Napoleon

Andrew Roberts, in spite of his obviously concerning obsession with Napoleon's "honourable" despotism, produces yet another scintillating documentary full of bravura. The budget was clearly used perfectly, and the various wardrobe changes Roberts makes throughout really makes the documentary all the more poignant. In fact, this documentary is full of marvellous factoids about "Napoleon the Great" and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. His story telling is once again magnificent; the links Roberts makes between ancient history and Napoleon's France beautifully illustrates how Napoleon admirably returned France to its "global superpower" status. The battle scenes are even more enjoyable and the fabulous editing makes the documentary even more epic. This certainly piqued my interest this Thursday afternoon.

...but very poor maps of the battles. Still, a very nice supplement to Andrew Roberts' biography of Napoleon. I do wish they had shown onscreen the names of the places Roberts was in with the memorabilia, so viewers would know where to go to see them too.

Andrew Roberts complemented his magnum opus in writing (Napoleon the Great) with this 3 part documentary. It is well narrated, contains many interesting details and is a pleasure for the eyes in terms of locations, costumes etc. Roberts is clearly an admirer of Napoleon, somewhat forgiving of his cruelty and exaggerating a bit on other subjects. Many historians would rate The battle of Borodino as undecided, although the Russians did retreat, but the result can hardly be seen as victory.