Empires - Napoleon (2000) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)For some strange reason when I purchased this DVD I thought it was a film rather than a documentary. However I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this 4 hour documentary which is all included on one double sided DVD. The documentary looks at Napoleon's life from the cradle to the grave and includes all facets of his life not just his military genius. That is not to say that Napoleons battles are ommitted as his major campaigns are examined and the reasons which brought them about (including his proposed invasion of Britain).
Napoleon who was of Corsican birth orginally despised the French but in time came to love France and saw himself not only as defender of the revolution but almost as the crusade againsnt monarchism in Europe. Napoleon strongly beleived in his star and will power.
The documentary makes great use of Napoleonic art work and historians from France, Russia, Germany, Britain and the USA (including Colonel John R Etling co author of "A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars"). There are also some battle recreations but only on a small scale.
The documentary does a fine job of trying to cover everything or is much as it can in 4 one hour parts, from childhood, solidering, Josephine, the Grand Army, changes brought about in France, master of Europe, exile and death.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching this DVD and recommend it to anyone with an interest in history or the Napoleonic wars. The only disappointment was the colour quality, for red seemed to look more like purple on occassions. For that reason alone I have not given 5 stars.

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For nearly two decades he strode the world stage like a colossus -- loved and despised, venerated and feared. From his birth on the rugged island of Corsica to his final exile on the godforsaken island of St. Helena, NAPOLEON brings this extraordinary figure to life. NAPOLEON bears passionate witness to a man whose charisma swayed an empire and sparked his exalted belief in his own destiny.

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