Napoleon: Abel Gance's Classic Film

Kevin Brownlow's book explores the creation and impact of Abel Gance's revolutionary 1927 silent film "Napoleon." The text chronicles the film's production, near-destruction, and eventual restoration through extensive research and first-hand accounts. The author documents his decades-long quest to piece together and restore Gance's epic work, which had been cut, scattered, and partially lost after its initial release. Brownlow includes interviews with the director and surviving cast members, along with behind-the-scenes details about the innovative filming techniques and technical challenges faced by the production. The book contains extensive photographic documentation from both the film itself and its making, providing context for Gance's creative decisions and working methods. Primary source materials, including letters, production notes, and contemporary reviews, help reconstruct the film's journey through cinema history. This work stands as both a chronicle of film preservation and an examination of artistic vision in early cinema. The text reveals the intersection of technological innovation and creative ambition in the silent film era, while exploring themes of cultural memory and artistic legacy.

Readers emphasize the depth of research and historical detail Brownlow brings to documenting Abel Gance's 1927 film. Multiple reviewers note the book reveals production challenges, technical innovations, and restoration efforts across decades. Liked: - Behind-the-scenes photographs and documentation - Detailed accounts of filming locations and techniques - Clear explanations of the film's three-screen Polyvision format - First-hand interviews with cast and crew members Disliked: - Dense technical sections about film restoration - High price point of hardcover edition - Some found the chronology confusing Ratings: Goodreads: 4.5/5 (12 ratings) Amazon: 4.8/5 (6 ratings) "The definitive record of both the original film and its restoration" - Film History Review reader "Occasionally gets bogged down in minutiae but remains fascinating" - Letterboxd reviewer "Worth it for the rare photos alone" - Amazon reviewer

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🎬 Abel Gance's "Napoléon" was one of the most expensive films of the silent era, using revolutionary techniques like mounting cameras on horses, strapping them to sleds, and attaching them to pendulums for dynamic shots. 📽️ The film's famous finale used three synchronized projectors to create a massive triptych screen, pioneering widescreen cinema decades before CinemaScope. 📚 Author Kevin Brownlow began restoring the film when he was just 15 years old, spending over 50 years of his life working to reconstruct Gance's original vision. 🎼 Francis Ford Coppola sponsored a 1981 screening of the restored film at Radio City Music Hall, featuring a live orchestra performing an original score by his father, Carmine Coppola. 🎯 The original 1927 version of the film ran for about 7 hours, but most of the footage was lost or destroyed over time. Brownlow's restored version, documented in this book, runs about 5½ hours.