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DILLON ON FILM
Napoleon: A Stirring Silent Classic Not Just for Film Scholars
Ridley Scott will have his work cut out topping Abel Gance’s 1927 masterpiece
With Ridley Scott’s Joaquin Phoenix-starring Napoleon about to hit cinemas, now seems an opportune time to celebrate Abel Gance’s 1927 silent masterpiece of the same name. Originally conceived as the first in a series of films, Gance wound up putting all his efforts into this one picture; a staggering achievement that originally ran at a full length of nine hours and 40 minutes at the Apollo Theatre, Paris. That version hasn’t been seen since, with much of the footage lost or destroyed. However, what remains is absolutely astonishing, and a landmark in cinema history.
Napoleon begins whilst the military genius-to-be is a schoolboy. The young Napoleon Buonaparte (Vladimir Roudenko) is at Brienne College, a French military school for upper-class children run by monks. In the opening, a snowball fight is taking place, with school bullies with a larger group antagonising Napoleon with stone-filled snowballs. There are fewer children on Napoleon’s side, but they ultimately win when inspired by Napoleon’s bravery and tactics.
