I would need to buy a regionless BluRay player and the UK BluRay. It would cost ~$190. Other long films like Jeanne Dielman, Satantango, Shoah, all rank highly on BFI. It’s all access.
You can play it in your computer if it plays DVDs.
I have a copy of Gance's Napoleon and I can confirm it is brilliant. It is a silent film from 1927 and only covers up to the Italian Campaign 1797.
How did you get such a treasure?
@@meeekait's on bluray
People don't realize how much credibility they lose when they use words like "the most", "ever", "in the world" etc as a click bait. If these are their personal opinions they should state it upfront, otherwise they should leave out these bold, ambiguous statements. I personally don't watch these videos as I have the feeling I'm wasting my time with unreliable content.
Hollywood is creatively bankrupt not just because studio heads are out of touch, the whole country is in a societal decay. This is a great opportunity for other countries to produce films other than indie 'stills'.
Absolutely agree. We're seeing that already with Japan and Korea. But I wish France gave more money to its indie auteurs. Great profile picture, I love Whistler's Nocturne
@@antoinepetrov France is in a creative bankrupcy after the pandemic as well. Ty for kind words.☺
@@soloistdeve Sadly true. Thanks for responding!
Maybe if more people who were upset about the state of things would actually become filmmakers and artists it would be different? I think the problem is most people would rather settle with where they are in life and spend their time on social media complaining about society instead of doing art and helping change things themselves.
@@squigglyarmz197 That's a peculiar way for an insult. I don't complain about anything. Just stating the fact that your art has gone to shit because your society has gone to shit. I'm not American, I live in a different reality. I create where I can when I can, I have to eat. Why don't you go make a movie then? You can get in your car, just off the California. Could you let me know what you're waiting for?
What a wonderful tribute to Gance's Napoleon to have it critiqued this way. I first watched the masterpiece in 1976 when, as a student attending Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Professor Paul Ben-Zvi negotiated to obtain a copy for a single night showing. I was there by invitation as were most of the other people in attendance. The event was very spectacular and was one of the most memorable events I have ever experienced.
I watched the 1st 120 minuets of this awesome film in film class back in the 70s. My mind was blown. Wish I could see the rest of it,
21:19
- I love power. But it is as an artist that I love it. I love it as a musician loves his violin, to draw out its sounds and chords and harmonies.
-Men are more easily governed through their vices than through their virtues.
-Men will believe anything unless it's written in the bible.
-Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich.
-Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever. Napoleon Bonaparte
-There are only two forces in the world, the sword and the spirit. In the long run the sword will always be conquered by the spirit.
-Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.
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~Napoleon Bonaparte
Great piece, I’ve been trying to track this film down for years in the United States. Is the only way to view it being the BFI Blu-ray on a region free player? Please advise!
I saw the version that was released in the 80s. It was truly amazing. I was bitterly disappointed in the latest version with Joaquin Phoenix.
Me too but other than this films historical landmarks and innovative ideas its hardly the GOAT that is being gushed about by everyone in this comments section. 👍
I don't know what I was expecting you to look like, but I certainly wasn't expecting you to look like a guitarist from a Greek black metal band. Great video as always, I definitely need to check out Abel Gance's Napoleon. I'm sure it'll be a lot better than the latest bit of overblown Ridley Scott schlock at the very least.
I just saw it for the first time last week. When the camera moved during the snowball fight, I understood.
I'm stunned. How shockingly ahead of its time this film is!
Forgotten? It was restored and toured the country in the early 80s with a live orchestra playing the score. I saw it at the Chicago Theatre in 1982 with Carmine Coppola (Francis Ford Coppola's father) conducting the orchestra. It was widely promoted and reviewed and played to large audiences in major cities. I have it on DVD, and owned the poster from the revival.
I believe the British Film Institute also issued a DVD of the restored print.
I saw this film with a live full orchestral accompaniment in a theater when the movie was revived in the latter half of the 20th century. The eagle went blind from all the lights.
How do you know the eagle went blind from the lights?
At the time I saw the movie I remember reading this about the movie.@@lyudmila2882
I've seen it. It's very good but I wouldn't say it's the most creative film ever made!
You say the full film ran to 9 hours. Aren't you confusing this film with Von Stroheim's "Greed" which originally ran to 9 hours?
It was never forgotten and it was never considered the greatest film ever made for the simple reason that, despite all the admittedly brilliant pyrotechnics, the central character is cardboard and does little but pose in scene after scene.
Gance was at his best with silent films. When he tried out colour and sound films, such as Austerliz, in the 60's, he lost his edge. Black and white allowed him far more scope in that media.
Excellent video which perfectly sums up the grandeur and excess of this film. If this can reassure fans of Gance's Napoléon, a restored version (which is considered the ultimate version as seen by spectators in 1927) at the initiative of the "Cinémathèque Française" will be presented in July 2024 after 16 years of work by director Georges Mourier to put the pieces of this Frankenstein film back together. He traveled the whole world to find the film reels and correct the missing elements (addition of images lost since 1927, correction of colors, new music, etc.). And there are numerous television reports on the progress of the film's restoration. I am French, and here the film is often cited as a reference, when Scott's film was released, many newspapers mentioned the film. So his memory still exists and some enthusiasts of the empire sometimes go to the grave of the main actor of the film Albert Dieudonné. The final and restored version of the film will also be the subject of screenings and broadcasts on public television. This new version will probably cross borders and you will have the opportunity to watch it!
No ups for me.i disagree it's the greatest film ever made. It looks like a acid trip.great for film students.but reality when merged with film is at its best life is full of still time...yes the techniques were ahead of its time .but as the attention span of a dumded down society needs quick cuts to keep the simpleton glued to Hollywood garbage. A reference to Kubrick was
Saw it at UCLA. Film school. Hugely impressive.
Your opener blurry montages are unwatchable! Detracts from the excellence of your topic and comments!!
What's annoying is the original music was incredible and beautiful. The new music is good and fits, but much of it is reused classical music.