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.

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  Entertainment

[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.

[HMahmood1985]

I'll keep my counter-trolling brief:

Films about Napoleon have been made plenty of times.

This film was directed by French director Abel Gance, in 1927. He used techniques that were considered innovative at the time, parts were shot using Polyvision, allowing for scenes that filled three screens at once.

This film was considered a cinematic masterpiece, and is rarely ever screened.

You should be ashamed of yourself for speaking badly of this film, you ignorant philistine. Shame. Good day sir.

[Lembit Punapart]

Lets put this movie in IMDB top 250.this is a shame that this masterpiece is

not in IMDB top 250.

[Chris Thorton]

I was there the same weekend and flew hundreds of miles to be there. I found it to be the most amazing film experience of my entire life.

[veganswines]

WOW

[Michael Tomlinson]

I like your thinking! ; )

[Emerson Oliveira]

Superb.

[Lembit Punapart]

One of the best movies what ever made.

[jaelmancke]

Saw this the second weekend it played in Oakland. It was simply amazing, and worth the 6 hour time investment. Breathtaking.

[David Maxfield]

I saw it in Toronto, with Coppola himself conducting a live orchestra, at the time of the original rerelease--and it was about four hours long. I loved it, but I'm not sure I could have sat still for another hour. Still, I look forward to giving this version a chance.

[insaneberry]

Yeah, Coppola had some interesting motifs---and he used some excerpts from Hooneger's original NAPOLEON SUITE. But Coppola's score was for the shortened version of the restoration. The entire Violine sequence was prepared for American release, but they cut it (about an hour in length) because they thought the American audiences would be overwhelmed with the running time. I was lucky enough to be at the orchestral rehearsals and the first three performances and Carl's score is very cathartic

[Mickle Arvickle]

Antonin Artaud's performance as a bloodthirsty Marat in this film is amazing!