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| Napoleon | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 30 2012, 11:29 AM (608 Views) | |
| panzer the great & terrible | Mar 30 2012, 11:29 AM Post #1 |
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Mouth Breather
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This colossal six-hour epic made me laugh and cry. When was the last time a war movie made you cry? Whatever your opinion of the real-life Napoleon may be, Perhaps you will agree that he was a born leader, and that's what this movie is about: what leadership is, and how important it is. This picture shows how Napoleon rose to power, contrasting him to such men as Robespierre, Danton, and Marat, who are depicted as betrayers of the French revolution. That's a little oversimplified, but not much. What's problematic for us today is the notion that political and military power confer goodness, as in might makes right, but in France after the humiliating experience of WWI, such an attitude had considerable charm. And this film is, first and foremost, patriotic. Anybody in the know can tell you that the last two reels use three projectors and fill a Cinerama-size screen. Yes, the dividing line between the different screens is a bit messy, just as it was with Cinerama; but Gance uses the three screens creatively, not just as a way to portray things on a grand scale. There are times when a huge close up of Napoleon is flanked on the sides by his troops rushing into battle, and there is one breathtaking moment when the entire screen is filled with tinted images that form the French tricolor flag. Seeing the film in a packed theater with a 45-piece symphony orchestra, augmented by a hurdy-gurdy and the theater's huge Wurlitzer organ, with an audience that cheered and applauded each brilliant effect was unforgettable. One thing for sure--I've had to revise my opinion of Abel Gance. Edited by panzer the great & terrible, Apr 19 2012, 12:19 AM.
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| Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious... | |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Apr 18 2012, 09:36 AM Post #2 |
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Mouth Breather
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Just an add-on to point out that my review of this picture finally got written. If the review makes you want to see the picture, I'm sorry to say there is no DVD planned, mostly because you'd have to have three Tvs side by side to watch it. Sorry but it just couldn't happen. all you can do is wait for somebody to be fool enough to try to bring it off again. Scuttlebutt is, the thing just barely paid for itself this last time, but it's always lost money before. All four shows pretty much sold out, but there were unexpected expenses, bribes and so forth. It was in Oakland, after all, which is not known for the probity of its so-called public servants. Another factor was the Sunday performances, both requiring overtime for the orchestra. Union rules. it wouldn't be possible to fill that huge place on a Week day, but there had to be four performances to break even, and the movie lasted seven hours with intermissions. So there you are. It surely is a great picture, but it's also a great folly. You have to marvel that Kevin Brownlow has spent so much time and energy making it possible for anyone at all to enjoy. There is a rumor that someone connected with the French cinematheque is working on another, independent reconstruction of the picture, with footage Kevin doesn't have. I have no way of knowing if that's true. If so, there is a small possibility that version may get a home video release of some sort -- but I wouldn't count on it. I knew going in that this was my one and only chance to see the picture, and, turns out, it surpassed all my expectations. Let me put it this way: the long version of The Leopard is now my second favorite movie of all time. Edited by panzer the great & terrible, Apr 22 2012, 07:42 AM.
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| Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious... | |
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| Frank Hale | Apr 18 2012, 01:38 PM Post #3 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Since this new print is apparently 2 hours longer than the Coppola version, do you have any idea what's been added? |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Apr 18 2012, 02:28 PM Post #4 |
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Mouth Breather
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I didn't see the Coppola version. There was a two-reel sequence about Napoleon's boyhood that could have been removed without anybody noticing. The Siege of Toulon section could have been shorter, at the risk of sacrificing most of the excitement (That section could stand alone as a fine feature). There's a long sequence about the Reign of Terror that some folks might consider irrelevant to the story, with Gance himself as a foppish St. Just, but, to my way of thinking, removing this would do great damage. If Brownlow finds more footage, and more appears to exist, I'd be happy to see an even longer version. It's one hell of a movie, and, as he says, every time he finds new footage the movie gets better. Another piece of lore: Gance had planned five or six movies about Napoleon, and raised the money for the project, but unfortunately spent all the money on the first installment. Well, that's what they say in the current issue of Cineaste magazine. Do I believe it? Well, let's just say it's kind of a stretcher. Edited by panzer the great & terrible, Apr 22 2012, 07:43 AM.
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| Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious... | |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Apr 22 2012, 07:46 AM Post #5 |
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Mouth Breather
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Anybody interested in Napoleon might jump over to the Nitrateville site. Lots of plot details buried in the opinionizing. |
| Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious... | |
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| Frank Hale | Apr 22 2012, 12:17 PM Post #6 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Paul, I assume you know Mr. Brownlow wrote a book about the film and his early restoration efforts. I read it back in the 80's. |
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| panzer the great & terrible | Apr 23 2012, 05:36 AM Post #7 |
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Mouth Breather
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I know it exists but have never found a copy. Brownlow also directed a picture you may remember, It Happened Here, about what it would have been like if the UK went Nazi. Talented man. |
| Life is just a bowl of cherries, it's too mysterious, don't take it serious... | |
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