Original subtitles

NARRATOR: Welcome to the bloody age of the guillotine.

What a pitiful sight. Pitiful. You poor, poor man.

Don't be scared.

It'll soon be over.

And then tomorrow, after a good rest, I shall kill your wife.

Don't, please!

NARRATOR: France was a hell of a place to be a couple of centuries ago.

The country was in the grip of revolution.

MAN: Citizens, don't be frightened!

Good citizens of France. Take what is rightfully yours.

NARRATOR: The king had already been killed

along with hundreds of aristocrats.

The whole country was being turned on its head.

Power now lay in the hands of bureaucrats and politicians,

who, every day, were becoming more ruthless.

They ordered that anyone declared an enemy of the new regime,

rich or poor, be shot or taken to the national razor.

But, with upheaval, came opportunity.

For one young refugee from Corsica, this was the chance of a lifetime.

This is the little-known story of how Napoleon Bonaparte

first emerged from obscurity.

How he risked everything

and set out on a path that would see him crowned Emperor of France.

MAN: This town has been captured and then liberated for your good.

To give you chances you never had in your life before.

The infection is being cut away for your benefit.

Don't wait for this scum.

We're so proud of you. We all are.

Come on, Letta. Hey.

- Promise not to get shot. - Hush now.

Leave him. I want to say something.

You see what's happening here. Like this country's on... On fire.

- I know it's brutal, but... - There's just so many people.

Strangers. Not us.

Everything's changing. Everyone's gonna get their chance, Napoleon.

That's why we came to this country. You must make your name here.

For all of us.

Take care.

MAN: To Captain Napoleon Bonaparte,

by order of the Committee of Public Safety, Paris.

You are hereby promoted to Commander of Artillery

for the district of Toulon.

The fighting around Toulon has been fierce and infantry losses heavy,

but the importance of this region cannot be overstated.

- Get back! - Have you seen my hat?

Get back!

The revolution is under assault from all sides

by traitors and their foreign allies,

but nowhere is the threat greater than at Toulon.

The English, invited in by French counter-revolutionaries,

occupy both the city and its port.

From here, they could overrun the entire south of France.

Toulon must be retaken without delay.

You are to report to the headquarters of General Carteaux at Ollioules.

The Spanish are pressing up from the Pyrenees,

Austrians from the east, English, the north.

And we've got God knows how many tied up in the guerrilla war in the Vend�e.

But retaking Toulon is still Paris' main concern.

Well, it's not your normal rebelling city, or we'd have had the place by now.

It's the English.

WOMAN: We're here, about four miles west.

I've deployed battalions of infantry to retake the areas round the city.

Deployments which have been immensely successful.

We've got back the entire surrounding areas.

And as you can see, we've begun punishing the collaborators.

Everything's under control. Just another siege now.

Citizen, your colleague, General Brunet, thought this was just another siege,

which is why we're having him executed.

We're not military men, but this could finish the revolution.

Lose Toulon, its naval base, we could lose France.

Now, I suggest your wife shuts her mouth

and you tell us exactly how you plan to get the English out.

Hold the area. Wait for reinforcements.

And storm the city walls

with a full-scale, frontal, infantry assault.

Jesus.

Sir. General.

- Madame. - You don't salute me.

- Bonaparte. - Of course.

I know you're planning a frontal assault,

but there's another way. You can be in Toulon tomorrow.

The English don't care about the city. It's this, the harbour.

That's why they're here. Whole English fleet's there.

Make the harbour useless and they'll leave the city.

Now, we only ever use the artillery to support the ground troops.

What about the other way around?

Why don't we use my cannon to attack their boats?

Down the peninsula about there, halfway down,

there is a patch of high ground. Occupy that.

I'll bring the artillery to there and there.

Attack all of their ships. The harbour will be useless.

Toulon will fall without a man being lost.

Infantry support artillery.

- Step away from the table. - 500 men could do it.

- You don't even have any cannons. - I'll get more and request volunteers.

CARTEAUX: Be quiet.

How many sieges have you been involved in, Bonaparte?

I took Avignon, we took Marseilles, with full frontal assault.

Cannons breach walls, soldiers take cities. It works.

- It did work... - What you're suggesting...

... but that was against local rebels.

English soldiers is trained and the city...

- That's enough! "Soldiers is trained"? - WOMAN: He speaks like an ape.

- They all like you in Corsica? - Sir, why are you being like this?

Me, General, you, junior.

An immigrant whose father blagged him into military school.

I heard the story. Get out.

Budge up.

CARTEAUX: Marmont, get yourself in here.

- What did you do before? - Oh, a fishmonger.

We're gonna build an offensive battery here.

SOLDIER 1: Did Carteaux order this?

Did Caesar ask permission from the Senate before vanquishing Gaul?

"Vanquishing."

We're gonna build cover.

And behind it, I want placements for two cannons.

Not these. 24-pounders, 9-foot barrels.

Sir, you know we don't actually have any 24-pounders.

We're not allowed on that peninsula.

That doesn't mean we have to sit on our hands.

In the name of liberty and equality,

we are going to raid our own forts up and down this coast

and requisition their cannon.

Any retired artillery men within 80 miles, retirement's over!

We've got 24 hours.

I want every basketweaver, blacksmith, horse,

carriage-maker in that battery park.

Sir? What battery number is this?

No numbers. From now on, we're naming them.

When this is done, you can tell your kids

you didn't fight in Battery Number 10, but the Battery of Revolution.

Hey!

You, there! Help.

- Not him. Leave him. - Who asked him?

Where are the extra men from?

Word's gotten round about your growing cannon collection.

General Carteaux watching the action tomorrow?

Military men don't run this siege, politicians do.

I've invited two People's representatives,

Citizen Barras and Citizen Fr�ron.

- Oh, shit. - NAPOLEON: You'll be fine.

General Carteaux's never gonna take us seriously.

We're going over his head.

Target's drifting 60 yards further offshore, sir.

Good windage.

Elevate 1.24 inches, one degree, 50 minutes,

same line and charge.

Ready with the, er...

- MAN 1: Ready with the hurdles. - Hurdles.

MAN 1: Drop the hurdles. MAN 2: Hurdles.

Load it again and run it out.

MAN: Fire!

Fire!

Where are the charges? We need more charges!

She's firing!

A miss. Well short.

- Volunteer to record. - Quick, write.

For the record,

48 hours since Napoleon Bonaparte took command of the artillery

and already he is firing on the frigate Aurora.

A hit. A hit coming!

At least I won't need to sand the ink.

They're moving out of range, sir. They're turning away.

Where did they come from?

I've quadrupled the size of our artillery.

We still need ammunition. But once we have it...

- How old are you? - He's 24.

I'm in Bauset for a few days. Visit.

- I'd be honoured to. - Oh, Mallet and Denon.

Jacques? Mallet?

Please, no!

Last public holiday, their families were seen having their children baptised.

Please! Please!

Push it right in.

Junot?

I need you to copy a letter. Two letters, they're to go off tonight.

Who to?

My family. They're to meet me in Bauset as soon as they can.

- Of course. - With a borrowed carriage.

The other is...

To Paris. The Committee of Public Safety.

WOMAN: Letta!

- WOMAN: Letta. - It's not me.

Just pull yourselves together.

You all right? Good luck.

Come in, Bonaparte.

Wait back there.

Sir, I have a plan to topple Toulon.

- You saw what we could do. - And who are these?

Are they your lieutenants?

These are... No. This is my... Some of my family.

- We're refugees from Corsica. - Oh.

"Lieutenants."

- When will that be? Toulon. - Could be soon.

I have a plan to take the Caire Peninsula around the harbour.

I've sought permission to execute my plan.

Five hundred men could take it in a few hours.

Sought permission?

From whom?

Paris. I sent my plans to Paris to the Committee.

I'm waiting for a reply.

You wrote directly to Paris

without going through me?

Sir, I thought...

I'm sure my son assumed that nothing would be ordered

without your approval, Citizen Fr�ron.

I'm sure he did.

Now, as a humble citizen, I must wait for their response.

I look forward to seeing more of your charming family in Marseilles.

FR�RON: Dangerous.

Comfortable?

Hell, I can sleep anywhere. It's like

when you sleep under the cannons.

The guys reckon you keep one eye open on them.

I do.

Think it's possible to sleep underwater?

Using a tube or something?

No!

- I've got to talk to the General. - CARTEAUX: Get him in here!

In here!

You wrote to Paris behind my back when I expressly ordered you not to!

What did they say?

Why should I tell you? What makes you think...

They've agreed. We have to move now.

The English have landed on the peninsula.

They've landed?

We've got to get the men on high ground before they do.

- What sort of deployment... - We need 1,000 men. Send them now.

Give him 1,000.

Make that 500.

He promised Paris he could do it with a handful.

Let's see, shall we?

Any of that coffee left?

NAPOLEON: The English are on the headland. We have to move fast.

There aren't enough men. There are only five...

- Who changed the order? - General Carteaux, you Corsican bastard.

Oh, God.

- It's in the... What's it called? - Hold it.

We reckon only about half of the 500 made it back.

Just outnumbered.

A few were taken prisoner.

NAPOLEON: Sir.

God created man in His own image.

It's the other way around.

That's why we got rid of Him.

We are the Supreme Being.

We can judge ourselves.

We can show compassion.

And we can punish.

- Sir. - Don't say a word.

This Corsican ignored explicit orders and then what do you get?

He wrote to Paris behind your backs, behind my back.

Let me explain. He lied to me.

- I requested... - That's insubordination.

- You can't allow it. - You're addressing a senior officer.

He promised me 1,000 men. 1,000! And he, maybe his wife,

- sent deliberately half that! - Lies. Lies!

I am not a liar. I can find... Could it be...

- CARTEAUX: You may quote... - Could it be that you deliberately

- threw lives away? - He told Paris, everyone...

- That you sabotaged the revolution... - A handful of men.

... in order to punish me? - We sabotaged it?

The English have taken the high ground.

They know taking the peninsula is the only way.

FR�RON: "The committee should understand that with just a handful of men

"I could end this siege in a matter of hours

- "with no French blood being spilled." - Those are your words.

That was before the English landed.

Taking the peninsula is still the only way.

- It's over. - You can't listen to him.

You got us involved!

In Paris, my name is being used alongside the words "failed attack".

We are not men that you will ever screw with, Bonaparte.

I am not a man you will ever screw with.

- Monkey. - Sorry. Ammunition convoy was late.

LETIZIA: It's started. She doesn't want to be here.

- Just tell her she looks nice. - You look nice.

ACTOR: Down and stay down, wretch!

You are pressed men that would live free.

You beg forgiveness?

I say... What do I say?

MAN: Kill him!

- ACTOR: You made livestock of them. - You're a major.

Monkey, they've made you major! That's...

It's not what you think.

They're looking for scapegoats.

Executing a major makes a bigger splash than a captain.

I'm getting the blame.

ACTOR: You filled your belly with the food of my children.

And you beg forgiveness? What do I serve?

You lived and you touched...

WOMAN: Neckline? Filthy.

ACTOR: And you beg forgiveness? I say!

WOMAN: Corsicans. Worse than the Italians.

Would you?

You condemned men to the fate of their bloodline,

no matter their worth.

What did I say...

Bastards! Bastard!

Scum!

I can't do this. I just can't. We haven't got...

anything. Not another hat between us. Just...

Everything is just filthy.

You.

Wallowing in self-pity. Don't you dare!

It's all of us going down and we can't do anything about it.

Who was it?

Threatened you. Fr�ron?

- You have to get rid of him. - I can't get rid of him, Mum.

Then win him back! Go over his head.

But do something. For God's sake, do something!

You all right?

I will not work under General Carteaux and I insist that he be removed.

- Insist? - Remove him or remove me.

Bonaparte, that's a mistake.

You know, I'd not killed anyone until a year ago.

I was a journalist.

You will be dead by nightfall.

Paris know about this ultimatum. I wrote.

So?

So, execute me and in the eyes of Paris,

you'll be putting your name to Carteaux's plan, a frontal assault,

and when it fails...

What makes you think you're so much better than all the rest of us?

That's not the way to go about things, Bonaparte.

Make your decision.

You will remain in Toulon.

General Carteaux will be replaced within a week.

But...

I shall also be appointing a more senior artillery commander here.

The situation now requires it.

- You will be relieved of command. - I'll be what?

I told you not to screw with me.

Now walk away. Walk away.

MAN: Get off! Get off me!

SOLDIER 1: I'm gonna miss that woman. SOLDIER 2: The new boss is here later.

SOLDIER 3: If his wife's a dog, then we're blaming you, ratty!

SOLDIER 1: Did you ever see her bits? SOLDIER 2: I did.

ALL: Bollocks!

Oh! Oh, look, how charming.

General Doppet, can I ask you what your plans are for Toulon?

Well, the revolution has been awakened to danger

and has been called to defend freedom.

And, erm, we will bring our enemy to justice and justice to our enemy.

Right. And the peninsula?

The men are calling the English positions

on the high ground "Little Gibraltar".

You won't know, by the way, that I've changed my name.

Periwinkle. Periwinkle Doppet.

The revolutionary calendar is a wonderful thing.

Every day of the year now has its own name. Did you know?

Well, in order to show my commitment, I've taken the name of my birthday.

Periwinkle.

And, um... And there it is.

DOPPET: How would it be if the enemy did not hate us?

They hate our equality.

They hate the opportunity that is available to all men

no matter who he is or where he's from.

Apparently, he used to be a dentist or a doctor.

NAPOLEON: Now he's a puppet.

Did you just make a joke?

Morning, tossers! Oi, keeping warm?

Got your wife over here. She's got a mouthful right now!

Tell her to sit on this!

- Who's that? - One of our boys.

Infantry. They captured him during the...

No!

They're killing them!

Sir, let us go. We're going. We're attacking Little Gibraltar.

Angry men are gold. You couldn't stir this up. Use it!

- Uh, I don't know. - We could end this now.

Sound the attack.

- Sir, the attack's already started. - Attack!

Come on, get a musket!

NAPOLEON: Get them to spread out! Get the skirmishers out front.

Get them ready to charge.

On my word. Charge!

It's an attack.

Where's their defence? They've only one cannon open!

SOLDIER: Where's the other cannon? NAPOLEON: They're not ready.

We've got them. They weren't ready!

- BARRAS: There are no coughs. - Coughs?

BARRAS: The cannon. The English aren't firing.

Good old Doppet. Your fellow's gonna take it.

Retreat! Fall back! Fall back!

- SOLDIER: Retreat! - No!

No! There's only one cannon open!

Why are they...

My bridle's dirty. Please clean it.

Now!

That useless bastard just cost us Toulon.

He's a dentist, for Christ's sake, who's frightened of blood!

- Sir, please. - You encouraged the attack, Bonaparte.

We've been told you misled the general.

- Stanislas... - Stay out!

- Stanislas! - Paris will blame Bonaparte.

I'll report that the general merely followed...

No. I'll not tell them that. I'll not say that.

Your general... Look at him.

I'm sorry, Stanislas.

You've got to get the revolution off our battlefield.

Come on. Toulon's become too important.

Politics starts battles, it doesn't win them.

How?

Give me back the artillery with a proper soldier in charge,

not some "Periwinkle".

Even one from the old regime.

It's winning the fight that matters.

I like the name. Little Gibraltar.

I don't know how my predecessor allowed this to happen.

The English clearly believe the peninsula is the key to Toulon.

And I agree with that assessment.

You must be Bonaparte, commander of generals.

General Dugommier.

Well, Little Gibraltar.

The English have turned it into a fortress.

Twenty-six bronze in all, a dozen of them 24-pounders.

But that's not all.

Canister shot.

For those of you who don't know, they fit in the barrel of a cannon.

What sort of range?

They'd tear apart anyone within 500 yards of the fort,

40, 50 men at a time.

I don't suppose you have a suggestion as to how you'd tackle the fort.

Shut up!

Junot.

The fort?

A night attack, but spread out.

Three columns of infantry. A pinning attack on the right,

one in the centre and one on the left along the shore.

To stretch their defences.

And these canisters, do you have a plan for them?

- I do. - Of course you do.

Two batteries, and for 48 hours before the assault

we bombard the fort, burying whatever cannons we can.

But whoever is the first in the fort

must knock out whichever cannons are left.

Unless they do that, it will be a massacre.

When the fort falls, we bring the bronze to here, here...

Finish the job.

Something tells me that if I don't promote you in this situation,

you will merely promote yourself.

Well done, lad.

I'll appoint the three column leaders in due course.

MAN: Well done.

- Do you mind? - No.

Sit down.

The barrage has started. We attack in 48 hours.

The revolution thinks it best if Bonaparte stay behind for the attack.

- I'm afraid I can't accept that. - I'm afraid I don't care.

Exactly a month ago, we executed the queen of this country.

It doesn't matter what for. She didn't do half of it anyway.

Now, you are old and wise enough to know that if we can do it to her...

I know you. You're fear. That's all you are.

You create terror and milk it.

Laugh, but you also feel it, my God, of men like Bonaparte, don't you?

Men who, even from a thousand paces,

could never be mistaken for mediocre.

"No man greater than the next."

Except for Napoleon Bonaparte.

Watch your lip.

I'm sorry, lad. That's the world we live in now.

I'm heading the reserves.

Fr�ron.

Sitting in the back, I won't see a shot!

Oh, slippery...

Why is he doing this?

You'll get your chance.

Fr�ron won't be in charge next time and they'll give you your chance.

- It's not going to happen, Mum. - Don't say that! Don't!

I've given things up for...

- France is changing, it is. - Nothing's changing.

Power isn't being handed out like bread. It's being stolen, like it always was.

Do you think in 50 years, 100 years, the world will be any different?

There'll always be kings, Mum, even if we don't call them that.

Then do whatever you have to.

LETIZIA: I love you.

MAN: Hold the line! Close the right flank!

Smokers out and I want silence.

SOLDIER: Sir, they've opened up their 24-pounders.

NAPOLEON: Stay close.

On my mark, start counting.

Now.

One, two, three...

NAPOLEON: Take your fatties, oilier the better.

Cover your locks, leave them on.

Don't get excited, you're not going.

That's your shame.

"Daddy, is it true you saved the nation at Toulon?"

"I'm afraid not. I was in the reserves."

- Now? - 53 seconds.

Going wrong. All three columns have turned in too early.

We may have to commit the reserves.

Sir, but General Dugommier hasn't ordered...

They're floundering, for God's sake.

This is it, mate. Get my horse.

Sir...

You could be court-martialled for this.

What about your family? Please, sir.

I've got no choice.

Looks like history's made room for us after all.

Called your name.

If any of you don't feel like going, that's fine.

I do!

I'll take this fort alone! And destiny will be waiting!

Shots will bounce off me!

Cannonballs will swerve with fear!

Not one of you needs to take this fort,

but I absolutely insist you come with me and watch me take it!

You will come with me and watch me take it!

Wolf tail!

If I go forward,

follow me!

If I retreat,

shoot me!

And if I'm killed,

avenge me.

Avenge me!

Junot,

when the first canister shot hits us, start counting.

Oh, no!

Junot, keep counting!

Five, six, seven...

50 men, on your feet! We're gonna run at that cannon!

You're joking!

- On your feet! You will trust me! ... 16, 17...

And you will run!

... 24, 25, 26, 27... Oh, Jesus!

... 49, 50, 51...

- NAPOLEON: Drop! - 52! 53!

We're under it.

We're under the cannon!

Covers off! Fatties off! Come on!

Take that cannon! Shut them down!

- Junot! - Here, sir!

We're taking that cannon. He's loading.

Get the blood off this.

Enjoy this.

It won't last.

Come close.

You're right. Glory is fleeting.

But obscurity lasts forever.

NARRATOR: With the fort taken, Napoleon's cannons emptied the harbour.

Within hours, Toulon finally fell and the revolution was saved.

In 1802, Napoleon posted Fr�ron to the remote island of Santo Domingo,

where he quickly died of dysentery.

Letizia gained almost mythical status, and before she died

saw six of her children join the royalty of various European countries.

But all this was down to one man.

Just six years after Toulon,

at the age of 31,

Napoleon became ruler of France,

and later crowned himself Emperor.