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NAPOLÉON (2002)

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  • NAPOLEONE Alternative

Synopsis

Paris, 1795, the beginning of young General Bonaparte's career. He acquires the reputation of a clever warrior - and as a hothead, who practically proposes to the beautiful widow Joséphine de Beauharnais upon meeting her. We witness his successful Italian campaign, his historically important Egyptian campaign, and his wars against the Austrians, with his first major triumph at Austerlitz. Less triumphant is his personal life: his wife Joséphine cheats on him, the couple is unable to produce an heir. His insatiable family thirsts for honors, titles, kingdoms

He must also navigate the difficult political waters of the Directoire, the Consulat, and the founding of the Empire, with the help of the inscrutable Talleyrand and this nobleman's arch-enemy Fouché, the Minister of Police. But the tide begins to turn. The catastrophe of the Russian campaign weighs heavily upon the Emperor. At home, plots and intrigues flourish. Even his second the marriage with Marie-Louise of Austria and the birth of his legitimate heir cannot alter the gravity of the situation. Allied forces take Paris. Exiled to Elba, Napoleon returns welcomed with enthusiasm by his folk and sets off 100 days of futile battles which lead up to Waterloo - and defeat. He dies on the 5th of May 1821 on the deserted island of St. Helena.

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