Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant Series
Review: As someone who had bought Victoria's Empire in the PBS series, I decided to buy all four series and I was not disappointed. Although the narration by Sigourney Weaver in Rome in the First Century is rather dull and monotonous, the Napoleon series is far superior. David McCullough does a splendid job as narrator, one of those voices that you could listen to contently for hours. I watched the whole series in two sittings and the time flew by. I wasn't particularly interested in Napoleon before now, but after watching the series you cannot but admire this man who came from nothing to dominate Europe at the turn of the 19th century. One can also forget the sheer success he enjoyed and the analogies that are often made between Hitler's battle successes and Napoleon's, and their eventual downfall in the vast terrain that is Russia. The visuals in the series are stunning, making good use of battle recreations, paintings and the palaces where Napoleon once resided. I found it rather ironic when Napoleon dismissed a proposed singular attack by Prussia as an insult, especially when one considers how Prussia was to later become the powerhouse of Europe and crush France herself in 1871. This series will appeal to anyone remotely interested in history. A standard that all history documentaries should aim for!
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: excellent look into the life of napoleon. i wasn't sure if i felt napoleon deserved what he got in the end or if i should feel sorry for the guy. very informative. i use it for my 10th grade world history class.
Rating:
Summary: excellent
Review: excellent look into the life of napoleon. i wasn't sure if i felt napoleon deserved what he got in the end or if i should feel sorry for the guy. very informative. i use it for my 10th grade world history class.
Rating: 
Summary: Just scratched the surface...
Review: For anyone who knows next to nothing about Napoleon, this four hour documentary will serve as a good general introduction. The key word there is "general" because the documentary gives us merely a whirlwind tour through some of the highlights of one of the most amazing and complex figures in history.It had a promising beginning, with nice background about Corsica and Napoleon's parents. But by the time the young Bonaparte becomes an artillery lieutenant, the sense of trying to cram too much into a limited time frame soon overwhelms. I found myself shaking my head over the gaps and glossed over information - and the tendency to over-simplify. What is presented is presented fairly well. But I kept wondering about the bits that were left out. Several times, the program mentions that Napoleon gave advancement based on merit rather than birth or privilege. But we never hear about any of those extraordinary men such as Lannes, Murat, Duroc, Berthier, Junot who made it such an age of heroic and remarkable men. Marshal Ney is mentioned only once - at the battle of Waterloo. Talleyrand is quoted (once) but his contribution totally overlooked. Wellington comes out of nowhere at Waterloo - his campaign in Spain left on the cutting room floor. The fascinating thing about the Napoleonic age was that there were so many larger than life figures making history at the same time. Napoleon was probably the greatest, but not the only one. And more than a little of his success was due to these other men. Similarly, the program gives the impression that Napoleon is still buried on St Helena. There is no mention of the triumphant return of his remains to France - not a single shot of his magnificent tomb in Paris. And nothing is said about the subsequent behaviour of Empress Marie Louise or the fate of Napoleon's unfortunate son. It could have been so much better.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent documentary
Review: For some strange reason when I purchased this DVD I thought it was a film rather than a documentary. However I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this 4 hour documentary which is all included on one double sided DVD. The documentary looks at Napoleon's life from the cradle to the grave and includes all facets of his life not just his military genius. That is not to say that Napoleons battles are ommitted as his major campaigns are examined and the reasons which brought them about (including his proposed invasion of Britain). Napoleon who was of Corsican birth orginally despised the French but in time came to love France and saw himself not only as defender of the revolution but almost as the crusade againsnt monarchism in Europe. Napoleon strongly beleived in his star and will power. The documentary makes great use of Napoleonic art work and historians from France, Russia, Germany, Britain and the USA (including Colonel John R Etling co author of "A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars"). There are also some battle recreations but only on a small scale. The documentary does a fine job of trying to cover everything or is much as it can in 4 one hour parts, from childhood, solidering, Josephine, the Grand Army, changes brought about in France, master of Europe, exile and death. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this DVD and recommend it to anyone with an interest in history or the Napoleonic wars. The only disappointment was the colour quality, for red seemed to look more like purple on occassions. For that reason alone I have not given 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Fine Series, Well Done
Review: I really enjoyed this presentation, and it covered a remarkable amount of material. It was a bit dumbed-down, but I think it's intent was to be an introduction to the career of a most remarkable man- not a summation. It was too bad that the ending couldn't have been re-shot to include the new developments in research, that Napoleon was in fact slowly poisioned to death with arsenic, by one of the trusted and closest members of his entourage. The video presents Napoleon's death as being essentially from despair, which might have some validity, but it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he had survived into old age. After all, no one would have predicted that our country could ever have respected Richard Nixon again after Watergate and his resignation in disgrace. He managed to be, after a number of years, well-regarded as a kind of elder statesman, with his acumen and hindsight much valued. It's possible that such might have happened with Napoleon, for he certainly had the gifts of intellect and energy with which to start a second career. Oh well. Worth having in your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Fine Series, Well Done
Review: I really enjoyed this presentation, and it covered a remarkable amount of material. It was a bit dumbed-down, but I think it's intent was to be an introduction to the career of a most remarkable man- not a summation. It was too bad that the ending couldn't have been re-shot to include the new developments in research, that Napoleon was in fact slowly poisioned to death with arsenic, by one of the trusted and closest members of his entourage. The video presents Napoleon's death as being essentially from despair, which might have some validity, but it would have been interesting to see what would have happened if he had survived into old age. After all, no one would have predicted that our country could ever have respected Richard Nixon again after Watergate and his resignation in disgrace. He managed to be, after a number of years, well-regarded as a kind of elder statesman, with his acumen and hindsight much valued. It's possible that such might have happened with Napoleon, for he certainly had the gifts of intellect and energy with which to start a second career. Oh well. Worth having in your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Entertaining & Informative!
Review: If your tired of the boring biographies covering Napoleon, than this one's for you. This masterfully produced video set is both entertaining and informative. This film delves deep into the soul of the great emperor. From the cinematic splendor of the great battle scenes to the heartwarming love he felt for the people of France and his beloved Josephine, you'll walk away from this film with the feeling that you stood right next to this man throughout his trials and tribulations. A must see for any student of history and lover of greatness. A+++
Rating:
Summary: Superb history of a man who named an era
Review: It is a truism of history that empires that rise quickly due to force of arms fall fast and hard. The two most pronounced are the German "empire" of the 1930's and 1940's and the French empire under Napoleon in the early nineteenth century. Both rose very quickly and fell even faster, ironically due to making the same mistake, invading Russia with a mighty army, only to see it swallowed up by the land and the weather.
Both Hitler and Napoleon aspired to dominate the heart of the European continent, yet were not satisfied when they achieved it. Each planned an invasion of the British Isles, yet both were unable to carry out even an attempt. Finally, both rose from humble origins, and neither was originally from the country they came to dominate. Hitler was Austrian and Napoleon was Corsican, and each at some point believed in their own great historical destiny.
Napoleon was clearly the greatest military genius of his time and one of the most dynamic personalities of all time. His drive to succeed was incredible, what he created was a genuine, popular personality cult based on his powerful charisma. As I watched the tape, it was easy to be impressed at how he rose to such heights. Of course, he had help in his rise to power, as all who manage to rise to such power must have.
The pent-up forces that launched the French revolution, the subsequent terror and backlash all led to a nation that was eager for a great savior. Given his military victories and the hostility of the monarchist states in Europe to Republican France, it was probably inevitable that a military dictatorship emerged. Napoleon's rise to power was not a social retreat, only a political one. He was shrewd enough to maintain the measures of social equality won by the revolution, which was guaranteed to win popular support.
Until I watched this tape, I was unaware of how much energy Napoleon had. He was directly involved in many of the details of government, often dictating correspondence until his secretaries collapsed out of exhaustion. His love for Josephine was also genuine and deep, even when he was preparing for the battles that would expand his empire, he took the time out to write her detailed, thoughtful letters.
Unfortunately, Josephine was unable to bear the required male heir to the throne, and political necessity dictated that Napoleon divorce her to marry someone who could. He was quite generous in his treatment of Josephine, giving her a palatial home and a large pension. One of the most interesting and debatable points in the tape concerns the changes that came over Napoleon after his son was born. There is no question that he was a devoted husband and father and there are suggestions in the tape that the time spent performing these duties kept him from ruling effectively. I believe that the empire was largely doomed anyway, any reduction in his effectiveness due to family obligations could only have hastened the fall.
There have been three great revolutions in the last three centuries, one that spawned the United States, another in France and the third that created the Soviet Union. While the last two led to dictatorships, terror and empires, the difference was that the French empire was led by a man who exhibited many human traits and whose life is interesting in the human as well as historical sense. No one could ever say that about Joseph Stalin. This tape captures all the grandeur and humanity of Napoleon, the passion for war, the passion for Josephine and his boundless energy that drove him beyond what even he could achieve. Since it is not possible to understand nineteenth century Europe without learning about the Napoleonic era, any study of that century should begin with a viewing of this tape.
Rating: 
Summary: Russian Winter Again . . . And Summer, Too
Review: Oh, Josephine . . . flowers, gardens and harp-playing. An acute and penetrating analysis of historical events! Vive l'Empereur! . . . It is amusing how even almost two centuries later, a French historian (!) refuses to admit that someone could have possibly understood The Great French Military Genius. Why on Earth Mikhail Kutuzov 'possibly did not understand, but just sensed' Napoleon's intentions for the battle of Austerlitz? No wonder the General, who broke the backbone of Le Grand Armee in Russia, wasn't even mentioned again in this rather lengthy documentary. Why bother? The Spaniards revolted against Bonaparte because 'they loved their country more than he loved his,' but the invasion to Russia turned out to be a mistake because Russian summer was too hot and Russian winter was too cold (same all too often applies to Hitler). According to the creators of the 'Empires,' Russians were able to give only one battle and burn their own (former) capital city down . . . um, yes, there were also cossacks, but that's it. I'd expect something like that from the History Channel, but not from PBS . . .
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