Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the latter stages of the French Revolution and its associated wars in Europe. As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815, the first monarch of France bearing the title emperor since the reign of Charles the Fat (881–887). His legal reform, the Napoleonic Code, has been a major influence on many civil law jurisdictions worldwide, but he is best remembered for his role in the wars led against France by a series of coalitions, the so-called Napoleonic Wars.

The Peninsular War and the invasion of Russia in 1812 marked turning points in Napoleon's fortunes. His Grande Armée was badly damaged in the campaign and never fully recovered. In 1813, the Sixth Coalition defeated his forces at Leipzig; the following year the Coalition invaded France, forced Napoleon to abdicate and exiled him to the island of Elba. Less than a year later, he escaped Elba and returned to power, but was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815. Napoleon spent the last six years of his life in confinement by the British on the island of Saint Helena. Napoleon is generally regarded as one of the greatest military commanders of all time, and his campaigns are studied at military academies worldwide.(Wikipedia)

 

 

Abel Gance's epic masterpiece Napoleon (1927) starring Albert Dieudonné. The restoration by film historian Kevin Brownlow received it's premiere in New York in 1981. 235mins.

Herbert Lom as Napoleon in The Young Mr. Pitt (1942) directed by Carol Reed and starring Robert Donat, Robert Morley and John Mills. Lom would play Napoleon again in War and Peace (1956).

Desiree (1954) starring Marlon Brando as Napoleon Bonaparte and Jean Simmons as Desiree Clary, directed by Henry Koster, also starring Merle Oberon, Michael Rennie and Cameron Mitchell.

Herbert Lom as Napoleon in King Vidor's 1956 epic War and Peace which starred Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda and Mel Ferrer. Oscar nominations for Best Director, Cinematography and Costume Design.

21 year old Dennis Hopper as Napoleon in The Story of Mankind (1957) directed by Irwin Allen, the film stars Ronald Colman as The Spirit of Man and Vincent Price as The Devil.

Vladislav Strzhelchik as Bonaparte in Sergei Bondarchuk's 7 hour epic War and Peace (1967) which was released in 4 parts and was (and probably still is) the most expensive Russian film ever made. 427mins!

Sergei Bondarchuk followed War and Peace (1967) with another gargantuan production Waterloo (1970) starring Rod Steiger as Napoleon and Christopher Plummer as the Duke of Wellington. Winner of 2 BAFTA awards, Best Art Direction and Costume Design, also nominated for Cinematography.

James Tolkan as Napoleon in the comedy Love and Death (1975) directed by Woody Allen who stars alongside Diane Keaton.

Ian Holm as the French Emperor in Time Bandits (1981) directed by Terry Gilliam, a popular fantasy movie featuring time-travelling dwarves. Sean Connery appears as Agamemnon, John Cleese as Robin Hood, David Warner as Evil and Sir Ralph Richardson as the Supreme Being.

Party on dudes! Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1988) directed by Stephen Herek and starred Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter in a time-travelling sci-fi comedy. On their excellent adventure they encounter, Socrates, Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, Billy the Kid, Genghis Khan, Beethoven and Napoleon (played by Terry Camilleri).

Ian Holm again playing Napoleon, this time in romantic drama, The Emperor's New Clothes (2001) directed by Alan Taylor and also starring Iben Hjejle and Tim McInnerny.

Napoleon (2002) a 4 part French mini-series directed by Yves Simoneau and starring Christian Clavier as Napoleon, also starring Isabella Rossellini, Gérard Depardieu and John Malkovich. 357mins.

Jesus Christ

 

Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro

Jesus Christ was born circa 6 B.C. in Bethlehem. Little is known about his early life, but as a young man, he founded Christianity, one of the world’s most influential religions. His life is recorded in the New Testament, more a theological document than a biography. According to Christians, Jesus is considered the incarnation of God and his teachings an example for living a more spiritual life. (Biography.com)

Jesus carrying his cross in the 1925 epic Ben-Hur - A Tale of the Christ one of the most successful films of the 1920's. Starring Ramon Novarro as Judah Ben-Hur, Francis X. Bushman as Messala and Claude Payton, uncredited, played the part of Jesus. Directed by Fred Niblo.

Cecil B. DeMille's silent epic The King of Kings (1927). H.B. Warner, at 52 years old, is the oldest actor to have played Jesus. His last screen appearance was in DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1956).

The first Cinemascope film release, The Robe (1953) was directed by Henry Koster and based on the novel by Lloyd C. Douglas, starring Richard Burton, Jean Simmons and Victor Mature. The face of Jesus is never shown but his voice is heard at the crucifixion, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Donald C. Klune played Jesus.

A production still of Claude Heater as Jesus in Ben-Hur (1959) his face is never seen in the film.

One of the greatest epics ever made, Ben-Hur (1959) won 11 Oscars, a record at the time, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Charlton Heston), Best Supporting Actor (Hugh Griffith) and Best Music Score (Miklos Rozsa).

King of Kings (1961) starring Jeffrey Hunter as Jesus and Robert Ryan as John the Baptist, the MGM epic was directed by Nicholas Ray. Richard Burton was considered for the lead role. Narrated by Orson Welles. Music by Miklos Rozsa.

The crucifixion of Jesus at the start of Barabbas (1961) was filmed during a real solar eclipse giving the sequence an eerie quality. Anthony Quinn played Barabbas and the film was directed by Richard Fleischer.

Enrique Irazoqui as the Christ in Pier Paolo Pasolini's The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964). A critically acclaimed Italian film regarded as one of the best films about the life of Jesus, surprisingly Pasolini was an avowed atheist..

 

The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965) directed by George Stevens and starring Max Von Sydow as Jesus. The all star cast included Charlton Heston as John the Baptist, Claude Rains as King Herod, Jose Ferrer as Herod Antipas, Telly Savalas as Pontius Pilate, David McCallum as Judas, Roddy McDowall as Matthew, Donald Pleasance as The Devil, , Sidney Poitier as Simon and a wonderfully miscast John Wayne as The Centurion speaking the line "truly this man was the son of Gaad" as only John Wayne can. Nominated for 5 Oscars.

Victor Garber in Godspell (1973) directed by David Greene. A modern day musical about Jesus set in New York City. David Haskell played John the Baptist and Judas.

Directed by Norman Jewison, Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) was based on the Rock Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Starring Ted Neeley as Jesus, Carl Anderson as Judas Iscariot and Yvonne Elliman as Mary Magdalene.

 

Franco Zeffirelli's critically acclaimed mini-series Jesus of Nazareth (1977) starred Robert Powell as Jesus. The production was packed with famous stars including Peter Ustinov as Herod the Great, Christopher Plummer as Herod Antipas, Michael York as John the Baptist, Olivia Hussey as Mary, Anthony Quinn as Caiaphus, Anne Bancroft as Mary Magdalene, Ian MacShane as Judas, Laurence Olivier as Nicodemus, James Mason as Joseph of Arimathea, Ralph Richardson as Simeon, James Earl Jones as Balthazar, Donald Pleasance as Melchior, Ian Holm as Zerah, Rod Steiger as Pontius Pilate and Ernest Borgnine as the Centurion! 382mins.

The hilarious Monty Python's The Life of Brian (1979) was a controversial spoof on religion by the Python team. Directed by Terry Jones and starring John Cleese, Terry Jones, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Graham Chapman as Brian.

The three wise men mistake Brian for Jesus at the beginning of the film and Brian later on tries desperately to shake off his deluded followers who think he is the Messiah. As Brian's angry mother tells them at one point "He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy!" Kenneth Colley played Jesus in one scene. Star Wars fans will remember Colley as Admiral Piett in The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

Willem Dafoe as Jesus and David Bowie as Pontius Pilate in Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) based on the controversial novel by Nikos Kazantzakis. Also starring Barbara Hershey as Mary Magdalene and Harvey Keitel as Judas. The film was Oscar nominated for Best Director.

A dream sequence at the climax shows Jesus with his wife Mary Magadalene making love. The film was banned in many cities and some European movie theaters showing the film were set on fire.

 

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ (2004) covered the last 12 hours of Jesus life, finishing with the resurrection. Starring Jim Caviezel as Christ, the unflinching brutaility of the scourging of Jesus is so violent it's virtually unwatchable. Controversy over the film turned it into a smash hit, grossing a massive $611m worldwide. Jesus!