Napoléon (Abel Gance, 1927)

[kidc85]

Thanks rattlebag, got my balcony tickets. I was very surprised at just how many seats had been sold already, I'm glad I've booked so far in advance.

Re: meet up.
No one else has said anything, but I think it's a good idea. I'm always up for talking cinema over a drink or two.

[rattlebag]

You are welcome! I'm up for a drink and a chat. Sounds like a good idea.

[Arn777]

Just received my ticket today, will definitely need a drink at some point!

[zedz]

All forum members who want to meet up at the screening, wear one of these:

N.B. must be worn throughout entire screening as well

[MichaelB]

We got our tickets in the members booking window - last time in 2000 I was right at the back, this time we're front stalls. So much looking forward to this. My husband does like silents, we are regular Barbican Sunday attendees, but he is a bit apprehensive about the length of this film. I told him he'll be fine!

Both times I saw it "live" (Barbican, 1988; RFH, 2000) there were multiple intervals including a lengthy dinner break before the final act. And the film moves so fast that you really don't notice the time.

[bdlover]

*whoops* And... that's what u get for posting at 5 in the morn

[Calvin]

Sad news indeed but it is Carl Davis who will be conducting Napoleon.

[goalieboy82]

any kind of new news on napoleon.

[goalieboy82]

is anyone working on a dvd release of the film (or any restoration of the film). i know the film is going to be shown in london in november. lets hope there will be more showings in the future (maybe on the US east coast since that is the only way i will be able to see it, besides the 4 hour verison on vhs).

[Calvin]

If there were any updates I'm sure they would be posted here.

[Calvin]

Robert Harris says that Napoleon will be released

[ArchCarrier]

So, the London screening is next week. My wife and me will be traveling up from Holland. Any suggestions for a meetup before / during / after the show?

[ArchCarrier]

Hm, I guess we'll have to amuse ourselves then...

[Prickly]

It starts at 1:30 and finishes at 9:30, so happy to meet anytime.

[GaryC]

I will be there too, so happy to meet up.

[ArchCarrier]

Want to meet somewhere at the start of the dinner break? I haven't been to the South Bank Centre before, so any suggesions are welcome.

[Prickly]

I'll just loiter outside the main doors at the start of the dinner break (c. 5 pm).

[GaryC]

Okay then, hope to see you later. Me: six feet tall, wearing a dark blue shirt, black trousers.

[kidc85]

Excellent, I'll be there too. Me: six feet tall, glasses, beard, dressed as Josephine.

[Prickly]

Me, the requisite six feet tall, black jacket.

[didi-5]

Well, that was an experience

Last time I saw Napoleon in the cinema was in 2000 from the balcony, this time was five rows from the front. That amazing camerawork and such a quietly authoritative performance from Dieudonne, together with Carl Davis' superb score (yes, I have heard the Coppola and have the butchered version of the film on Spanish DVD) makes this a truly great film experience.

I don't think anything tops that moment the screen expands and the overwhelming triptych starts. No other film can really compare with this. Sure, the film isn't perfect, but its utter uniqueness and audacity makes it a classic.

So it seems there might be a DVD of the Brownlow restoration, at the right speed, with no cuts, and with the only score which fits? I'd be up for that. I think that the Coppola score was too repetitive and routine and has no emotional punch, and anyway who would place a 4 hour edit of a restoration over a 5 and a half hour version?

My husband incidentally called yesterday's screening 'superb' but after seeing that and GWTW last week he's said ' no more long films for a while, please' :-k

[goalieboy82]

Napoleon is playing in The Netherlands (Amsterdam)
http://www.ziggodome.nl/event/420/Napoleon-" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
i think slowly but surely we will see more showings of the film (and maybe one day a dvd).

[La Clé du Ciel]

I am also hoping that the Amsterdam screening will be the next in a more regular run of shows for NAPOLEON. By the looks of things, the Ziggo Dome is a vast arena with the appearance of a giant cube. I’m sure that Gance would approve of something this size being used as a venue for cinema… (I only hope the place doesn’t feel too cavernous for such a screening.)

I would have posted sooner about the London showing of NAPOLEON, but I think I may still be recovering from its impact. It was one of the greatest evenings of my life and I felt that nothing I could say would do justice to the joy I felt under the spell of that performance.

[La Clé du Ciel]

Also, the Georges Mourier piece on the Cinematheque's ongoing restoration of NAPOLEON is now available online here

[twicebilled]

Is this touring anywhere else in the next few months? I can't seem to find any information on more screenings.