Abel Gance's 'Napoleon' was premiered on April 7, 1927, at the Paris Opera House, the first movie to be accorded such an honor… It was been shown on a triple screen and to full orchestral accompaniment, running slightly under four hours…

Impressive as it seems, it was conceived as the first of a six-part biography running many hours and tracing the life of Napoleon from childhood to the bitter end in St Helena… Fortunately-for Abel Gance who directed and for us-the project was only completed to that moment where Napoleon enters Italy at the head of the French army, and the later and less pleasant aspects of his spectacular career were left unfilmed... The Little Corporal, after all, is a less controversial figure than the Emperor…

Gance needed a figure as emblematic and powerful as 'Napoleon' to fulfill his dream of super cinema…

'Napoleon' is a masterpiece of excess:

• The child Bonaparte keeps a pet eagle and wins a snow fight while at school in Brienne... In this sequence, the frame splits into nine subliminal images; as Napoleon watches his men entering Italy, the screen expands on each side to form a breathtaking panorama, then changes into three coordinated views of the scene…

• The National Convention seems to sway and rock as Napoleon makes his escape from Corsica in a storm-tossed sailboat…

• The Gallic of cabaret singers, Damia, leads French troops into battle personifying 'La Marseillaise'…

This French silent film is one that I found in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I knew from the title what it would be about, I just hoped it would live up to my expectations, directed by Abel Gance (La Roue / The Wheel). Basically the film traces the early life and career of the French military and political leader Napoléon Bonaparte (Albert Dieudonné). It begins, seeing Young Napoléon (Vladimir Roudenko) in his schooldays, as a child he gained confidence, bravery and the ability to lead others, with a snowball fight staged like a military campaign. As a young man, in March of 1796, Napoleon is appointed as commander-in-chief of the French army, and subsequently he begins an invasion of Italy. Napoleon is deeply affected by the French Revolution and the chaos that results in everyday life, including a struggling relationship with his true love Joséphine de Beauharnais (Gina Manès). Napoleon takes leave from the French army allows him to travel home to Corsica, upon his return to France the story continues to see his military career and ride to power, culminating in a final battle sequence, after this is over it ends with Napoleon having visions of the future of his armies. Also starring Alexandre Koubitzky as Georges-Jacques Danton, Antonin Artaud as Jean-Paul Marat, Abel Gance as Louis Saint-Just and Edmond Van Daële as Maximilien Robespierre. Dieudonné gives a spirited performance in the title role, I agree though that the director deserves the accolades, because the techniques of camera-work and movement are audacious, and it is well edited from all the surviving footage, especially the battle using the triptych process (using three panels side by side). I only know a little of the real Napoleon, such as the battle of Waterloo, and the legendary rumour that he told Josephine not to wash for three days until he came home, these subjects are not covered, but there are interesting things to find out, you could argue it a challenge to watch all six hours, but it is easier being split into four parts, all in all it is a worthwhile and well executed silent epic historical drama. Very good!

A film about the French Field Marshal's youth and early military career.

"Napoleon" is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most innovative films of the silent era, and it is easy to see why. There are a variety of ways the camera is used, and just the very fact it is so long... the version I saw ran four hours, and I hear there are versions that go more than six. That seems almost unthinkable in the silent era, when so many movies were an hour or less.

With so many versions out there, I have no idea how to tell which is the best. Even with the newer Kevin Brownlow versions, he has put together something like five different cuts at different speeds. What is now considered the definitive version?