I liked Gerard Depardieu playing Fouché. But actually I was really into the women, Isabella Rossilini as Joséphine, the true love of Napoleon *sigh*...
also countess Walewska and the sweet marie lousie did a great job. (Alexandra Maria Lara and Mavie Hörbiger played them)
What do you think of these characters/actors? And which was your favourite?
My favortie was Toby Stephens as Tsar Alexander I. I had always been facinated with that historical figure, and I was amazed how close Stephens came to how I had always imagined Alexander.
My second favorite would have to be Napoleon's sister Caroline.
I'm so glad they focused on this sister, instead of Pauline like they did in that other mini-series.
Malkovich was creepy, as always, and made a good Talleyrand.
The girls playing Marie Louise and the Countess really didn't make an impression on me.
As for Clavier, well, he did better than Armande Assante. Thats a step up.
Rosselini and Depardieu did alright.
Isabella Rossellini did an absolutely fabulous job in this! Some of her best work!
shareI liked the Armand Augustin Louis, Marquis de Caulaincourt charachter, he seemed like a good guy in the movie, though if you notice he is always giving advice to Napolean that is mediocre a best.
shareI too liked Heino Ferch as Caulaincourt. In real life Caulaincourt really was one of the most decent and respected characters during that time. Caulaincourt was to be condemned once the Bourbons were restored to power the second time after Waterloo but Tsar Alexander I spoke up for Caulaincourt's character and he was saved from execution unlike someone like Ney. Caulaincourt's account of the Russian campaign is considered a key account about that particular disaster for Napoleon.
Frank: Just a man.
Harmonica: An ancient race.
I think the Countess Walewska was my favorite character. That scene when she arrives at Napoleon's residence in Poland is beautiful.
shareAlexandra Maria Lara, Marie Bäumer, Jessica Parè
shareI thought the casting was pretty good for the family but horrible for the soldiers except for maybe Caulaincourt - Murat struck me as... ugly rather than dashing. Ney was a decrepit old fool, not Le Rougeud, the dashing hussar who was the Bravest of the Brave. The guy playing the Prince de Enghien made more of an impression on me than Murat and Ney.
Admittedly there is SO MUCH to take in when talking about Napoleon but as someone else said here the film tries to do too much with too little time (for a massive miniseries). So we end up with half measures.
Nonetheless - Clavier as Napoleon, Gerard Depardieu as Fouche, Malkovich... okay, he was still too Malkovich for me. The best one for me was Isabella Rosellini - a deadringer for her mom, the great Ingrid Bergman - I kept on repeating "She's so beautiful" like I was under some kind of spell. If anything, she convinced me that if Josephine was like that its no wonder Napoleon was captivated by her all his life even with all the crap the put each other through.
On an utterly unrelated note WOULD have liked to see Hugh Jackman as The Duke of Wellington ;-) Then I suppose it really WOULD be Napoleon vs the Australians.
"It is not enough to like a film. You must like it for the right reasons."
- Pierre Rissient
John Malkovich as Talleyrand. This series is also a reunion of sorts for Christian Clavier, Gerard Depardieu and Malkovich since they were all together in "Les Miserables."
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