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Napoleon

1927

Abel Gance

Albert Dieudonné, Gina Manès, Edmond Van Daële, Antonin Artaud ...

8.0

2,964

Drama. War A biopic of Napoleon which spans approximately 16 years. It covers Napoleon's childhood, his first strategic victory (a schoolyard snowball fight), his rise through the ranks after the Revolution and his marriage to Josephine, and culminates in the Italian campaign in 1797.

	Author	Review
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"For its pure ambition, panache and passion, Abel Gance’s 1927 biographical masterpiece is a staggering achievement (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"The movie boldly uses symbolism, highly dramatic cross-cutting, spilt-screen images and special effects to pound us over the head with its fantasy and idealism (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United Kingdom	Dave Calhoun Time Out	"It’s well worth putting in the time for this stirring masterpiece (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Manohla Dargis The New York Times	"He had created a film towering in ambition, scale, cost, narrative and technical innovations, and believed that nothing less than 'the future of the cinema' was at stake. His audacity had merit."	POS
United Kingdom	Geoffrey Macnab The Independent	"'Napoleon' is a truly startling experience. As a war movie, it has a scale, ambition and demented bombast that puts even 'Apocalypse Now' to shame (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	David Parkinson Empire	"Gance's use of subjective camera was almost recklessly ambitious in its bid to give the spectator the most visceral viewing sensation (...) Long but worth it (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Mick LaSalle SFGATE	"Rich feast of images, emotions (...) 'Napoleon' is great in an entirely unique way, and the experience it provides - at times, akin to taking a drug - is unlike anything I've ever experienced in a movie theater"	POS
United States	Lou Lumenick New York Post	"There’s not a dull spot in those 5 ½ hours of bravura filmmaking (...) A masterpiece"	POS
United Kingdom	BBC	"'Napoleon' still seems revolutionary (...) The crowd scenes were spectacular and Gance’s direction was mesmeric, particularly his innovative camerawork."	POS
United States	Kevin Jagernauth The Playlist	"A cinematic experience like no other"	POS
United Kingdom	Telegraph	"[A] cinematic masterpiece"	POS

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