Napoléon (1927): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1927, Napoléon is a drama, war and history film directed by Abel Gance, running about 333 minutes.

What it’s about. A biopic of Napoleon Bonaparte, tracing the Corsican's career from his schooldays (where a snowball fight is staged like a military campaign) to his flight from Corsica, through the French Revolution (where a real storm is intercut with a political storm) and the Terror, culminating in his triumphant invasion of Italy in 1797. Originally intended to be the first of six films, director Abel Gance realized the full project would be nearly impossible, and never raised the money to complete the other five. The film's legendary reputation is due to the astonishing range of techniques that Gance uses to tell his story, culminating in the final twenty-minute triptych sequence, which alternates widescreen panoramas with complex multiple- image montages projected simultaneously on three screens.

Who’s in it. Napoléon stars Albert Dieudonné as Napoléon Bonaparte, Vladimir Roudenko as Napoléon Bonaparte (Child), Edmond van Daële as Maximilien Robespierre and Alexandre Koubitzky as Georges Jacques Danton, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.7/10, Napoléon has been warmly received by audiences. It went on to earn $39.4K at the box office.

Where to watch. In GB you can rent or buy it from BFI Player. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Napoléon page.

If you liked it. Fans of Napoléon tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.