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Napoléon (1955 film)

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Napoléon
Directed bySacha Guitry
Written bySacha Guitry
Produced byClément Duhour
Angelo Rizzoli
StarringDaniel Gélin
Raymond Pellegrin
Michèle Morgan
Maria Schell
Sacha Guitry
CinematographyPierre Montazel
Edited byRaymond Lamy
Music byJean Françaix
Distributed byFilmsonor
Francinex
Les Films C.L.M.
Release date
  • 25 March 1955 (1955-03-25) (France)
Running time
187 minutes
CountriesItaly
France
LanguageFrench
Budget$1.5 million[1]
Box office5,405,252 admissions (France)[2][3]

Napoléon is a 1955 French historical epic film directed by Sacha Guitry that depicts major events in the life of Napoleon.

Napoleon is played by two actors, Daniel Gélin as a young man and Raymond Pellegrin in later life; the switch takes place during a scene at a barber. Director/actor Guitry played the role of Talleyrand, controversial diplomat and first Prime Minister of France, narrating the story from a drawing room as if having just heard of Napoleon's death on the island of Saint Helena in 1821. Guitry had played Talleyrand before, in 1948's Le Diable boiteux. Yves Montand appears as Marshal Lefebvre and Maria Schell as Marie-Louise of Austria. The film also has cameo appearances by a number of notable actors, particularly Erich von Stroheim as Ludwig van Beethoven, and Orson Welles as Napoleon's British jailor, Sir Hudson Lowe.

The English version is a contemporary dub made as part of the original production, but does not run as long as the French version.

Plot

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The film follows the life of Napoleon from his early life in Corsica to his death at Saint Helena in May 1821. The film is notable for its use of location shooting for numerous scenes, especially at the French estates of Malmaison and Fontainebleau, the Palace of Versailles, and sites of Napoleonic battles including Austerlitz and Waterloo.

Cast

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References

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  1. ^ "Paris". Variety. 30 June 1954. p. 62.
  2. ^ "Napoleon". Box Office Story.
  3. ^ "Box Office Figures for Jean Marais films". Box Office Story.
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