It was a remake of a silent movie,and a remake that made sense for it was based on Edmond Rostand's play so it is necessary to hear the actors ' voice ."L'Aiglon" has not worn as well as "Cyrano De Bergerac" which made Gerard Depardieu an international star.
During the cast and credits,a "Marseillaise"/Austrian hymn(aka "das Lied Der Deutschen")is heard ,which fits quite well cause L'Aiglon was French (as Napoleon's son) and Austrian (as Marie-Louise's).The performances may seem old-fashioned for today's audience ,the actors overplay as if they were on a stage ;Jean Weber ,who plays the lead ,may seem ridiculous to some,but his performance ,which seems extra-terrestrial -he displays some female sensitiveness ,one should remember that the part was created on stage by Sarah Bernardt-,is deeply moving,particularly in the last scenes (last act:"broken wings") :they wouldn't film a dying man that way nowadays .Aristocratic Victor Francen is cast against type as Flambeau Le Grognard .Directing is undistinguished .
Like this?try this....
"Napoleon II L'Aiglon" ,Claude Boissol ,1961 ;not based on Rostand's drama but on a screenplay written by historian André Castelot.
