Do3 - 2 Dec - Never previously performed A. Burgess play

[french frank]

"Napoleon Rising: An epic drama charting Napoleon Bonaparte's meteoric rise in the early years of the French revolution, set against his tumultuous relationship with Josephine. Written by Anthony Burgess but never performed in his lifetime and now adapted for radio by Anjum Malik. Part of Radio 3's Napoleon season, marking 200 years since his famous retreat from Moscow.

Burgess was fascinated by Napoleon and wrote a novel, Napoleon Symphony, using the structure of Beethoven's Eroica symphony, originally written in honour of the French leader. Burgess approached director Stanley Kubrick about using the novel as the basis for a film Kubrick planned about Napoleon - the two had worked together on Burgess's A Clockwork Orange. Kubrick politely declined. Burgess then wrote the play: Napoleon Rising - but it never reached the stage."

Tomorrow at 8.30pm.

[Lateralthinking1]

A lot of interesting background information here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/9680168/Anthony-Burgess-and-Stanley-Kubricks-film-of-Napoleon.html

This seems very suited to R3. I hope it gets good figures.

Whether it is for me, I'm not sure. I have never really taken to Burgess.

[french frank]

Thanks for the link, Lat!

As for figures, think in terms of how many theatres the listeners would fill out in the provinces (if it were in production in any of them - which it isn't) rather than how it compares with other radio stations/programmes.

[aeolium]

I'm afraid I didn't last beyond the first hour of this. I thought it was terrible, with many of the usual pitfalls of historical drama on radio ("Which river is this?" "It's the Nile" ), clunking characterisation, bedroom scenes with Napoleon competing with a dog for Josephine's affections, awful dialogue (interesting to hear Napoleon using the word "proleptically" in a speech) and though ostensibly punctuated by extracts from the Eroica, strangely accompanied in an Austrian scene by a waltz from the younger Johann Strauss. I'm not surprised that Kubrick did not go ahead with it as the basis of a film. Devised originally as a novel, then rewritten as a stage play, then adapted as a radio play - not a good foundation for radio drama.

I was sorry for the strong cast including Toby Jones and Alex Jennings. Their talents could have been used on much better fare than this.

[Simon]

I'm with you A. We managed 15 minutes.

Napoleon is a historical figure worthy of some decent historical study, if only because of his effect on the balance of power in and after his era. But any sort of glorification of a creature who was, in reality, a mental case, who cared little for anyone else, least of all his own countrymen and soldiers, and who caused untold misery across Europe in his lust for "gloire", is unnecessary and sticks in the gullet.

Thank heavens for the guile of the British, who managed to prevent a Russo-French alliance, and for all the other brave souls from so many nations who eventually fought him to a stop.

[french frank]

I'm afraid I didn't last beyond the first hour of this.

My comments (such as they were) on your other Nap thread.

I also thought of Kubrick's response ... Probably 'a good choice' for the Nap season, but not, in the end, a good play.