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A Bequest to the Nation (1973)
Directed by James Cellan Jones
Looks at the relationship between Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton, played
by Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson.
Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
Directed by Raoul Walsh
Thrilling adventure saga starring Gregory Peck as a British naval officer
caught in the crossfire between the Spanish, the French and a Central
American dictator during the Napoleonic wars.
Colonel Chabert (1994)
Directed by Yves Angelo
Ten years after being wounded in the devastating battle of Eylau between
Napoleon's forces and those of the Russians in 1807, Chabert (Gérard
Depardieu) returns to Paris in the hopes of continuing his life. However,
when he discovers that his wife has claimed his fortune, has remarried,
and fails to recognise him as her former husband, he hires a dynamic lawyer
to seek justice. Fanny Ardant co-stars in this adaptation of Honoré
de Balzac's novel.
Conquest (1937)
Directed by Clarence Brown
Epic historical drama starring Charles Boyer as Napoleon and Greta Garbo
as Marie Walewska, the Polish countess who has an affair with the French
general. Lavishly produced and filled with superb performances.
Damn the Defiant! (1962)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Masterful maritime saga stars Alec Guinness as a beleaguered ship's commander
in the Napoleonic wars who must deal with the treachery of his second-in-command,
Dirk Bogarde, and mutiny among the crew led by Anthony Quayle, as well
as the advance of the French fleet
Danton (1982)
Directed by Andrzej Wajda
Set in 1794, the second year of the French republic formed after the execution
of Louis XVI, this portrays the power struggle between the revolutionary
leaders Danton (Gérard Depardieu) and Robespierre (Polish actor
Wojciech Pszoniak).
Désirée (1954)
Directed by Henry Koster
From the novel by Annemarie Selinko, this is the story of Désirée
Clary (Jean Simmons), a merchant's daughter who became engaged to Napoleon
(Marlon Brando), who jilted her for Joséphine (Merle Oberon). Désirée
then marries General Bernadotte (Michael Rennie) and the two eventually
become rulers of Sweden.
The Duellists (1977)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott's directorial debut adapts Joseph Conrad's story of two officers
in Napoleon's army who carry on a fierce and increasingly brutal series
of duels that span two decades. Harvey Keitel and Keith Carradine are
the bound-by-honour rivals.
Eagle in a Cage (1971)
Directed by Fielder Cook
An inventive historical drama focusing on Napoleon's early days in exile
on St Helena. British envoy Lord Sissal approaches the 'Little Corporal',
offering to help him escape from prison if he agrees to help organise
an attack on Prussia. John Gielgud and Billie Whitelaw star
Love and Death (1975)
Directed by Woody Allen
Allen takes playful pokes at 19th-century Russian literature and Ingmar
Bergman movies with his satire about an unlikely war hero (Allen) who
hopes to bring about an end to the Napoleonic wars by assassinating the
'Little Corporal' in Moscow.
La Marseillaise (1937)
Directed by Jean Renoir
Spectacle by Jean Renoir that lavishly documents the French Revolution
from the summer of 1789 to the final collapse of Louis XVI's monarchy.
A vivid re-creation of a turning point in world history from one of cinema's
grand masters.
Napoleon (1927)
Directed by Abel Gance
Terrific epic (over six hours long in the original version) by the 'Francis
Ford Coppola of the 1920s', using innovative techniques such as widescreen,
split screen, hand-held cameras, selective tinting. Tells of Napoleon's
early career up to the Italian campaign and shows the future emperor as
a 'tragic figure trapped in the whirlpool of history'. The film has been
restored by both British film historian Kevin Brownlow and Coppola.
Napoleon (1955)
Directed by Sacha Guitry
Orson Welles stars in this action-packed biographical drama that follows
Napoleon from his early rise to power in revolutionary France to his last
days on St Helena.
La Nuit de Varennes (1982)
Directed by Ettore Scola
On 20 June 1791, the king and queen of France tried to escape from revolutionary
Paris to join monarchist allies outside France, but were arrested in the
town of Varennes. Linked to this historical event, the film imagines a
group of travellers on the same road who reflect various attitudes toward
the momentous changes taking place around them.
La Révolution Française (1989)
Directed by Robert Enrico and Richard T Heffron
A history of the French Revolution from the decision of the king to convene
the Etats-Généraux in 1789 to deal with France's debt problem.
The first part tells the story from 1789 until 10 August 1792 when Louis
XVI lost all his authority and was put in prison. The second part carries
the story through to the end of the Terror in 1794, including the deaths
by guillotine of Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, Danton and Desmoulins.
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934)
Directed by Harold Young
Leslie Howard is the foppish English nobleman who, in this classic screen
swashbuckler, leads a double life and, as the Scarlet Pimpernel, rescues
victims of the French Revolution from the guillotine.
That Hamilton Woman (1941)
Directed by Alexander Korda
Lawrence Olivier and Vivien Leigh in the story of the ill-fated romance
of Admiral Nelson and Lady Emma Hamilton.
Waterloo (1970)
Directed by Sergei Bondarchuk
After defeating France and imprisoning Napoleon on Elba, ending two decades
of war, Europe is shocked to find that he has escaped and the French army
has defected. The best of the British generals, Arthur Wellesley, 1st
duke of Wellington (Christopher Plummer), was victorious in Spain, but
has never faced Napoleon (Rod Steiger). The two meet at Waterloo where
the fate of Europe will be decided.
Wild Flower (Fiorile) (1994)
Directed by Paolo Taviani
An epic story of intrigue and romance from the Taviani brothers focusing
on the Benedettis, a Tuscan family cursed when an ancestor stole coins
that belonged to one of Napoleon's regiments. The effects of this act
on the family are portrayed against the backdrop of sweeping social and
political changes.
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