When he was fifteen, Kevin Brownlow saw two reels of the 1927 "Napoleon", and it changed his life. The film was more daring, both technically and artistically, than anything he had ever seen. How could it have been forgotten? In 1967, he began an attempt to restore "Napoleon". This book tells the dramatic story of "Napoleon's" incredible revival.

PART ONE: THE MAKING 1. The Fuse Is Lit 2. Chasseur d'images 3. Pictures in the Fire 4. The Sum of Recollection 5. Unsung Heroes 6. Anything Possible 7. The Search for Naploeon 8. ' On tourne!' 9. The Enchanted Isle 10. Entr'acte 11. The Siege of Toulon 12. Cordeliers and Convention 13. Sweep of Empire 14. Flame in the Shadows 15. The Music of Light 16. Ten-day Wonder 17. Defeat in America PART TWO: THE RECONSTRUCTION 18. Nothing to Declare 19. A Gnashing of Teeth 20. Too Good to Last 21. Vin de l'Empereur 22. Somebody Has to Do it 23. On the Firing Line 24. A Whiff of Grapeshot 25. A meeting of Eagles 26. Fortune Favours the Brave 27. Strings Attached 28. Gala Derniere 29. Fortissimo 30. Cresting the Wave 31. 'The Measure for All Other Films, Forever' PART THREE: APPENDICES Cast and Credits Synopsis The Different Versions of Napoleon Notes Index

Celebrating film for 30 years "An indispensable part of every cineaste's bookcase" - Total Film "Possibly the most bountiful book series in the history of film criticism." - Jonathan Rosenbaum, Film Comment "Magnificently concentrated examples of flowing freeform critical poetry." - Uncut "The series is a landmark in film criticism." - Quarterly Review of Film and Video "A formidable body of work collectively generating some fascinating insights into the evolution of cinema." -Times Higher Education The BFI Film Classics series introduces, interprets and celebrates landmarks of world cinema. Each volume offers an argument for the film's 'classic' status, together with discussion of its production and reception history, its place within a genre or national cinema, an account of its technical and aesthetic importance, and in many cases, the author's personal response to the film.