SH Lee

Only the French should be allowed to make a movie or a drama on a French figure of this complexity and scale, period. Only they understand what really was going on, including the tiniest nuances and subtlties, to which the world outside stood, and still is, oblivious, but without any of which the whole story would simply fall apart. Previously, from watching a TV Series on Napoleon, apparently made with French collaboration, I learnt a great deal and attained clarification on what had puzzled me before, as many fragments fell into the cohesisve whole. Which, unfortunately, cannot be said of this farce of a movie made by an Englishman who really should have been making films on his imagined specialties - Aliens and Gladiators - with his abundant free time than dabbling in someone real, on which he apparently had neither the knowledge nor the inclination. After all, increasing Napleon may well mean reducing Nelson and Wellington to an Englishman. So I guess allowing the English interpret and evaluate Napoleon would be akin to allowing the Japanese do the same on Korean independence movement fighters during the Japanese annexation period: at best it would be full of holes, like the Swiss cheese, leaving the audience completely confused; at worst it would be a blatant distortion and revision of history.

Only the French should be allowed to make a movie or a dmama on a French figure of this scale, period. Only they understand what really was going on, including the tiniest nuances and subtlties, to which the world outside stood and still is oblivious, but without any of which the whole story would simply fall apart. I don't know if this TV Series was indeed made by the French (judging from some of the French actors in it, I believe at least there might have been a French approval of the facts), but thankfully it sheds light on a great deal of historic events that are critical to understanding the dynamics of interests, orientation and power among the Royalists, the Jacobins, the Moderates, the Ministers, Soldies and Families of Napoleon, as well as European Monarchs of the turbulent era. I learnt a great deal on what had puzzled me previously as many events fell into the cohesisve whole, after watching this TV Series. Which, unfortunately, cannot be said of the recent farce of a movie made by an Englishman who really should have been making films on his specialties - Aliens and Gladiators - with his abundant free time than dabbling in something about which he seems to have had neither the knowledge nor the inclination. I guess allowing the English interprete Napoleon would be akin to allowing the Japanese do the same on Korean independence movement fighters during Korea's Japanese annexation period: at best it would be full of holes, like the Swiss cheese, leaving the audience completely confused; at worst it might be an attempt at blatant distortion and revision of history.

Deeply disturbing on first viewing, highly unrealitic on second. An all-too-familiar paean to a charismatic evil, a harsh condemnation of the meek, do-gooders. In what should simply have been "Dead or Alive", by following to the letter abidance by the "perfectly humane manner in executing a villain, they end up killing civilians and themselves.