NAPOLEON
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143 INT. BALLROOM WARSAW <1807> -NIGHT
A reception is being held in Napoleon's honour. He stands
talking to Prince Eugθne and his extraordinarily beautiful
young wife, Princess Amelia AUGUSTA of Bavaria (18). Both are
evidently much in love. Napoleon takes a pinch of snuff or
rather holds it against his nose, letting most of it drop on
the magnificent carpet. Talleyrand limps over.
NAPOLEON
You see, Talleyrand? My family
complain that I force them into
unhappy marriages, but Prince
Eugθne could not have made a finer
choice if I were twenty years
younger, I'd have married her
myself. And not only a happy
marriage but a happy alliance with
Bavaria! At least if I cannot be a
father I can become a doting
grandfather...
Murat takes Napoleon aside, whispers in his ear. Napoleon
turns to see the girl with the corn-flower eyes, no longer
disguised as a peasant but in a white dress, surrounded by
members of the old Polish nobility. They seem to be trying to
persuade her to meet the Emperor, but she is as reluctant as
Napoleon is eager to make her acquaintance. An old Polish
Nobleman tries to cajole her. Napoleon moves closer...
MURAT
She's the Countess Walewska, sire -
married to the nobleman on her
right.
NAPOLEON
He's old enough to be her
grandfather!
MURAT
Seventy-two, sire... and a true
Polish patriot. He's even prepared
to sacrifice his wife... in the
cause of Polish restoration. But it
is a dangerous cause, Sire - do not
be lured into a perilous...
But Napoleon has moved closer towards Marie and is no longer
listening. Murat nudges Lannes with a grin. But as Napoleon
advances, so Marie retreats from him...
NAPOLEON (V/O)
I saw only you, I admired only you,
I desired only you. I shall grant
you every wish within my power, for
the restoration of Poland is as
dear to me as it is to you...
Napoleon draws even closer - and is about to pounce when
Marie abruptly turns and sweeps out of the room.
144 INT. STATEROOM WARSAW PALACE <1807> DAY
Napoleon paces up and down in front of a huge map of central
Europe, hung on the wall of a palace stateroom transformed
into operational HQ. The map conveniently indicates the
outline of former Poland - now carved up between Austria,
Prussia and Russia (Warsaw being in the Prussian sector).
There is all the usual activity, but we hear little of it,
for we are with Napoleon...
NAPOLEON (V/O)
You have deprived me of all sleep!
Oh, grant a little joy, a little
happiness to a poor heart that
already adores you! Is it so hard
to obtain a letter? You owe me at
least five!
TALLEYRAND
Sire, the Russian Ambassador Prince
Kurakin has arrived...
Napoleon nods briefly, continues pacing, up and down...
145 INT. ANTECHAMBER WARSAW PALACE <1807> DAY
... up and down, hands behind his back. A diplomatic meeting
is under way Talleyrand, Metternich, and the volatile
Russian ambassador, Prince KURAKIN.
NAPOLEON (V/O)
Marie, my sweet, brave little
patriot how can I think how can
I plan the restoration of your
country if all my mind is consumed
with the memory of you... My only
desire is to see you again - and if
you don't come to me, then the
Eagle shall come to you!
KURAKIN
Russia will never consent to
yielding her Polish territory,
sire. History is on our side,
and....
NAPOLEON
You may tell Tsar Alexander that I
don't wish to hurt anyone, but when
my great chariot is rolling, it's
as well to stand clear of the
wheels.
Metternich whispers to Talleyrand as Kurakin clicks his
pompous heels and marches out.
TALLEYRAND
Sire, Poland is not worth a single
drop of French blood her
existence as a nation is of no
significance to France.
NAPOLEON
Liberty has always been significant
to me, Talleyrand. If I can restore
the Polish nation, I will do so. I
am prompted by no personal gain. I
have no pretensions to the Polish
throne either for myself or for my
family. Let Poland be reborn
independent and free... I shall be
content with the honour of having
been the instrument.
(off Metternich's look)
Prussia has yielded her share. Now
it is Russia's turn.
METTERNICH
And Austria, sire?
Napoleon gives Metternich an enigmatic smile.
146 INT. BEDROOM WARSAW <1807> DAY
SMASH! as a watch is hurled to the ground and crushed under
Napoleon's heel.
He looks up at Marie Walewska, standing on the other side of
the room, dressed in white and trying hard to disguise her
abject fear...
NAPOLEON
That is Poland today...
Napoleon scatters the broken pieces with his boot...
NAPOLEON
and that is Poland forever
unless you choose otherwise!
... the echo of his words fills the ensuing silence, the
watch-cogs spinning across the wooden floor to where Marie
stands, trembling, clutching a silver cross at her breast.
147 EXT. TILSIT RIVER NIEMAN <1807> DAY
The massed band of the Imperial Guard strikes up as an ornate
barge sets out across the frontier River Nieman, bearing
Napoleon the Conqueror, his arms folded, wearing his green
and-white uniform and accompanied by his staff. A large blue
and-white pavilion is moored on a raft midstream, flying the
crossed flags of Russia and France. A ceremonial division of
the Imperial Guard are arrayed on the east bank, facing a
depleted corps of Cossacks on the far side.
NAPOLEON (V/O)
My dear Josephine. I write only a
few lines as I am very tired.
You will have seen from the 24th
Bulletin that my children have
routed the entire Russian army 80
guns, 30,000 captured or killed...
Another barge has set out from the opposite bank, carrying
the young Tsar ALEXANDER with his diplomatic staff...
NAPOLEON (V/O)
... 25 Russian generals killed or
taken prisoner, the Russian Guard
smashed truly the battles of Jena
and Friedland are worthy sisters to
Marengo and Austerlitz.
Napoleon's gondola arrives first. He springs onto the raft,
carpeted in velvet encrusted with golden bees. The entrance
to the pavilion is crowned by a large "N". Napoleon forsakes
Talleyrand and his staff and hurries inside...
NAPOLEON (V/O)
I am shortly to meet with
Alexander, the Tsar of all the
Russias. The Prussians are also
anxious to pay court to me, but
they can wait.
Goodbye, my dear friend. One of
these fine nights I shall turn up
like a jealous husband so be
warned!
Napoleon emerges on the far side of the pavilion, crowned
with a matching "A", as Alexander's gondola approaches the
raft. Although fair, blonde and nearly a foot taller than
Napoleon, the Tsar bears a striking resemblance to the young
Bonaparte even his uniform resembles Napoleon's at Arcola.
Alexander's admiration for the Emperor is evidently not
shared by Prince Kurakin and the rest of his staff, despite
efforts to conceal it. The same may be said of Prussia's King
Friedrich WILHELM III a sad, vacillating man, who has been
left behind on the bank with his stunningly beautiful wife,
Queen LOUISA - a latter day Amazon dressed in the uniform of
a cavalry dragoon - and his senior Marshal, the stern, fiery,
mustachioed Prince Gebhard von BLάCHER (65).
Napoleon stands with his arms folded as the gondola draws
alongside the raft. Alexander's initial reaction is one of
veiled dread. Then, with perfect timing, Napoleon's stern
expression softens. He offers the Tsar his hand, smiling
warmly as he welcomes him aboard.
NAPOLEON
Alexander... at last we meet... in
brotherhood and friendship.
Napoleon leads the astonished Tsar to the end of the raft,
and in full view of the armies on both banks embraces
him, to the tumultuous cheers of both armies, the concern of
the diplomats - and the open hostility of the Prussians.
148 INT. PAVILION TILSIT <1807> DAY
Napoleon paces gently up and down, hands behind his back,
while Alexander stands ill-at-ease, unprepared for such
amiability on the part of his enemy and conqueror.
NAPOLEON
Had I been commanding your army at
Austerlitz, I would never have
allowed a cavalry charge to take
place without the support of
infantry that is one of the
cardinal rules in warfare. And at
Jena where was your artillery?
ALEXANDER
I fear I had little choice in the
matter.
NAPOLEON
My brother, you are the Tsar...
ALEXANDER
Ah, but when one is not Napoleon,
one is obliged to defer to the
advice of one's military staff.
NAPOLEON
Then I shall teach you -- and the
next time I have to fight the
Austrians, you can lead an army
Corps of 30,000 men under my
command. That way you will learn
the art of war, and give your own
commands instead of relying on
Kutusov. But first we must
establish the terms of our
friendship, and our position with
respect to Poland - and England.
ALEXANDER
Believe me, Sire, our relationship
with England is purely...
economical. We distrust the English
as much as you do, but Poland is
another....
NAPOLEON
Excellent! Then everything is
settled, and peace is made between
us. Come, we will work out a treaty
ourselves. We don't need self
serving lawyers and diplomats to
advise us. I will be your
secretary, and you shall be mine.
ALEXANDER
But sire, surely the King of
Prussia should be consulted?
NAPOLEON
Bah! The Queen rules Prussia
she's the only man in Prussia...
apart from Blόcher - and he's even
older than Kutusov. If the German
states were ever to unite, Germany
would indeed be a force to be
reckoned with. But Prussia alone?
Bah! Berlin's a mere village! It is
you and I who will reshape the map
of Europe... and then together we
might march to India and bring
England to her knees!
(Alexander's eyes widen)
But first we must get to know one
another.
When I liberated Italy from the
Austrians, I demanded 10 million
francs in reparations - half to be
paid in gold, the rest in works of
art. I was much criticized for
this, and yet why should this be?
Alexander is beginning to sweat...
NAPOLEON
The government in Paris was utterly
corrupt in those times. I knew well
enough that the gold would never
reach the people, but the paintings
and statues I could give to the
people - to everyone - by creating
the Louvre. For hundreds of years,
these great works of art had been
hidden from view in private
collections. Now they are on public
display, for all the world to see.
ALEXANDER
But Sire, the Louvre is in Paris!
If you were to strip us of our
art... why art is the very soul of
a nation!
Alexander looks at him imploringly. Napoleon stares at him,
then smiles - and embraces him.
NAPOLEON
Truly I have found a friend and a
brother. There's no need to be
anxious. I want no reparations - no
gold, no land, no works of art. All
I ask of Russia is her friendship.
Alexander's anxiety transmutes into positive relief. Napoleon
turns to a painting on the wall of the tent - a group
portrait of the Russian royal family, with the Tsar, Tsarina,
and their children.
NAPOLEON
Gιrard?
ALEXANDER
Antoine Gros.
NAPOLEON
An excellent likeness of you. Are
these your sisters?
ALEXANDER
Yes, sire...
NAPOLEON
Married?
ALEXANDER
All but the youngest... the
Princess Anna...
Napoleon looks closely at the Tsar's sister - a beautiful
child of ambiguous age... then turns back to Alexander,
embracing him...
NAPOLEON
Ah, my brother... there is nothing
in this world that we cannot
achieve together - if we let our
imagination take wings!
149 EXT. HILLSIDE & NIEMAN TILSIT <1807> DAY
Napoleon and Alexander are racing one another on horseback,
galloping along a cliff. The goal: a small Russian chapel
with an onion dome, overlooking the River Nieman far below.
Napoleon can easily outstrip his rival, and nearly allows him
to win - but not quite. They laugh like old friends...
Later, and they are enjoying a picnic meal, served to them by
Roustam on Sevrθs chinaware.
NAPOLEON
War is essentially a calculation of
probabilities. A consecutive series
of great actions is never the
result of chance alone... it must
always be driven by planning and
genius. Is it because I am lucky
that I am become great? No. My
greatness lies in my ability to
master luck. Nothing is attained in
this world except by calculation.
Chance alone can never bring
success...
There is a ruined fort on the far side of the river, and as
Napoleon continues, he takes mental stock of the location.
NAPOLEON
Now the great art of war consists
in calculating all the chances
accurately in the first place. A
single decimal place may change
everything. Accident, hazard,
chance, call it what you will...
what remains a mystery to ordinary
men is a reality to the superior
mind.
ALEXANDER
But... with so many variables...
how do you draw up your battle
plans?
Napoleon turns to Alexander, smiling softly.
NAPOLEON
From the dreams of my sleeping
soldiers.
ALEXANDER
Ah, my brother...
Alexander is entranced. Napoleon looks him in the eye - then
a soft, seductive smile...
NAPOLEON
But if we are to be true brothers,
you must share my ambitions for
Poland. Prussia stole the major
part, and Prussia shall give it
back but you will have to restore
some too. There's no need for
anxiety - I demand no land from the
sacred soil of Russia - but Poland
belongs to Poland.
Alexander's enthusiasm somewhat dims...
NAPOLEON
Imagine, my brother - our two great
Empires - marching to India by way
of Constantinople. By the time we
reached the Bosphorus, the shock
waves would reverberate to India
and England would be on her knees!
150 INT. BANQUET ROOM TILSIT <1807> NIGHT
Napoleon is seated at a circular banquet table, numbering a
dozen guests. The beautiful Queen of Prussia is on his left;
on his right: Alexander. Other guests include Talleyrand,
Metternich, Prince Kurakin, Marshal Blόcher, the one-eyed
General Kutuzov (70), and the unhappy King Wilhelm. Several
conversations are in flow, but no one seems anxious to talk
to the Prussians, least of all Napoleon, whose sole focus of
attention is Alexander.
NAPOLEON
Mankind is young compared to the
earth, no matter what the Bible
says, and thousands of years from
now man will be quite different
from what he is today.
Science will be so advanced by then
that perhaps they will have found a
way to prolong human life
indefinitely...
Alexander is fascinated, but the Queen of Prussia is becoming
increasingly agitated. She would evidently like to speak with
Napoleon, but he pretends not to notice...
NAPOLEON
Chemistry as applied to plants and
agriculture is still in its infan
cy. We have recently discovered
extraordinary phenomena which our
present knowledge cannot explain.
Electricity and magnetism. What are
these twin forces? Two sides of the
same coin? Ah, there lies the great
secret of the universe. To absorb,
to emit, to form new combinations
c'est la vie!
The Queen can endure no more
QUEEN LOUISA
Sire your Majesty I beg of you,
in the name of God's mercy, do not
tear my beautiful Prussia apart for
the sake of Poland!
Other conversations go quiet. Napoleon smiles graciously.
NAPOLEON
That is a very beautiful chiffon
you are wearing, your Majesty.
QUEEN LOUISA
Are we to speak only of chiffons at
such a moment as this, sire?!
NAPOLEON
I was speaking of the universe...
... and Napoleon turns politely back to Alexander, leaving
the Queen to fume at her caviar. She catches the eye of her
husband, who can only offer a helpless gesture, but Marshal
Blόcher whispers reassuringly in her ear. He is seated next
to the one-eyed, white-haired Kutusov, who clearly feels
nothing but contempt for their Corsican host.
NAPOLEON
I have offered a reward of 100,000
gold francs to anyone who can
advance our knowledge of these
hidden forces. What is magnetism?
What is energy? Say what you like,
everything is energy more or less
solidified, more or less organized.
ALEXANDER
But what of the human soul, my
brother?
NAPOLEON
Some sort of magnetic force like
love. If had a religion, I should
adore the sun the source of all
life on earth... yet only a madman
will say for sure that he wishes to
die without a confessor. Ah, my
friend - there is so much that one
does not know, that one cannot
explain.
Napoleon seems lost in his imagination.
NAPOLEON
Do you know what I admire most
about life? The total inability of
force to organize anything. There
are only two powers in this world -
the sword and the spirit. And in
the long run, the sword is always
beaten by the spirit.
151 EXT. PARADE GROUND - TILSIT - <1807> - DAY
A battalion of Cossacks are arrayed in formation, performing
an aggressive drill routine for the benefit of Napoleon and
Alexander, who are side by side on horseback, flanked by
their respective military staffs. Lannes eyes the one-eyed
Kutuzov with evident caution.
NAPOLEON
Is it not ludicrous that France and
Russia the two greatest nations
on earth should have been
fighting one another when together
we could have crushed England long
ago?
ALEXANDER
My brother, I can only lament the
follies of the past.
Napoleon takes the salute... then a thought...
NAPOLEON
How old is the Princess Anna?
ALEXANDER
Thirteen, sire.
NAPOLEON
As young as that?
Napoleon looks briefly disappointed. Then, with a sudden
gleam in his eye, he dismounts, strides forward, selects a
Russian soldier at random and presents him with the Legion of
Honour. The apparently spontaneous gesture meets with
astonishment and approval from Alexander and his troops.
Murat grins; Kutuzov grits his teeth.
NAPOLEON
Soldiers of Russia from today,
our two empires are one great
family!
The Cossacks look bewildered, until it is translated into
Russian, whereupon Alexander prompts a great cheer of
approval. Napoleon walks back to Alexander, who has
dismounted and taken off his exquisite sable coat, lined with
ermine...
ALEXANDER
My brother, allow me to be your
furrier and present you with my
coat... and my horse, Tauris the
finest in my stable.
Tauris, a magnificent silver-grey Persian, paws the ground.
Alexander drapes his sable coat around Napoleon's shoulders,
and the two sovereigns embrace, to further applause from the
Cossacks and the hostility of Kutuzov and Kurakin.
152 INT. NAPOLEON'S TENT TILSIT <1807> NIGHT
Napoleon claps his hands loudly. He is with Alexander in his
inner sanctum, where they have been playing chess by
candlelight. The tent flap swings open and Roustam wheels in
a mahogany chest, bows low, then opens the lid with a
flourish and lifts out the "Description of Egypt", Volume 1.
NAPOLEON
What is it that separates one
people from another? Education,
isn't it? I want my rabble to be
the most educated in the world...
and if you take my advice, you will
do the same for your serfs...
ALEXANDER
Sire, I have over twelve million...
no better than savages...
NAPOLEON
You cannot keep them in ignorance
for ever. Without knowledge,
without education, there is no
equality but the equality of
misery, servitude and ignorance.
Everything we found in Egypt we
have given to the world in these
pages.
Roustam hands Napoleon a feathered pen dusted with gold.
NAPOLEON
I have one further gift.
(produces two documents)
A preliminary treaty, which I
drafted myself. Talleyrand and
Kurakin will take months discussing
details, but I wanted to set down a
simple statement of friendship, of
our common cause against England,
and our joint commitment to close
all our ports to her trade even
if it means foregoing Mr.
Wilkinson's fine swords - and his
razor blades - and my Indian tea.
ALEXANDER
But my brother, you must remember
that we are a trading nation, and
England is one of our wealthiest
customers...
NAPOLEON
I know, I have to deal with the
same grumblers in Paris. Even the
Empress Josephine grumbles when I
won't let her buy English silk and
English lace... but there we are.
We must all make sacrifices if we
are to bring England to her knees.
Napoleon hands one copy of the letter to Alexander, who
receives it with mixed feelings...
NAPOLEON
You will notice that I make no
demands and seek no reparations...
only that you will not resist my
efforts to create a homeland for
the Poles.
(Alexander hesitates)
Take courage, my brother be ahead
of your age, enlarge your
imagination, see far into the
distance. There is nothing so
difficult to imagine that it cannot
be accomplished in the end.
Napoleon opens the title page of the "Description of Egypt",
takes a pen from Roustam, dips the gold nib in ink, and
inscribes in his rapid, illegible scrawl "From your devoted
brother, Napoleon." Alexander's eyes are smarting.
ALEXANDER
Sire... I am overwhelmed.
Napoleon smiles seductively, coaxing him to take the pen.
A beat as they gaze at one another... then Alexander takes it
and signs his flowery, elaborate signature to the treaty.
153 EXT. FINCKENSTEIN CASTLE PRUSSIA <1808> NIGHT
A dark, foreboding castle worthy of Count Dracula, back-lit
against the scudding clouds of a moonlit sky.
NAPOLEON (V/O)
My dearest Josephine. I am as
pleased with Alexander as he is
pleased with me. If he were a
woman, we should undoubtedly have
made love together. I too am
anxious to see you, but it is out
of the question that I should allow
you to undertake such a journey
these Polish roads are like
quagmires, and the countryside full
of brigands and thieves. Stay in
Paris be gay and happy I shall
be back soon enough...
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