Ian Holm struts about purposefully and spits out his lines with appropriate ferocity as the Corsican general who became emperor of France and conquered most of Europe in this 1974 Thames Television miniseries, structured around the succession of women in Napoleon Bonaparte's life. Naturally, the Empress Josephine, played sternly by Billie Whitelaw, is omnipresent, but writer Philip Mackie manages to find time for seven other amours—from Desirée, the merchant's daughter, a short-time fiancée (who later became queen of Sweden), to Marie Louise, the Austrian duchess Bonaparte wed in order to secure an heir (after forcing Josephine to accept a divorce). Interspersed with the stories of Napoleon's (and Josephine's) numerous infidelities is the tale of his rise and fall from power, beginning with the Italian and Egyptian campaigns under the Directorate and ending with the disastrous Russian invasion of 1812 and defeats at Leipzig and Waterloo. Long, talky scenes predominate, set in opulent palaces (often in bedrooms, although even the most intimate moments are utterly chaste), while the few outdoor and battlefield sequences are extremely small scale. The age of the production rightfully prompts an introductory warning about occasional audio and visual deficiencies, but Napoleon & Love is still an enjoyable example of the vintage British TV historical costume drama. DVD extras include a timeline of events and cast filmographies. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Napoleon & Love
Acorn, 3 discs, 468 min., not rated, DVD: $59.99 Volume 26, Issue 3
Napoleon & Love
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