My first Abel Gance film, and now also the longest film (not miniseries) I've ever seen, exceeding 1900 by 15 minutes. And my god, what a film it was! Howard Hawks said that a great film has three great scenes and no bad ones. Napoleon has at least that many in each of its four acts. There was so much to absorb here that I know one viewing will not be enough. But to single out one thing (really a battery of things), I really liked the visceral and, at times, chaotic editing style during the action sequences that reminded me a lot of what I remember from Battleship Potemkin and the general idea I have of Soviet montage. And the way all of this is brought to glorious fruition in the famed triptych sequence was awe-inspiring. Oh, to be able to see this on the big screen would be incredible! I should also mention Carl Davis's score, which complements the epic-ness of the film in the best way. As you would expect, the Marseillaise comes up a lot, and having much of the fourth act unfold to Beethoven's 'Eroica' symphony was certainly an apropos choice. Anyway, this was as monumental a film as I've ever seen, and I am certain a lot of it will stick with me.
Review of Napoleon
