Наполеон: Тарихи мини-сериал

Napoleon is a 2002 historical miniseries which explores the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, potrayed by Christian Clavier. It was the most expensive television miniseries in Europe up to that time, costing an equivalent of (USD) $46,330,000 to produce. The miniseries covered Napoleon's military successes and failures, including the battles of Austerlitz, Eylau, and Waterloo and the retreat from Russia. It also delved into Napoleon's personal life: his marriage to and divorce from Josephine de Beauharnais, his marriage to Marie Louise, the Duchess of Parma and daughter of Francis II, and his affairs with Eleanore Denuelle and Marie Walewska. The series draws from Max Gallo's biography. The miniseries was produced by GMT Productions in France and co produced by Transfilm in Canada, A&E Networks in the US, and Spice Factory in the UK. In France it first aired October 7, 2002 on France 2, in Quebec it ran from February 2 to February 23, 2003, on Super Écran and was then re aired on Télévision de Radio Canada. In the United States, it aired from April 7 to April 8, 2003, on the Arts and Entertainment (A&E) channel. The series received mixed to positive reviews, with praise for Clavier's portrayal of Napoleon and the battle scenes and realism.

In 1818, Napoleon is imprisoned on Saint Helena. Via flashback, Napoleon's life unfolds, with his first meeting the widow Josephine de Beauharnais, and follows his career breakthrough, the suppression of Royalist rioters on 13 Vendémiaire (1795). He takes part in the Battle of Arcole, 1796. The couple inspect their future house, Château de Malmaison, and Napoleon allies with Talleyrand and Fouché. Napoleon conducts the French campaign in Egypt and Syria, 1798–1801, the Coup of 18 Brumaire, and avoids the Plot of the rue Saint Nicaise, 1800. In 1804, Napoleon oversees the controversial arrest and execution of the duc d'Enghien, followed by the elevation of members of the House of Bonaparte, and Napoleon's imperial coronation. He takes part in the Battle of Austerlitz, 1805, followed by the Battle of Jena Auerstedt, 1806. Napoleon has an affair with Maria Walewska, as troubles converge with his wife. In the Battle of Eylau, 1807, Napoleon waits desperately for the reinforcements led by Marshal Michel Ney who makes the timely arrival. Napoleon then concludes a short lived peace treaty with Alexander at Tilsit as the costly Peninsular War starts and troubles with his family and imperial succession begin to dominate. He experiences a defeat at the Battle of Aspern Essling, 1809, and he marries the Duchess of Parma in 1810 who gives birth to a son in 1811. Napoleon, feeling provoked by the Russians, invades in 1812 and watches from the Kremlin as Moscow ignites. Napoleon makes the bitter retreat from Russia. Sensing France's weakness, the War of the Sixth Coalition erupts in 1813, and, outnumbered, Napoleon's forces are reduced and Paris is taken in 1814. After attempting suicide, and being forced to abdicate, he becomes the sovereign of Elba. Escaping from Elba, Napoleon encounters the 5th Regiment and Ney and convinces them over to his side, even reconciliation with Ney. The Hundred Days culminates with the Battle of Waterloo, 1815, and the defeat of the imperial forces. Napoleon is exiled to the island of Saint Helena, where his only friend and confidante is a young English girl to whom he relates the story of his life. He dies in 1821.

Filming took place in Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Morocco and Switzerland. The filmmakers found that many locations in Hungary resembled 19th century France. However, matte paintings and various digital effects were also employed in post production in order to recreate the historical setting. In many of the battle sequences, computer generated soldiers created by Hybride Technologies were added into the footage. The fact that Napoleon left behind many historical records helped in the production, and other records were supplied by the modern day French Army.

During the Plot of the Rue Saint Nicaise, Napoleon is seen travelling alongside his wife; in reality Joséphine was riding in a separate carriage. Napoleon and Tsar Alexander are shown in 1808 at the Congress of Erfurt listening to a performance of Nicolo Paganini's Caprice No. 24. In reality the piece was composed in 1817. The dressing down of Talleyrand during which Napoleon claimed that he was "shit in a silk stocking" occurred in front of Napoleon's marshals rather than in private chambers. By this time, Talleyrand had also already resigned his office, rather than being fired. Talleyrand warns King Louis XVIII that Napoleon and his army are advancing on Paris. In reality, Talleyrand was at the Congress of Vienna at the time. Murat is seen offering his services to Napoleon once more for the upcoming Waterloo campaign, but in real life, Murat had actually done so through a dispatch and not in person, as the last time the two actually saw each other was in Germany in 1813 following Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Leipzig. Cambronne is seen saying the infamous word of Cambronne and later a variation of his famous response about the Guard during the Battle of Waterloo. The accuracy of these words is disputed, though they are popularly attributed to him.

The series premiered at a time when many other books and films about Napoleon had recently come out or were in production, including a stage production called C'était Bonaparte, which opened days before the miniseries premiered. Upon its release, it was the first television series to be broadcast simultaneously in all the participating European countries. Critical reviews have been mixed, with an average rating of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. Some reviewers were uneasy at the casting of Christian Clavier, an actor known mostly for his work in comedy films, in the title role. French critics generally found Clavier to be "a good Napoleon but a poor Bonaparte." That is, striking an imposing figure but failing to give insight into the man. In terms of the dispute over whether Napoleon was a visionary, a tyrant, or an imposter, historian Jean Tulard considers the miniseries to be "too soft" on the emperor. However, the series also endows him with some unsavory characteristics, including a certain insensitivity towards the human costs of war. Anthony Nield of DVD Times criticized the series's pacing. John Lichfield of the Independent found the battle scenes inconsistent in terms of realism. One reviewer praised the performances of Clavier and Malkovich and the sets and costumes. Reviewing the DVD release,myReviewer. com noted that " on the whole Napoleon does not disappoint. The big scale feel of an epic production is there and some of the acting is first class." Ann Hodges also prasied Clavier's performance and the visuals but was critical of the supporting cast. C. W. Nevius offered a negative review. Michael Speier praised the series attention to detail and the performances. One reviewer called it a "limp disappointment". In a 2023 article, in light of the release of the Ridley Scott film, Juilo Bardini compared the miniseries favourably, stating that "it still remains one interpretation of the historical facts".

The series was praised in France, but received negative reviews in Italy. Italian politician, Umberto Bossi, was angered by the series, stating that it glamorized Napoleon despite the fact that his occupation of Italy resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands and the looting of many of the country's artistic treasures. He also criticized Italy's RAI television network for co funding the series. Producer and cast member Gérard Depardieu defended the series, stating that it keeps to the truth and that "perhaps Bossi would have preferred an idiot Napoleon." Two other members of the cast, Clavier and Rossellini, vouched for the integrity of their respective portrayals of the French emperor and empress. and it won the Emmy for Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special

A three disc DVD (full screen) recording, under the A&E label and with A&E extra features, is sold in the United States. In Canada, there is a four disc DVD (fullscreen) recording, under the REMSTAR label and without the A&E extra features, in both English and French editions. French edition is in 1.78:1 (16:9) widescreen.

A Risk style video game based on the miniseries, titled Napoleon, was released on November 14, 2002 by Atari and Infogrames for Mac and Windows. The game allows players to recreate some of Napoleon's historical battles. Richard Grégoire, the composer of the soundtrack of the miniseries, also contributed a part of the game's music.