Rating: 
Summary: SO WHY WAS THIS LITTLE MAN SO LOVED BY HIS SOLDIERS?
Review: Because Napoleon was one of the great orators in history, that's why. His talent for saying what people wanted to hear and stirring up blind obedience regardless of the consequences would not be matched until well over a century later when Hitler came along. But you would never guess that from watching this so-so miniseries. It's a shame, too. The impassioned speach he gave his men during the Italian campaign makes for perfect epic film making. It also constitutes part of what makes the legend of Napoleon so enduring. Watch it for the pretty costumes if you enjoy that kind of stuff, but don't expect a good history lesson. Peace, bro.
Rating: 
Summary: I prefer the French Version
Review: First of all I know that there are those who will fly speck historical accuracy. I agree there are some minor problems.These problems were made worse by the editing of the English language version (the French version is 6 hours long)...for example; the narration does not exist in the French version...In the English version Napoleon arrives in Egypt, rides along some sand dunes to narration then is teleported to France...in the French version there is more than 20 minutes devoted to the Egyptian Campaign that just disappears in the English version. The narration is not particularly good and was done by someone who was not terribly familar with the time period and French idiomatic expression... An example would be when the narration says Napoleon's Ashes were returned to France...In French, what was returned were his "cindres"...which literally does translate as ashes...but in French has a more allegorical meaning, as in "ashes to ashes dust to dust"...a translation of "mortal remains" would have been more accurate... On the positive side and why I give this movie 5 stars and why you have to buy it is the visual feast...it will make your eyes pop and give you the justification for that large screen TV. This film had an unlimited budget (and I mean unlimited)...the costumes are very well done with close attention to detail...and what is unusual is that there are a lot of them...I don't mean 10 to 12 people in a scene...I means hundreds and sometimes hundreds and hundreds...the coronation looks like a living version of the David painting. The balls and the court scenes are well populated...The battle scenes are all in vein of those in the Rod Steiger Waterloo film. Literally regiments of reinactors, scenes of hundreds of heavy cavalry charging through the snows of Eylau, Napoleon leading 100's of reinactors in the charge at the bridge of Arcole in the face of several hundred Austrian reinactors...long shots of over a thousand at Jena...fantastic... (As an aside those who know the Sharpe series will remember that the further one goes into the series the more people horses and carriages there are in the film...) An example of what I mean by an extravagant budget is a scene on the road during the Polish Campaign when Napoleon receives the news of the birth of Count Leon his first illegitimate child...this scene has the prinicipal actors as you would expect...and not one but two carriages with a third one arriving during the scene...3 count them 3 vintage carriages in the scene when they could have gotten away with the scene shot next to a building...then they go and have the Grande Armee march by while they are in conversion just to let us know how huge their budget was...I mean they had to position cameras and the carriages, the actors and the dispatch rider coming in with the news all so you can see the road and actually watch more several hundred extras march by not in just a generic uniform, but in uniforms which change color accents based on the regiment and the colors of pom poms on the shako's changing with the company.... The use of extras, sets, props is lavish...I felt that this is the world as I imagined. All the props down to the little details are there...the anecdotes...even Mameluke Ali...This is to the Napoleon's Empire what the movie Cleopatra is to Julius and Augustus Ceasar. This is a fantastic costume drama...if you like the clothes and settings in Duelists, War and Peace, Waterloo, Dangerous Liasons...then "you ain't seen nothin' yet". Superbly turned out cast of thousands in extraordinary sets... In summary...can you nit pick this movie?...you betcha...and I'll bet I can do it as well anyone else...on the other hand I am extremely appreciative that a decision was made to spend this much money giving me a glimpse into the world of the 1st Empire... If you like the period then you have no choice but to own this...if you are concerned about the historical accuracy...then I suggest you go Amazon.fr order the 6 hour French version and turn the sound off...you obviously know enough already that you don't need to hear what they are saying. Michael La Vean,
Fellow, International Napoleonic Society
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Summary: MY FRENCHIES FRIENDS CHRISTIAN CLAVIER and
Review: Gérard DEPARDIEU and THE SPLENDID OTHER FRIEND FOR MYSELF WHO'S JOHN MALKOVITCH (AN OTHER GENIOUS) !!! YES I LIKE THE GENIOUS OR IF YOU PREFER : " THE MORE INTELLIGENTS " THIS STORY OR LONG MOVIE IS A CONCEPT TO LEARN THE REAL STORY OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE OR EMPEROR NAPOLEON 1er LONG BUT TRUE AND EFFECTIVE !!! NOT BOREDOM !!!!!! SPLENDID BECAUSE WITH MANY AVERAGES AND GOODS ENTITY ! PRODIGY ......... FRENCH !!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Extremely disappointing
Review: I am quite interested in the French Revolution and Napoleon, so any story about the subject usually attracts my attention so I bought this one. To say it was disappointing is an understatement. The acting was almost laughable and the historical facts seemed exagerated or in some cases, outright silly. I have a large collection of DVD's but did not want to put this one on the shelf because it was so bad. I thought I would give it away to a friend, but I thought it was so bad I don't know any friends who would might have liked it- it bordered on the offensive, especially for people who appreciate real non-fiction. I am not sure what made it so bad, but the direction, acting, and questionable historical accuracy could certainly use a lot of improvement. This was originally made for American television, so like much of American TV I believe it was made as cheaply as possible and made to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
Rating: 
Summary: A great introduction to Napoleon
Review: I enjoy history, but before watching this film I knew next to nothing about Napoleon.
On the upside, the central cast performances are all excellent, and the scenery and costuming are all indescribably delicious. This film is simply an orgy of palaces, country homes, landscapes, beautiful women in beautiful dresses and seemingly endless 19th century military opulence. The story touches on most of Napoleon's life and was a compelling and enjoyable way to be introduced to him. It should also be mentioned that the lighting, cinematography and music are truly beautiful and moving, and the film looks and sounds great on DVD.
On the downside, the supporting cast almost all give performances that are so wooden that you wonder if they need smelling salts, and the words "made-for-TV" mean that the film cuts away from itself again and again for commercial breaks that are no longer there. Also, there are some continuity issues, as in one scene where it appears that Napoleon is wounded in the leg, saying "It is nothing..." followed immediately by a scene showing him running normally to go to a fallen officer; something that would be very difficult with a musket ball in your thigh.
Don't let that stop you from renting or buying this DVD set, however, especially if you're new to Napoleonic history. It kept me interested for two straight nights, and has fueled my desire to know more about this period in European history and the man that defined it.
Rating:
Summary: Not a bad movie, but a terrible DVD!
Review: I have this exact version of the DVD (a 3-disc set as pictured here), and I have to voice some pretty major complaints: 1. There are NO subtitles - not even English for the hearing impaired! 2. The sound editing is horrible! I'm not sure if this is a flaw for the movie in general or just the mix on this particular DVD, but there were several times when the musical score was playing so loud that it was nearly impossible to understand what the characters were saying. I have a top-notch 5.1 surround system, and I tried it with surround and with only the TV speakers. Either way it was a horrible sound mix that made it hard to make out what was said. This is forgivable for movies that at least offer you subtitles so you can "read" what the characters are saying, but with this movie you are left with no choice but to back-up and start the scene over. 3. There is no reason why this version couldn't have fit on one disk. The version sold here in Europe has the exact same technical specifications and fits nicely on one disk (all four episodes). The only logical reason I can see for selling it this way is to squeeze more money out of the public. It could have been sold as a 2-disc set with all four episodes on one disc and the extras on the supplementary/extra one but then they would have had to cut the retail price in half. A tragedy! On the "film" side of things, the movie is only "ok" - not great. The costumes, locations and sets are all nicely done, but the makeup is horrendous (at one point you can even see the glue and tape used on one of the beards as it does a close-up that should have been reshot in pickups)! The music is bad, trying too hard to be epic. The script is much to complicated and doesn't bring us into the story nearly as well as it could. (You have to know an awful lot about Napoleon to understand what's going on at times.) The acting for the main characters is adequate - and even good at times. However, the secondary characters are quite awful. Basically, the bottom line is it's a nice-looking film (aside from bad makeup) but the story is hard to follow. On top of that, poor sound-editing and lack-of subtitles makes this a huge disappointment! I suggest looking elsewhere unless you are absolutley insistant on seeing a so-called "complete" film on the life of arguably one of the greatest powerful leaders this world has ever known.
Rating:
Summary: Good to look at but no substance
Review: I really looked forward to this. However it left me disappointed. The problem is the person who plays Napoleon. Not only does he not look like Napoleon he never convinces you that he has the intellectual ability that Napoleon surely must have had. Lovely to look at but no soul.
Rating:
Summary: A distaster !
Review: I'm french and i like history, especially Napoleon's history and i saw this miniserie in France. It's very bad and has a very low budgect felling...the dialogs are poor, they're history mistakes and it seem the more important is the lovestories around Napoleon. Huges evenements like Austerlitz war are just represented by 3 or 4 soldiers riding horses and looking verrrrry bad...! YOu have the impression that all is happening with no reason and Christian Clavier himself, the actor playing Napoleon, look suprised by all the gerats things happening to him...
Rating: 
Summary: SPLENDID INTIMATE EPIC
Review: In 1795 NAPOLEON was an unpaid general consumed with ambition. In 1816, he was a bitter exile on the remote island of St. Helena. In the years between, he was the most powerful man on earth. This three disc set -- eight hours with extras -- is an epic scale miniseries that penetrates the rise and fall of this extraordinary life. Perfectly diminutive and yet dominating, Christian Clavier is terrific as a Napoleon. Isabella Rossellini is a passionate Josephine. And an electrifying John Malkovich is the amoral Talleyrand. This lavish production is filled with action, ceremony and drama that makes the age and the man come alive. I'm no historian, and experts may quibble, but given the time constraints, I thought this overview of Napoleon's life was spellbinding and accurate in its broad strokes. Better than expected. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Delivers the "E" of the A&E
Review: It will keep you thoroughly involved. I felt the strongest performance was Malkovich, even though I do not particularly like him in any role. He made this story carry the tension and suspense that another actor could not have generated. He was ideal for the part. I enjoyed the story and felt it was quite entertaining. I have been concerned that many reviewers have stated it is not a factual account. I do look to A&E for honest productions and have come to trust them. I would hate to learn that they breached that trust in honest film production. If what you want is a strong story that provides all the elements: love, war, action, drama, suspense, and several unexpected twists, then you cannot go wrong with this one. It does deliver the "E" portion of A&E.
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