NAPOLEON

EXT. RUSSIAN VILLAGE - NIGHT

A posting house is crammed full of officers and men and

horses.

Outside, others are banging on locked doors, trying to get

in, but they are refused, virtually condemning them to

death during the sub-zero night.

A man on the roof, trying to pull off a plank, draws shots

from the inside.

Suddenly, a fire breaks out inside and, because of the

horses and the way that the doors are nailed up, it

becomes an instant disaster. No one can get out.

The freezing men on the outside make a feeble effort to

open the doors but they have been effectively barricaded

from the inside.

The noise and the flames attract other men who have been

huddled in the open and, since they can do nothing, they

crowd as close as they can to the flames to warm

themselves, or cook bits of horse-flesh on the points of

their swords.

TITLE: INVASION OF FRANCE

INT. TUILERIES - DAY

The Christmas tree is still up. Toys. Napoleon, on his

hands and knees, plays with his son. Marie-Louise watches

happily. An aide enters and whispers something, causing

Napoleon to get to his feet and excuse himself.

NARRATOR

On January 1st, 1814, France itself

was invaded. Now, with a small army

of raw recruits, Napoleon would have

to face the powerful combination of

England, Russia, Prussia and

Austria, operating against him

together, for the first time. The

balance of numbers had tilted

irretrievably against him.

NAPOLEON (V.O.)

A year ago, the whole of Europe was

marching alongside of us. Today,

the whole of Europe is marching

against us.

EXT. FRENCH ROAD - DAY

Tsar Alexander on the move with his army.

EXT. FRENCH ROAD - DAY

French refugees, their belongings on carts. A few miles

to the rear, the smoke of a burning village.

EXT. FRENCH VILLAGE - NIGHT

Anxious French townspeople gather around a courier reading

war dispatches.

EXT. FRENCH CITY - DAY

Deserters are arrested.

INT. NAPOLEON'S OFFICE TUILERIES - DAY

Napoleon spends his last afternoon burning private papers

and playing with his 3-year old son.

EXT. TUILERIES - DAY

Napoleon kisses Marie-Louise and son for the last time.

He will never see them again. Carriage and escort

waiting.

EXT. FRENCH ROAD - DAY

Napoleon, at the head of his army, marching through the

wintry countryside to meet the invading allied army.

NARRATOR

All around him, the sands were

giving way, but Napoleon struck back

with a brilliance which caused

Wellington, much later on, to

remark: "The study of the campaign

has given me a greater idea of his

genius than any other." For two

months, Napoleon's small army would

bedevil the jittery and

uncoordinated allied armies by rapid

marches and surprise attacks on

their flanks and rear.

INT. SALON - DAY

The negotiators' meeting at Chatillon.

NARRATOR

During much of the fighting, a peace

conference took place at Chatillon,

where both sides insincerely raised

and lowered their terms with the ebb

and flow of the fighting.

EXT. FIELD HQ - NIGHT

Napoleon asleep in his chair near a fire. The table in

front of him is covered with maps, papers. His marshals

and generals stand at a respectful distance.

ANIMATED MAP

Illuminating and illustrating the narration.

NARRATOR

But despite the brilliance of his

tactics, Napoleon's numbers dwindled

and, in desperation, he made a

daring and imaginative decision to

move eastward, placing himself in

the rear of the allied armies. This

would cut their long lines of

communication but, at the same time,

leave open the road to Paris.

Napoleon counted on Joseph

fulfilling his orders for the

defense of the city, so that, if the

allies took the bait and marched on

Paris, it would offer Napoleon an

opportunity for a decisive victory.

INT. TSAR HQ - NIGHT

Alexander reading the letter from Talleyrand.

NARRATOR

But on March 10th, the Tsar received

a note from Talleyrand, revealing

the total lack of military

preparations in Paris.

EXT. FOREST - DAY

Russian cavalry patrol captures French courier on snowy,

forest road.

NARRATOR

On March 23rd, allied patrols

captured a courier carrying a letter

from Napoleon to Marie-Louise in

which he rashly revealed his plans.

ANIMATED MAP

Situation map showing Paris, Allies, Napoleon, strung out

in that order, and covering the narration.

NARRATOR

Although Alexander realized it was

essential for Paris to surrender

within 24 hours, to avoid the allies

being trapped between the walls of

Paris and Napoleon's forces which

might attack his rear, he chose to

gamble, persuading his generals to

ignore Napoleon and march on Paris.

This crucial decision would bring

down Napoleon's empire.

EXT. ROAD - DAY

A snowy road near Fontainebleau -- French troops

retreating. Napoleon's carriage and escort gallop through

the troops to the head of the column and stop. Napoleon

climbs out and confronts General Belliard.

NAPOLEON

Well, Belliard, what's this? What

are you doing here? Where is the

enemy?

BELLIARD

They are at the gates of Paris,

sire.

NAPOLEON

And where is the army?

BELLIARD

It is on this road, sire, following

me.

NAPOLEON

And who is defending Paris?

BELLIARD

Paris is evacuated, sire. The enemy

is to enter at nine o'clock tomorrow

morning. The National Guard is on

duty at the gates.

NAPOLEON

Paris has surrendered?! I don't

believe it.

BELLIARD

Unhappily, it is true, sire.

NAPOLEON

But where are my wife and son?

What's become of them? Where is

Marmont? Where is Mortier?

BELLIARD

The Empress, your son and the whole

court left two days ago for

Rambouillet. Marshals Mortier and

Marmont are probably still in Paris,

completing the arrangements.

Napoleon starts walking rapidly down the road, in the

direction of Paris. The party of senior officers scurry

after him.

NAPOLEON

Well, you've heard what Belliard

says, gentlemen -- come, I am going

to Paris. Caulaincourt, have my

carriage brought up. Come, come,

Belliard, turn your men around.

CAULAINCOURT

But, Your Majesty, we cannot go to

Paris now. There are no troops left

there.

NAPOLEON

No troops? The National Guard is

still there -- they will follow me.

Things may yet be put right.

BELLIARD

But, sire, Your Majesty would lay

Paris open to being sacked. The

enemy is outside the gates with more

than 120,000 men. Besides this, I

left the city under the terms of a

treaty and I am forbidden to reenter

Paris.

NAPOLEON

A treaty? Don't be ridiculous.

What treaty is this? Who made it?

Who has been giving orders?

BELLIARD

I don't know the details of the

treaty, sire, Marshal Mortier sent

me word of its having been agreed

to, and he said that I was to take

the army and make for Fontainebleau.

NAPOLEON

But who made this treaty?

BELLIARD

I believe it was arranged by

Marshals Mortier and Marmont. I

must explain to you that we have had

no orders all day. Each marshal has

been keeping his own position.

NAPOLEON

Who sent my wife and son out of

Paris?

BELLIARD

I don't know, sire.

NAPOLEON

And where is Joseph?

BELLIARD

I don't know what has happened to

Prince Joseph.

NAPOLEON

What cowardice! What treason!

Joseph has ruined everything. How

could they all lose their heads.

They knew I was coming up fast.

Victory was just within grasp.

Come, come, turn your troops around,

General Belliard.

CAULAINCOURT

But, sire, we mustn't risk turning

Paris into another Moscow.

NAPOLEON

There seems little enough danger of

that. Come! Come! My carriage!

The troops!

Another column of troops, withdrawing from Paris, comes

into sight. Suddenly, Napoleon stops, sits down by the

side of the road, and holds his head.

NARRATOR

In defeat, Napoleon would be

punished by the Kings of Europe,

according to a standard which they

would not have applied to each other.

He might marry the niece of Marie

Antoinette, and call himself an

Emperor, but that did not make him

one.

TITLE: ELBA

EXT. ELBA MAIN STREET - DAY

In a comic opera parody of former grandeur, Napoleon

marches in a pathetic procession, led by the governor, the

prefect and other city officials, cheered by the local

population.

A band of twenty fiddlers -- no brass, no percussion,

marches along playing the Elban national anthem.

A few hundred of his guards bring up the rear.

NARRATOR

The treaty of Fontainebleau of April

11th, 1814, signed by the allies and

Napoleon, in return for his

abdication from the throne of

France, gave him the token

sovereignty of the tiny island of

Elba, with the title of Emperor, a

yearly income of 2 million francs,

an army of 700, and a navy of 3

ships. But in ten months time, even

this tiny stake would be sufficient

capital to bring this most reckless

of all gamblers back into the game

for a final, breathtaking spin of

the wheel.

EXT. MALMAISON GARDEN - NIGHT

A glittering garden party at Malmaison. Josephine and

Tsar Alexander. Present are: Frederich Wilhelm of

Prussia, Francis II of Austria, the Kings of Bavaria.

Alexander and Josephine off, walk alone. She wears a low-

cut dress.

NARRATOR

After the solitude and semi-

banishment of the last four years,

Josephine found herself again at the

center of Paris society. There

would be a crush of crowned and

coroneted heads at Malmaison, led by

Tsar Alexander. But Josephine's

final conquest would be pathetically

brief -- in two weeks, she was to

die of pneumonia.

ALEXANDER

How delightful it must have been

this spot to Napoleon. Could he but

pass his life here with you, Madame,

he would have nothing to complain of

but the too rapid slide of time.

JOSEPHINE

He loved Malmaison. I think it was

the only place he was ever happy and

carefree.