The appearance ofNapoleonin movies has resulted in everything from historical epics to love stories and fantasy epics to madcap comedies. Napoleon Bonaparte was the Emperor of France who earned this role thanks to his success as a military leader as he roared across Europe conquering several countries during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. His success was short-lived, as he ended up in exile, where he died six years after losing his position. As with many famed historical military and political leaders, Napoleon has been used in several movies.
His story, featuring his rise to power, incredible military success, and eventual fall from grace in France, has been told since the silent era of films and as recently as 2023 when Ridley Scott set his sights on telling his story. However,thanks to his diminutive size and the use of the term “Napoleonic complex,” he has also been used as a source of humorin many comedies and fantasy films,including some likeNapoleon Dynamite, which uses his name as a joke.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
Cast
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian is the first sequel to Shawn Levy’s 2006 comedy. Ben Stiller returns as museum security guard Larry Daley, who must now stop the evil Pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) from taking over the Smithsonian Institution. Other returning members of the cast include Robin Williams as Theodore Roosevelt, Mizuo Peck as Sacagawea, and Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart.
InNight at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, Ben Stiller was back for the sequel to his hit 2006 comedy film. In the previous movie, Stiller plays a security guard at the Museum of Natural History who realizes that all the museum’s exhibits come to life after dark. This included Theodore Roosevelt, Atilla the Hun, and many more. The sequel upped the ante. While Robin Williams was back as Roosevelt, he was joined by Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart, Christopher Guest as Ivan the Terrible, and Jon Bernthal as Al Capone.
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Also coming aboard is Alain Chabat as Napoleon Bonaparte. In the film,Napoleon becomes an ally of Hank Azaria’s Kahmunrah, a pharaoh who is the evil older brother of Rami Malek’s Ahkmenrah. This makes him one of the film’s villains, and he is also there to be the brunt of jokes when Stiller mocks him for his Napoleon complex.Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonianreceived average to below-average reviews.
War and Peace
War and Peace (1966): A sprawling adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel, this film interweaves the romance of Countess Natasha Rostova and Count Pierre Bezukhov with the backdrop of the Great Patriotic War of 1812 against Napoleon’s forces.
War and Peaceis the Sergei Bondarchuk adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s epic novel, and it was released in four parts totaling 431 total minutes. As a result, it was as dense a film as it was as a novel. Bondarchuk also starred in the movie’s lead role as Pierre Bezukhov, the favorite out of several illegitimate sons of the wealthy nobleman Count Kirill Vladimirovich Bezukhov, one of the richest people in the Russian Empire.
There was a lot of room for Bondarchuk to add in characters and events thanks to the seven-hour running time, and this included Napoleon Bonaparte. Vladislav Strzhelchik stars in the movie as Napoleon. The first part sees the War of the Third Coalition against Napoleon ongoing and by the third part, Napoleon has invaded Russia. This leads to the big moment in the final part where Pierre attempts to assassinate Napoleon. The film won the Oscar and Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The Story of Mankind
The Story of Mankind features a celestial trial where the devil and the spirit of mankind debate humanity’s moral compass. This 1957 film explores historical and cultural milestones to determine if humanity leans toward good or evil, bringing various historical figures to testify in this cosmic courtroom.
Loosely based on the 1921 based on the nonfiction novel by Hendrik Willem van Loon,The Story of Mankindwas a 1957 dark fantasy film that took the real story and added a supernatural twist. In the movie, the Devil (Vincent Price as Mr. Scratch) is the prosecutor in a case to decide the fate of humanity in a court of law. The Spirit of Man acts as the defense attorney. Throughout the trial, historical figures are used to both condemn and fight for humanity’s salvation.
The film has a rough ending as the judge is unable to decide, so humanity has to keep fighting its own struggles on whether it chooses to be good or evil. The most famous stars in the film were the Marx Brothers as Peter Minuit, Isaac Newton, and a Monk. However,a young Dennis Hopper stars as Napoleon, who is called to testify.
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo, released in 1934, is a drama film depicting Edmond Dantes' journey from wrongful imprisonment to escape and retribution. It follows his transformation and elaborate quest for vengeance against those responsible for his two-decade confinement.
Based on the Alexandre Dumas novel of the same name,The Count of Monte Cristotells the story of a man unjustly imprisoned for 20 years for delivering a letter entrusted to him. When he escapes his long imprisonment, he takes on the fake identity of a count to get revenge against the man who betrayed him and stole his family after his banishment. Paul Irving plays Napoleon Bonaparte in this film.
In the movie, Napoleon gives a letter to a merchant ship captain, and he hands it off to his first officer, Edmond Dantès to deliver it to someone in Marseille before dying. However, Edmond is arrested after the exchange and Dantès' friend Fernand Mondego betrays him during the trial and has him imprisoned for not delivering the letter. The film was a massive success and was named one of the best movies released in 1934.
The Emperor’s New Clothes
The Emperor’s New Clothes (2001) stars Ian Holm as Napoleon Bonaparte in an alternate history narrative. The film imagines Napoleon escaping from exile and switching places with a lookalike, only for the plan to go awry, leaving him to navigate life anonymously in Paris. Directed by Alan Taylor, the movie blends humor and historical drama, exploring themes of identity and ambition against the backdrop of early 19th century France.
Released in 2001, Alan Taylor (Game of Thrones) directed the historical dramaThe Emperor’s New Clothes. The movie is based on the 1992 novel,The Death of Napoleonby Simon Leys. In the movie, Ian Holm plays Napoleon Bonaparte, his third time taking on the role afterNapoleon and Love(1974) andTime Bandits(1981). The plot follows Napoleon’s exile to Saint Helena after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo.
The movie starts off in 1821,six years after his exile to Saint Helena when Napoleon has big plans to escape. His plan is to escape to France after switching places with a deckhand and then when he gets there, the deckhand will reveal what happened and Napoleon will reclaim his throne. However, when the deckhand decides not to reveal the truth and dies, Napoleon is a man without an identity in France. The film was mostly a fantasy with the twist that, in this world, Napoleon died of old age under an assumed name.
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002) is an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic story, portraying the tale of Edmond Dantès, a falsely imprisoned man who escapes and seeks revenge. Set in the early 19th century, the film follows Dantès’ transformation and quest for justice against those who betrayed him.
A more modern take onThe Count of Monte Cristoarrived in 2002 with Jim Caviezel taking on the role of Edmond Dantès and Guy Pearce playing his friend Fernand, who betrays him. The story is mostly the same, with Edmond spending 20 years in an island prison run by the vicious Armand Dorléac (Michael Wincott). Much like in the original, when Edmond escapes, he takes on the role of a Count and seeks revenge.
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The arrest was similar, with Edmond and Fernand going to an island to find help for their ill captain, only to find Napoleon Bonaparte exiled there. Napoleon asks Edmond to deliver a letter for him in exchange for helping the captain, but when Fernand sees this, he turns over his friend who is imprisoned. Alex Norton stars as Napoleon in a small role at the start of the film. The film received mostly positive reviews with praise going to Pearce and Caviezel for their performances.
Waterloo
Waterloo, released in 1970, depicts the historic confrontation between Napoleon Bonaparte and the Duke of Wellington following Napoleon’s escape from Elba. The film highlights the strategic maneuvers of the Anglo Allied army as they prepare for a decisive battle against the French forces led by their charismatic leader.
A lesser-known movie with Napoleon Bonaparte in a key role isWaterloo, released in 1970. This epic war film is based on the Battle of Waterloo,the historical battle that saw Napoleon finally lose. Co-produced by Italy and the Soviet Union, with United States producer Dino De Laurentis leading things, Sergei Bondarchuk (War and Peace) took another shot at directing a movie about Napoleon Bonaparte.
In this release, Rod Steiger stars as Napoleon, while Christopher Plummer takes on the role of the Duke of Wellington. Orson Welles also has a small role as Louis XVIII. The movie was praised by critics for its lush and impressive battle scenes, which were all shot on location in Ukraine. It went on to win the BAFTAs for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction. Both Steiger and Plummer received praise as well, with both actors delivering narration voice-overs and revealing the battle leaders’ thoughts.
Monsieur N.
Monsieur N. explores the final years of Napoleon Bonaparte’s life during his imprisonment on St Helena. Despite the isolation enforced by the zealous Governor Sir Hudson Lowe, Napoleon employs a loyal group of officers to aid in his escape attempts, highlighting the enduring influence of the fallen Emperor.
Monsieur N.is another movie that follows Napoleon Bonaparte after his exile. It is also another fictional tale that supposes that Napoleon never died on the island but instead escaped, and someone else was buried in his place.Philippe Torreton stars as Napoleon in this telling of his exile and escapewhile Richard E. Grant plays Hudson Lowe, the governor of Saint Helena.
As mentioned, this movie was another in a long line of stories that assumed that Napoleon not only planned out an escape from Saint Helena but also succeeded and was able to live out his life in peace with the world believing he was dead. The big difference is that this movie never had him wanting to retake his throne and instead had him choosing to live his life with a new bride in hiding in the United States.
Désirée
Désirée follows the story of Désirée Clary, a young woman in 1794 France, who becomes romantically involved with Napoleon Bonaparte before marrying Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. The film explores the shifting personal and political dynamics as Napoleon’s ambitions grow and his relationship with Empress Josephine evolves.
The 1954 historical romance filmDésiréeis based on the novel of the same name by Annemarie Selinko. This film sees none other than Marlon Brando starring as Napoleon Bonaparte. Directed by Henry Koster, the film follows Napoleon as he falls in love with the beautiful Désirée Clary (played by Golden Age icon Jean Simmons).Unlike many Napoleon movies, this one starts before his rise to the throne.
Napoleon and his brother Joseph meet Désirée Clary, and while Napoleon falls for her, his brother falls for her sister, Julie. However, while Napoleon proposes to Désirée, she soon learns he is also engaged to Joséphine de Beauharnais, and she instead marries Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. However, she is never able to get completely out of Napoleon’s life as he rises in power and becomes more dangerous. The story spans over 20 years and asks what could have happened if Napoleon had made different choices.
Love and Death
Love and Death is a comedy film that satirizes Russian literature, particularly the works of Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the film follows the misadventures of Boris Grushenko, a cowardly and uncertain Russian soldier who becomes embroiled in a series of absurd and fantastical events.
One of the strangest movies about Napoleon arrived in 1975 with the Woody Allen comedyLove and Death. This is a satire on Russian literature with Allen and Diane Keaton starring as Boris and Sonja, two Russians living in the Napoleonic Era who have fake philosophical debates about life at the time. Boris is about to be executed for a crime he never committed, and he recalls how he got into this predicament.
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The movie takes place in the same period of time that Napoleon invaded Austria, and Boris is forced to enlist in the Russian Army, even though he doesn’t care to fight in it. While he loves Sonja, she never loves him back andeventually convinces him to help her assassinate Napoleon, which all goes wrong. James Tolkan (Mr. Strickland inBack to the Future) stars as Napoleon and his double at the end of the movie when the assassination attempt all goes wrong.
