Austerlitz (1960)
Country: FR/IT/LIEC/YUG
Technical: col/scope 166m
Director: Abel Gance
Cast: Pierre Mondy, Jean Mercure, Jack Palance
Synopsis:
An endless succession of scenes depicting Napoleon's private and political life between the treaty of Amiens and the eponymous battle.
Review:
Gance, in what was clearly a lifetime obsession, returns to the subject of his silent classic but there is little sympathy or awe to be had in this strutting, wrathful Napoleon. His staunchly romantic view of the empereur - his respect for the enemy, camaraderie with the common soldier, intolerance of incompetence tempered by a heart of gold - does not convince either: after twenty minutes of bloodletting in the final battle we are treated to the moans and violins of a lyrical aftermath scene where we are supposed to imagine his feelings of compassion as he surveys the carnage. The battle itself is fairly unconvincing in its stunts and manoeuvrings, though Gance does go to some lengths to give an idea of what is going on. And the scenes in England (and heavily accented English) are appallingly under-rehearsed, with some line fluffs simply not re-shot: at one point Pitt starts to say 'Napoleon' instead of 'Nelson'!
Country: FR/IT/LIEC/YUG
Technical: col/scope 166m
Director: Abel Gance
Cast: Pierre Mondy, Jean Mercure, Jack Palance
Synopsis:
An endless succession of scenes depicting Napoleon's private and political life between the treaty of Amiens and the eponymous battle.
Review:
Gance, in what was clearly a lifetime obsession, returns to the subject of his silent classic but there is little sympathy or awe to be had in this strutting, wrathful Napoleon. His staunchly romantic view of the empereur - his respect for the enemy, camaraderie with the common soldier, intolerance of incompetence tempered by a heart of gold - does not convince either: after twenty minutes of bloodletting in the final battle we are treated to the moans and violins of a lyrical aftermath scene where we are supposed to imagine his feelings of compassion as he surveys the carnage. The battle itself is fairly unconvincing in its stunts and manoeuvrings, though Gance does go to some lengths to give an idea of what is going on. And the scenes in England (and heavily accented English) are appallingly under-rehearsed, with some line fluffs simply not re-shot: at one point Pitt starts to say 'Napoleon' instead of 'Nelson'!
Country: FR/IT/LIEC/YUG
Technical: col/scope 166m
Director: Abel Gance
Cast: Pierre Mondy, Jean Mercure, Jack Palance
Synopsis:
An endless succession of scenes depicting Napoleon's private and political life between the treaty of Amiens and the eponymous battle.
Review:
Gance, in what was clearly a lifetime obsession, returns to the subject of his silent classic but there is little sympathy or awe to be had in this strutting, wrathful Napoleon. His staunchly romantic view of the empereur - his respect for the enemy, camaraderie with the common soldier, intolerance of incompetence tempered by a heart of gold - does not convince either: after twenty minutes of bloodletting in the final battle we are treated to the moans and violins of a lyrical aftermath scene where we are supposed to imagine his feelings of compassion as he surveys the carnage. The battle itself is fairly unconvincing in its stunts and manoeuvrings, though Gance does go to some lengths to give an idea of what is going on. And the scenes in England (and heavily accented English) are appallingly under-rehearsed, with some line fluffs simply not re-shot: at one point Pitt starts to say 'Napoleon' instead of 'Nelson'!