Leave it to PBS to create a miniseries on a topic so niche, it can’t possibly have drawn much of an audience. Napoleon & Love takes a somewhat misogynistic approach to history, chronicling the life of Napoleon Bonaparte through the women he courted. Napoleon is already one of the most mocked figures in history, and PBS did nothing for his reputation in its portrayal of him in this miniseries. While they may have felt that shedding light on a lesser-known aspect of Emperor Napoleon’s life may have changed people’s opinions of him, he still comes across as incredibly unlikable. Napoleon & Love takes neither an interesting nor a well-done approach to a historical figure.
Who knew Napoleon was such a ladies man? Oscar nominee Ian Holm (aka Bilbo Baggins), stars as Napoleon Bonaparte, the power hungry, sex fiending French general working his way up through the ranks with the help of a few lucky ladies along the way. As endearing as he is as The Hobbit, Ian Holm is repulsive as Napoleon. Perhaps this is intentional, as Napoleon was clearly not the most moral or personable of people. But his character (not to mention his hair) is so offputting it’s hard to sit through the show. The melodrama is painful throughout the series. The overacting is so outlandish that it’s hard not to laugh as we watch Napoleon eloquently profess his love for one woman after another.
In episode one, Rose, Napoleon travels to Paris from Marseilles, leaving behind the young woman he is to marry. While there, he meets a wealthy woman named Rose, whom Napoleon dubs Josephine, who soon seduces Napoleon at the behest of the general she is already sleeping with. When he falls in love with her, the general demands that she marry him, despite her protestations. She finally consents, and the two wed, but infidelity still abounds.
The miniseires is quite sexual, more so than would be expected for a 1970s series on PBS. Passionate kissing, adultery, cleavage and blatant talk about sex and whores abound. Wherever he goes, women throw themselves at him. Despite his promiscuity, Napoleon desperately wants a wife and family of his own. He hopes a wife will make him seem more mature in the public eye and give him more clout within the army.
Napoleon isn’t the only promiscuous one in the French army. Apparently adultery was widely accepted and tolerated in the 1700s. Every character across every episode is involved in some sort of lude affair. At the forefront is Josephine, played by Billie Whitelaw. Josephine tramps around Paris, getting whatever, and whomever she wants, with little regard for her husband, Napoleon. In episode 2, she pretends to be pregnant so as not to have to travel to Milan to live with him. Whitelaw is one of the more impressive and memorable characters in the series. Her snarky, headstrong manner give an edge to the program. The other memorable face in the series is that of the great Tim Curry, who plays Eugene de Beauharnais in four episodes.
Napoleon is so desperate for affection that he falls in love with any woman he encounters. His reputation as crazed, power hungry General is contrasted with his professions of love and groveling at the feet of one mistress after the next. As time goes on, Napoleon’s hair improves, yet his manner becomes increasingly unpleasant. The closer he gets to becoming Emperor, the easier the women come to him, and the more bitter Josephine grows toward him. They repeatedly try to have a baby, an heir to Napoleon’s throne, but they cannot. In Episode 6, Jospehine resorts to spreading false rumors of Napoleon’s impotence, and he can bear no more. He divorces her and soon marries Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria. Louise is finally able to give him a son, but one is not enough for a man who plans to rule to world.
For a PBS program, Napoleon & Love is full of sex and scandal, perfect for the housewife looking for a little romance in the afternoon. While it may have been groundbreaking for television in 1974, it just doesn’t hold up today. As history tells, there is no happy ending for Napoleon Bonaparte, but PBS’s 1970s miniseries Napoleon & Love gives us a glimpse into his personal life, for better or worse.
DVD Bonus Features:
"Cast Filmographies" list each actor’s major roles up to present day. "Napoleon’s Timeline Of Events" gives viewers the most important historical moments in Napoelon’s career as General and Emperor of France.
"Napoleon & Love" is on sale March 1, 2011 and is not rated. Biopic, Drama. Directed by Reginald Collin. Written by Philip Mackie. Starring Tim Curry.
