.... a gorgeous production ... that immerses ... history learners ...into this man's life .... full of architectural details as well as costume design ... in good honor of historic/period productions ...
...the only mislead of this
DVD ...IS IT'S LACK OF SUBTITLES ..... OR ...CLOSED CAPTION.....TEXTS ..... for us peole who's first language isn't english ... can't accomplish completely the whole scope of the arguments .... I thought CC .... WAS AN OBLIGATORY ....device .
.... there are a lot of HISTORY interested viewers ...that prefer ...cinematographic media ..as oppose to long reading texts .... that NEED .... PRODUCTIONS WITH OBLIGATORY TEXTS ...either ...CLOSED CAPTIONES or SUBTITLES in ENGLISH

I did not know what to expect when ordering this miniseries. I had not seen it on television, but hoped for the best. I ended up loving it! Clavier is perfect as Napoleon. As you watch the years roll by, you begin to think of him as the Emperor. All of the supporting actors/ actresses help round out this epic story. My only complaint (though a minor one), is that the battles were not as in-depth as I would have wished. I used this miniseries to help "bring alive" the Corsican and his life for a class of high school seniors (the class was entitled, "Napoleon"). The students enjoyed this and said that they got a lot from the series. They enjoyed Murat's uniforms and the Emperor's "sang-froid;" Clavier brought the man to life.

Napoleon (TV Miniseries) (3-Disc Collector's Edition)
This miniseries has a strong French flavour and point of view. The casting, much of it decided by Depardieu who even had his own son play one of Napoleon soldiers, is exceptional: Isabella Rosellini as Josephine; Gerard Depardieu as Fouche; John Malkovitch as Talleyrand; all deliver astounding performances in amazing settings. My only comment is that Christian Clavier, the actor selected to play Napoleon, is too calm and collected and fails to depict Napoleon as a mass of boundless energy and motion, the true ectomorph that was Napoleon. But he still delivers a very creditable, intense performance. A good balance of Napoleon's personal and military life nicely intertwined: the story of a brilliant military hero at the mercy of his love for Josephine--initially an attraction for her many high placed social contacts and her womanly charms--as well as his very demanding, power hungry, large immediate family. A very well done series that attempts and delivers a lot. Well worth watching more than once.

This is a great showing much about Napoleon that can only be found in books. I have only two complaints. One is that it has no subtitles, and it can be needed at times as the actor (Clavier) who plays Napoleon has a heavy accent. The second is more for historical clarification. As it is believed that Napoleon was short at only 5 foot 1 or 2, it has been found that Napoleon was quite taller, since the French inch is longer than the British inch, but that fact was ignored for British propaganda reasons. Clavier is actually about the same height as the real Napoleon, 5' 6", but it seems they went to extra lengths (no pun intended) to make him appear as short as the British wanted us to believe.

A six-hour reenactment of Napoleon's life beginning in Paris in 1795 with John Malkovich portraying Talleyrand, his foreign minister and advisor. After the attempted assassination on Napoleon, the minister of police and others believed, based on flimsy evidence, that royalist duke d'Enghien was responsible, and he was executed. Josephine and his mother, Letizia, thought he was innocent and that Napoleon should have pardoned him. The surrender of French General Pierre Dupont and the defeat at the battle of Bailen, Spain, was followed by the Spanish people striking out at the French Army in Madrid on May 2, 1808. By sunset, 150 French soldiers were killed. This led to a brutal, savage war with atrocities committed on both sides, a type of guerrilla warfare. Napoleon went to Madrid in December 1808 to regain control. When no one heard from him for three days, they feared the worst. This scare and the assassination attempt prompted Talleyrand to urge Napoleon to produce an heir (son) or the overthrow of his monarchy was possible. This would guarantee the stability and continuity of his administration and government. Because Josephine was too old to conceive an heir, Talleyrand tried to drive a wedge between her and Napoleon. Talleyrand suggested to Napoleon that he consider Marie Louise, Archduchess of Austria, as a future wife. Napoleon was interested in Countess Marie Walewska of Poland for a time. She was devoutly religious and married with a 2-year-old son. She offered to sacrifice her principles, subordinate her dignity, and make herself available to satisfy Napoleon's carnal desires to curry his favor. She hoped that Emperor Napoleon had the power to wrest freedom and independence for Poland away from her enemies - Prussia, Austria, and Russia. Prior to going to Spain in 1808, Napoleon had defeated the Russians in the battle at Friedland. He convinced Russian Czar (Tsar) Alexander to sign the Treaty of Tilsit on a floating raft on the Nieman River in July 1807. The Czar joined the alliance forbidding European nations from trading with the British. The "Continental System" barred British ships from all ports under French rule and also barred neutral nations from carrying British goods to the continent. The Continental System not only ruined the British economy but all its European neighbors including Russia. The Russian Czar soon recanted the continental blockade against England. Further negotiations became futile when Napoleon demanded a sovereign and independent Poland. The Czar would not permit this. He viewed Poland on his border as a threat. Nor would he agree to constraining the Prussians and Austrians from acquiring weapons. So Napoleon in a strategic move married the Archduchess of Austria to ally France with Austria. Christian Clavier was superb in the role of Napoleon, and so was the acting of John Malkovich, Isabella Rossellini (Josephine), and Gerard Depardieu (Fouche - Minister of Police). The 94-minute "Napoleon and Wellington" documentary from Bonus disc III compares the lives of these two extraordinary military commanders born months apart in 1769. Extensive details and insights are presented about these two leaders, Wellington of Britain and Napoleon of France, whose careers culminated in the battle of Waterloo, Belgium. This battle is examined here in great depth. The only downside is the actors speak with a pronounced accent, so you have to listen closely to understand every word.