Believe it or not but it's quite hard to know who the real Napoleon was.....He was worshipped by his followers (He once said "I exempt you to compare me to God" !) and of course hated by his very numerous foes who considered him as a monster and a butcher ....Some painted him as the tender uncle so kind to the poors other like a heartless dictator killer of over one million lives for nothing more than his personal glory.....Abel Gance is known to all as the one who made a silent 'Napoleon" the epitome of the films about french history....so it surprised me that he was still working in 1960....The movie is actually about Napoleon himself ....the famous battle comes at the very end (quite the contrary of Spartacus made the same year whose final battle is the main interest...but a battle costs a lot of dollars and Hollywood could inject 100 times more money than the poor french even if de Gaulle was then ruling the country !)
The beginning of the movie tells us about the days of the so-called Consulat (1800-1804) which all historians agree (for once) to consider as one of the most important years of french history...the scholars who studied those times will be very pleased to meet Talleyrand Fouché Carnot Lannes Cambaceres de Stael and of course Bonny's wife mother and terrible sisters...at the end of part one these sisters urge him to become Emperor...I guess they didn't have to try hard....i liked it when he asks his valet "do you see me as emperor?" and the unintelligent and straight-talking guy answers "why not ? if you were one foot taller?"..Surprise and terrible look of Bonny who suddenly bursts out laughing
Then comes the Coronation (no money no show) and the battle itself (called the battle of the 3 emperors)....compared to the one of the russian movie it is deceiving but the napoleonic strategy is well explained
the acting is quite good....an aging Michel Simon is tiring but the cast includes Jean Marais Orson Welles Martine Carol (a bit miscast as Josephine)...Pierre Mondy is quite convincing as a 35 years old invincible general and wait for Jack Palance as splendid as always !
Review of The Battle of Austerlitz
