Eagle in a Cage

As other reviewers have noted, this is a remarkably lavish production (filmed economically in Spain) of what amounts to a one act play drawn from the final exile of Napoleon for the last six years of his life, from 46 to 52 from 1815 to 1821, on the small British island of Saint Helena in the middle of the south Atlantic Ocean following his final defeat at Waterloo.

While Napoleon himself is played with great verve by Kenneth Haigh (a distinguished English stage actor with extensive television credits - possibly best known for his performance in John Osborne's LOOK BACK IN ANGER - only 5 years younger than Napoleon was himself at this point in his life), the real stars of the production are John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson as the Britons confined to the island themselves as supervisors of the former emperor's confinement. The performances may be brief, but the impact is large.

The entertaining but minor (except to fans of good acting and history) as the film is, as others have noted, it is difficult to find these days, but someone has kindly uploaded an acceptable print to Archive.org which is linkable from IMDb itself and an acceptable DVD copy is included as a "bonus film" on the excellent London Films/BFS Video 2002 DVD release of THE BEST OF FRIENDS, the 1991 TV film (shown in the U.S. on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre) of the 1988 Hugh Whitmore play with Sir John Gielgud repeating his Apollo Theatre (London) performance opposite Dame Wendy Hiller and Patrick McGoohan as Sister Laurentia McLauchlan and G.B. Shaw from 1924 through the end of their lives in the early 1950s. It's a worthy double feature - although a possibly better double feature would be EAGLE IN A CAGE and the video of G.B. Shaw's one act play MAN OF DESTINY, about Napoleon on the way UP during his Italian campaign!

Another man who didn't enjoy power so much might have found life on St. Helena pleasant enough. This rocky island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean southern hemisphere seems a pleasant enough prison as a jail for one man alone. Kenneth Haigh as the exiled Napoleon Bonaparte has an old mistress in Billie Whitelaw visiting, he has a personal physician in Michael Williams. Even the governor of the island Ralph Richardson has his reasons for seeing to the exiled Emperor's comfort albeit Richardson is one stuffy bore.

But Bonaparte is about power and when visiting British Lord John Gielgud arrives with a proposition to get back to Europe with a Mission Impossible type mission Haigh is more than tempted. The United Kingdom had a Foreign Secretary at the time named Lord Castlereagh who firmly believed that Great Britain had no permanent friends or permanent enemies, just permanent interests. Gielgud is his representative in every way.

Only when the two acting knights are together does this film have any spark to it. I do so love the way Gielgud and Richardson play off each other, Gielgud the supreme cynic and Richardson a dull plodder.

But other than that the pace of this film is excruciatingly dull and sluggish. Not even Gielgud and Richardson can save it.

Napoleon Bonaparte. The name inspires awe, wonder, and fascination, or terror, hatred, and villainy, depending on one's point of view. While he may be mostly remembered for his victories, military glory, and ruling of nations, his exile and imprisonment on the island of St. Helena is just as equally intriguing in its own way. 1972's "Eagle in a Cage" is a little seen British movie that explores this, albeit with a little bit of fiction thrown in here and there. It all starts when the fallen Emperor arrives on the desolate rock that will be his home for the rest of his life. Played with a beaming set of confidence by Kenneth Haigh, Napoleon rejects the very notion that he is a prisoner, much to the annoyance of his jailer, Sir Hudson Lowe (Played by the late, great Sir Ralph Richardson). Joining Napoleon is some of his last loyal followers, which include Count Bertrand (Ferdy Mayne), General Gourgaud (Played by Moses Gunn), and Madame Bertrand (the ravishing Billie Whitelaw), wife of the count and Napoleon's one time mistress. Together, they try to make a living under the watchful eyes of the British but it's not long before escape enters Napoleon's mind and it is partly this angle that makes "Eagle" what it is. But it's more than that that makes the movie memorable; in many ways, it's also a study of the frustrations and regrets of people trapped in a dreary existence. For Napoleon, it's his far fall from grace, for Madame Bertrand, her desire to be a mother again, and even for the British jailer, Sir Hudson Lowe, his frustration over not being promoted through the ranks as quickly as those who have connections to the governing elite.

All of this is done impeccably by the actors in their roles, but especially by Kenneth Haigh, who must be congratulated for his role as a legend who's trying to reclaim destiny while romancing and teaching life lessons to a young English girl Betty Balcombe (Georgina Hale), even as his body begins to fail him. The jagged mountains and cliffs of the location shoot also go a long way to invoke the desolate feeling Napoleon and the others must have felt being trapped on that small island that Napoleon himself called in his journal as a boy. Also, it helps to have authentic uniforms of the time period and on this, the production delivers as well. Even a fictional idea of British intrigue to put Napoleon back on the throne helps add some spice to the story (A little performance by the late, great Sir John Gielgud as a British lord trying to implement this little scheme is an added bonus). To sum it up, "Eagle in a Cage" is a film that deserves to have a much wider audience than it does because it tells an excellent story with a little bit of intrigue while giving you a basic history lesson. I don't know if the movie is available on DVD but I do know that is on you tube. So if you are the least bit interested in Napoleon or if you're just looking for a good story, check out "Eagle in Cage" if you get the chance. Also starring Michael Williams as British surgeon Barry O'Meara.

Kenneth Haigh is splendid as Napoleon and makes a very vivid and convincing interpretation of the caged, humiliated and.wing clipped former emperor and ruler of Europe in a performance on par with Rod Steiger and Herbert Lom. His young doctor O'Meara is played by Michael Williams, and he is just as good - it's these two characters that make the film. Ralph Richardson is also very convincing as the morbidly formal and correct Sir Hudson Lowe, who was responsible for Napoleon's confinement on St. Helena and in practice his jailer, as he admits himself, forcing Napoleon to live in the house that became his death. Sir John Gielgud does not appear until in the last half hour as lord Sissal, a very important political man, who wants to plot with Napoleon and make him interested in new political projects, which intrigue is interrupted by Napoleon's strange illness, which no one, least of all his doctor and himself, can understand. Two ladies are also involved, there are some efforts at some amorous intrigues, and there is also an attempt at an escape, but all that is part of the general speculations of the play and script. On the whole, it gives an intimate insight into the last pathetic chapter of Napoleon's rise and fall, and the acting and dialog is superb. This must not be missed by any historically interested cineast.

Gielgud is billed as the star, but he doesn't show up until the last part of the movie, and he appears in just a couple scenes. Nevertheless he chews up the scenery, especially in his scenes with Ralph Richardson. The two of them have a rip-roaring time the few brief moments they appear together. And this with scenes that, in the hands of lesser actors, you'd barely notice. I kept imagining how wonderful if there had been more of their handiwork to be seen in this movie.

There is a lot of top-drawer talent on display here, and they do justice to the interesting and literate screenplay by blacklisted writer Millard Lampell. Despite all this talent, it's difficult to call this a truly superior film. There's nothing to complain of, really, and, in fact, overall I liked it. It's just that without the historical context, there isn't much of a story. Perhaps that's an unfair criticism, given the unique and fascinating circumstance of Napoleon in exile. But a lot of other human dynamics are introduced into this situation that don't seem to add up to all that much.

The movie held my attention well enough, but it wasn't until Gielgud showed up that I realized how much was lacking. If you're a Napoleon buff, or a fan of Gielgud, Richardson, or Billie Whitlaw, this is worthwhile. If you're not, you may find it a bit of a disappointment.

Another reviewer notes that this is the most difficult movie on Napoleon to find. I saw it as part of a 50 DVD Movie Pack "War Classics." The print they transferred was in terrible condition, almost shockingly so. The movie deserves better.