Abel Gance's Napoleon Presented by San Francisco Silent Film Festival

Coming in March 2012 to the magnificent Art Deco Paramount Theatre, Oakland, California: Abel Gance's legendary silent masterpiece NAPOLEON. The four performances (March 24, 25, 31 & April 1) mark the U.S. premieres of both the complete 5 1/2 hour Photoplay-BFI restoration by Academy Award-winner Kevin Brownlow and the monumental orchestral score by Carl Davis, who will conduct the 46-piece Oakland East Bay Symphony.

NAPOLEON will be presented with its original 3-screen Polyvision climax, with the screen dramatically expanding to three times its width (for this remarkable finale, two custom-built screens will flank the Paramount's normal screen). This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience: the first time in 30 years that Napoleon in any form has been performed in any form with orchestra and Polyvision. No screenings are being planned for any other city and there are no plans for DVD, BluRay, streaming, or television. It's only in Oakland... live!
Tickets are now available at silentfilm.org.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• abel gance
• napoleon
• kevin brownlow. carl davis
• silent film
• silent movies
• film
• movies
• trailer
• silent film festival

[SFSilentFilm]

When Kevin Brownlow announced the show in San Francisco he said there were no plans for a DVD release. ...and with no other showings planned anywhere, the Bay Area will be the only place to to see it.

[Scrovegni1305]

@Linda69P

The 1983 version was a shortened version of this very Kevin Brownlow restoration (so it's definitely less, not more), with a score by Carmine Coppola (Francis Ford Coppola's father). By all accounts, the superior score is the one by Carl Davis, who will be conducting the orchestra in the flesh at this show. Davis incorporates Beethoven, Mozart, La Marseillaise, Corsican folk songs, etc. Also, this version runs 5 1/2 hours compared to the 4 hours you saw.

[Huddiethegreat]

Looks like I'm screwed. For the love of god team up with Criterion and give us a proper release. Gance deserves better

[wcoates89]

@Linda69P I wouldn't worry. Carl Davis is an excellent composer and has done silent movie scores before. While it is true that the 1983 screening had Carmine Coppola, Davis stands out in his own right. His scores are always phenomenal. If you want a sample, go look for the score he did for "The Big Parade," which you can probably find on youtube or google videos. I think it is good hands. Also I am pretty certain it will be the three screens. I am confident that you will not be cheated :)

[Filmmaker391]

BLUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU RAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!!

[AndrewMann552]

It should be seen on the big screen, but no plans for a DVD or Blu-Ray? What's wrong with these people? This is important ART we're talking about here! It should be fully preserved!

[Filmmaker391]

AAAAAAAAAAAA m so excited

[Linda69P]

I hope the music is appropriate to the story and time period, not some of the horrid modern music that doesn't even follow the action, that's now often used at silent film performances. The score in 1983 was terrific! That screening usedgthe symphony and the theater organ.

The ads mention the 3-screen climax, but in 1983 there were several 3-screen sections. Have these been eliminated? Are we being cheated?



[MrRemicas]

The Emperor protects !

errrrr, sorry wrong one ^^

Vive l'Empereur !

[SilentRobert3]

Rights aside, one overriding reason why Napoleon is so rarely performed is because doing so is immensely expensive. For Oakland they are constructing three custom cinema screens, shipping three synchronized three-blade projectors across the country, and constructing temporary soundproof projection booths. The 5 1/2 hour score is performed by a superb 47-piece orchestra conducted by none other than Carl Davis himself. Add staff, overtime, set-up, and days of rehearsal. Not a modest undertaking.

[jackal59]

Damn it, I simply cannot afford to travel to Oakland in the spring. Too bad Francis Ford Coppola has such a hard on for protecting his specious "rights" based on his father's crappy, repetitive score.