Description
Book SynopsisAbel Gance's silent masterpiece, Napoleon, was given a limited run on its debut in 1927, but soon afterwards distributors in France and America, unwilling to deal with its nine-hour running time, subjected it to savage cuts - with devastating results for the movie and for film history. The struggle across ensuing decades to restore and reintegrate Gance's film has formed a backdrop to an array of formal, contextual, and ideological battles. In this book, Paul Cuff takes account of those battles and challenges received opinion on Gance's view of both his film and its subject.
Table of ContentsList of illustrations Note on formatting Acknowledgements Foreword Preface: Critical perspective 1. Napoleonic ambition and historical imagination 2. Shaping expectations: The young Napoléon Bonaparte 3. Civilization and savagery: Visions of the French Revolution 4. Mortal gods: Voices of power and of providence 5. The dark light of Napoleonic cinema 6. A view from the margins of history 7. Melodrama and the formulations of family 8. Worlds in transition: Class, consumption, corruption 9. Death and transf.iguration Conclusion: The case for enthusiasm Filmography and bibliography Index
