Abel Gance: Napoleon

Abel Gance's Napoleon was a master work of its time. Napoleon was the story of France's Napoleon, starting from his childhood onto some of his victories as a great leader. While the story is captivating on its own, its the vision and creativity of Abel Gance that really makes this movie legendary. The original cut of Napoleon was a six hour epic that managed to combine techniques that were unprecedented in the world of silent film. Among these techniques were the use of hand-held cameras which gave the viewer a more believable point of view, so that they felt more a part of the action than just a spectator. Additionally, Gance hand-painted many scenes to add that extra sense of vibrancy to the theatrical presentation. Napoleon's ending was also very innovative in the sense that it was presented as a triptych, which means the viewing area was broken up into three distinct areas with their own contents in each zone. Even though the film drifts slowly into obscurity in mainstream culture, the techniques and unrelenting daring of its director will never be forgotten in the eyes of true movie enthusiasts.