Napoleonic Wars
by randommovies2002 | created - 04 Aug 2021 | updated - 07 Sep 2022 | PublicUK productions depicting the Napoleonic Wars. See notes for each title
Behind the scenes / making of books:
- Sharpe's Victory - by Rachel Murrell
- The Making of C S Forester's Horatio Hornblower - by Tom McGregor
- The Making of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - by Tom McGregor
- Vanity Fair: Bringing Thackeray's Timeless Novel to the Screen - by Mira Nair
- War & Peace: Viewing Notes (44 p. booklet inside dvd set for 1972 BBC series)
- Persuasion - by Nick Dear (screenplay of 1995 film)
- Mansfield Park: A Screenplay - by Patricia Rozema
- Masterpiece Theatre: A Celebration of 25 Years of Outstanding Television - by Terrence O'Flaherty (behind the scenes of many tv productions, including Vanity Fair 1967 and War & Peace 1972)
- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Scarlet Tunic (1998)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama, History, Romance
In nineteenth century rural England, a German hussar serving with King George III's personal cavalry, Matthaus Singer, falls madly in love with the only daughter of a West Country solicitor, Frances Groves.
Director: Stuart St Paul | Stars: Jean-Marc Barr, Emma Fielding, Simon Callow, Jack Shepherd
Votes: 173
Adapted from a short story by Thomas Hardy that was based on a real event
2.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Rifles
(1993)
TV-MA | 102 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the Peninsular War, a British sergeant is field promoted to a lieutenant in charge of a disrespectful rifle company.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Assumpta Serna, Brian Cox, Daragh O'Malley
Votes: 4,446
Sharpe’s #1
3. Horatio Hornblower: The Duel (1998 TV Movie)
93 min | Adventure, Drama, War
Horatio Hornblower begins his naval career, but a deadly feud with a despicable mate is causing complications.
Director: Andrew Grieve | Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Dorian Healy, Michael Byrne
Votes: 6,069
Hornblower #1
4. Vanity Fair (1998– )
Not Rated | 50 min | Drama, Romance
An adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray's classic story of parvenue Becky Sharp's rise from obscure and humble origins to her subsequent ignominious fall from Society; set against the ... See full summary »
Stars: Natasha Little, Frances Grey, Philip Glenister, David Ross
Votes: 1,733
Favorite version!
5.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Eagle
(1993)
TV-14 | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
General Wellesley sends Major Hogan, Sharpe, the chosen men and the South Essex Regiment to destroy a bridge. Sharpe is immediately in conflict with two junior officers of the South Essex and their incompetent commander.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Assumpta Serna, Brian Cox, Daragh O'Malley
Votes: 3,374
Sharpe’s #2
6. Horatio Hornblower: The Fire Ship (1998 TV Movie)
93 min | Adventure, Drama, War
While Lt. Hornblower studies for his promotion examination, he is distracted by the serious supply problems that face his crew.
Director: Andrew Grieve | Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Denis Lawson, Ian McNeice
Votes: 4,537
Hornblower #2
7. Belgravia (2020)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama, Romance
Follows events when the emerging nouveau riche, including the Trenchard family, rub shoulders with London's established upper classes and when secrets from the past threaten to emerge.
Stars: Philip Glenister, Tamsin Greig, Harriet Walter, Saskia Reeves
Votes: 8,872
Adapted by Julian Fellowes from his own novel. This series depicts the famous ball hosted by the Duchess of Richmond the night before the Battle of Waterloo
8. Vanity Fair (1987)
35 min | Drama
In the time of Napoleon, Becky Sharp, a poor orphan girl, schemes for money and position. Her most-used stepladder is her old school friend, Amelia Sedley. Both women marry soldiers, and both of them are affected by the Battle of Waterloo.
Stars: Eve Matheson, Rebecca Saire, Simon Dormandy, Jack Klaff
Votes: 92
My second favorite version of Thackeray’s tale
9.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Company
(1994)
TV-14 | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Spain, 1812. Wellington's army is headed for Badajoz. Sharpe, now a Captain in the South Essex, learns that he has a daughter with Teresa and she is in Badajoz. He also runs into an old nemesis - Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Pete Postlethwaite, Daragh O'Malley, Hugh Fraser
Votes: 2,893
Sharpe’s #3
10. Horatio Hornblower: The Duchess and the Devil (1999 TV Movie)
93 min | Adventure, Drama, War
Lt. Hornblower and his crew are captured by the enemy while escorting a Duchess who has secrets of her own.
Director: Andrew Grieve | Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Cherie Lunghi, Christopher Fulford
Votes: 4,202
Hornblower #3
11. War & Peace (1972– )
890 min | Drama, History, War
Napoleon's tumultuous relations with Russia including his disastrous 1812 invasion serve as the backdrop for the tangled personal lives of five aristocratic Russian families.
Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Morag Hood, Alan Dobie, Rupert Davies
Votes: 740
My favorite version of Tolstoy’s epic
12. Vanity Fair (2018)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama
An adaptation of the 1848 novel by William Makepeace Thackeray.
Stars: Michael Palin, Olivia Cooke, Tom Bateman, Johnny Flynn
Votes: 5,730
My 3rd favorite version of Thackeray’s novel
13.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Enemy
(1994)
TV-14 | 90 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
An army of British, French, Spanish and Portuguese deserters, lead by Sharpe's arch-nemesis Obadiah Hakeswill, has kidnapped two English women and held them for ransom. Hakeswill demands that Sharpe deliver the ransom money himself.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Pete Postlethwaite, Daragh O'Malley, Hugh Fraser
Votes: 2,836
Sharpe’s #4
14. Horatio Hornblower: The Wrong War (1999 TV Movie)
100 min | Adventure, Drama, War
Lt. Hornblower and his mates are sent to accompany a doomed royalist invasion of revolutionary France.
Director: Andrew Grieve | Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Antony Sher, Samuel West
Votes: 4,288
Hornblower #4
15. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
PG-13 | 138 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.
Director: Peter Weir | Stars: Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy
Votes: 238,056 | Gross: $93.93M
16. War and Peace (2007– )
394 min | Drama, History, Romance
The story of five aristocratic families in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars of 1812
Stars: Clémence Poésy, Alessio Boni, Alexander Beyer, Malcolm McDowell
Votes: 2,098
Pan-European production.
17. Vanity Fair (1967– )
50 min | Drama
Rebecca "Becky" Sharp is an impoverished, strong-willed and cunning young woman determined to make her way in the early 19th Century British society.
Stars: Susan Hampshire, Marilyn Taylerson, Dyson Lovell, Bryan Marshall
Votes: 71
My 4th favorite version of VF
18.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Honour
(1994)
TV-14 | 101 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The French are on the run in Spain. In an effort to save Spain, Major Ducos engineers a diplomatic incident to split the English-Spanish alliance. Sharpe is at the centre of this incident, putting his life and honour at stake.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Hugh Fraser, Michael Byrne
Votes: 2,462
Sharpe’s #5
19. Hornblower: Mutiny (2001 TV Movie)
98 min | Adventure, Drama, History
Hornblower and his comrades come under the command of a revered but obviously mentally unstable captain and eventually must mutiny.
Director: Andrew Grieve | Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, David Warner, Nicholas Jones
Votes: 4,475
Hornblower #5
20. To the Ends of the Earth (2005)
89 min | Drama
In 1812, young British aristocrat Edmund Talbot travels by ship to Australia, and learns more about himself and about life than he had ever bargained for.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jared Harris, Jamie Sives, Richard McCabe
Votes: 2,600
Adapted from Golding’s trilogy set during the Napoleonic Wars. SPOILERS: this series depicts a group of Brits en route to Australia aboard a royal navy ship. During the journey they encounter another royal navy vessel bound for Australia and learn that the war is finally over.
21. War & Peace (2016)
TV-14 | 63 min | Drama, History, Romance
As the Russian conflict with Napoleon reaches its peak, five aristocratic families face the possibility of their lives being changed forever.
Stars: Paul Dano, James Norton, Lily James, Adrian Edmondson
Votes: 26,650
22. Vanity Fair (2004)
PG-13 | 141 min | Drama
Growing up poor in London, Becky Sharp defies her poverty-stricken background and ascends the social ladder alongside her best friend, Amelia Sedley.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Reese Witherspoon, Romola Garai, James Purefoy, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Votes: 23,508 | Gross: $16.14M
23.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Gold
(1995)
TV-14 | 101 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sharpe leads a party to exchange rifles for British deserters. He is dealing with Aztec-inspired Spanish partisans. Complicating matters is Wellington's cousin, with her daughter, who is searching for her missing husband.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Hugh Fraser, John Tams
Votes: 2,432
Sharpe’s #6
24. Horatio Hornblower: Retribution (2001 TV Movie)
98 min | Adventure, Drama, War
Hornblower and the other officers of the Renown must return to Jamaica to face a court-martial and possible execution for their actions in relieving their unstable captain.
Director: Andrew Grieve | Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, David Warner, Nicholas Jones
Votes: 3,908
Hornblower #6
25.
Screen Two (1985–1998)
Episode:
Persuasion
(1995)
PG | 103 min | Drama
Theatrical film of Persuasion with Ciaran Hinds & Amanda Root. Directed by Roger Michell.
Director: Roger Michell | Stars: Amanda Root, Ciarán Hinds, Susan Fleetwood, Corin Redgrave
Votes: 11,398 | Gross: $5.46M
No navy battles but it does depict an admiral and his officers discussing Napoleon’s exile before his escape
26.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Battle
(1995)
TV-14 | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
When Sharpe is ordered to whip the King of Spain's Irish Royal Brigade into shape, he faces dissent from the men who believe the British are slaughtering their relatives in Ireland and a spy from within.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Hugh Fraser, Hugh Ross
Votes: 2,343
Sharpe’s #7
27. Hornblower: Loyalty (2003 TV Movie)
125 min | Adventure, Drama, War
Hornblower is given a dangerous mission to deliver an emigre French nobleman to a secret rendezvous near Brest while coping with enemy agents in his own ranks.
Director: Andrew Grieve | Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Paul McGann, Greg Wise
Votes: 3,603
Hornblower #7
28.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Sword
(1995)
TV-14 | 101 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sharpe is tasked to protect the most important spy in Lord Wellington's network, but domestic issues, a traumatized young girl, and possible French spies all threaten his success.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, John Tams, Jason Salkey
Votes: 2,373
Sharpe’s #8
29. Hornblower: Duty (2003 TV Movie)
96 min | Adventure, Drama, War
Admiral Pellew interrupts Hornblower's wedding reception and tasks him to locate a British ship which has disappeared off the French coast, where Napoleon's troops are engaged in covert activities.
Director: Andrew Grieve | Stars: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Paul McGann, Lorcan Cranitch
Votes: 3,419
Hornblower #8, and the final installment of Ioan Gruffudd’s portrayal
30. Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
Not Rated | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
During the Napoleonic wars, a British Navy Captain has adventures in Central American waters.
Director: Raoul Walsh | Stars: Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty, Moultrie Kelsall
Votes: 7,515
Gregory Peck in a film that picks up shortly after where the Ioan Gruffudd series left off.
31.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Regiment
(1996)
TV-14 | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
The South Essex is to be disbanded due to dwindling personnel. This doesn't make sense as the entire 2nd Battalion is in England and taking new recruits. Sharpe and Harper head to England to work out what is going on and save the regiment.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Abigail Cruttenden, Michael Cochrane
Votes: 2,256
Sharpe’s #9
32.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Siege
(1996)
TV-14 | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Wellington is about to invade France and is considering his options. Sharpe's regiment, under the command of a green Colonel, is sent to capture a French castle in the hope that the local population will rise up against Napoleon.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Abigail Cruttenden, Hugh Fraser
Votes: 2,197
Sharpe’s #10
33.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Mission
(1996)
TV-14 | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sharpe is teamed with a Colonel he helped promote and they are tasked to destroy a powder magazine, but an alliance with the French may threaten their success. Meanwhile, Jane is wearying of the army life and Harper and Ramona are at odds.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Abigail Cruttenden, James Laurenson
Votes: 2,131
Sharpe’s #11
34.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Revenge
(1997)
TV-14 | 101 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Sharpe is framed as the thief who stole Napoleon's gold, and he must clear his name to avoid execution. Meanwhile, Jane - urged on by a friend - makes some questionable choices.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Abigail Cruttenden, Philip Whitchurch
Votes: 2,066
Sharpe’s #12
35.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Justice
(1997)
TV-14 | 100 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Returning to Yorkshire, Sharpe finds himself on the wrong side between corrupt employers and exploited workers.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Abigail Cruttenden, Caroline Langrishe
Votes: 1,983
Sharpe’s #13
36.
Sharpe (1993–2008)
Episode:
Sharpe's Waterloo
(1997)
TV-14 | 101 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Napoleon has escaped from Elba and Britain is at war again. As Wellington's army assembles in Belgium, Sharpe, now a Lt. Colonel, is placed on the staff of the Dutch Prince of Orange, commander of a large portion of Wellington's army.
Director: Tom Clegg | Stars: Sean Bean, Daragh O'Malley, Abigail Cruttenden, Alexis Denisof
Votes: 2,502
Sharpe’s #14, the final installment of Sharpe’s films set during the Napoleonic Wars. Two sequels set in India, after the Napoleonic wars: Sharpe’s Challenge (#15) and Sharpe’s Peril (#16).
37. The Duellists (1977)
PG | 100 min | Drama, War
France, 1801. Due to a minor perceived slight, mild-mannered Lieutenant d'Hubert is forced into a duel with hot-headed irrational Lieutenant Feraud. The disagreement ultimately results in scores of duels spanning several years.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Albert Finney, Edward Fox
Votes: 26,735 | Gross: $0.20M
Adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novella
38. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
PG-13 | 131 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young man, falsely imprisoned by his jealous "friend", escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge.
Director: Kevin Reynolds | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Christopher Adamson, JB Blanc
Votes: 148,539 | Gross: $54.23M
39. Mansfield Park (1983)
261 min | Drama, Romance
Impoverished Fanny Price is sent to live with her more affluent uncle and aunt. The arrival of new neighbors brings a chance for romance to Fanny and her cousins.
Stars: Anna Massey, Angela Pleasence, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Nicholas Farrell
Votes: 1,132
The heroine’s brother is serving in the navy during the Napoleonic Wars.
40. St. Ives (1998)
R | 90 min | Drama, Romance
In 1813, Capitaine Jacques St. Ives, a Hussar in the Napoleonic wars, is captured and sent to a Scottish prison camp. He's a swashbuckler, so the prison's commander, Major Farquar ... See full summary »
Director: Harry Hook | Stars: Jean-Marc Barr, Miranda Richardson, Richard E. Grant, Anna Friel
Votes: 827
Robert Louis Stevenson’s tale of a French officer who is captured and held in a prison camp in Scotland
41. I Remember Nelson (1982)
200 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
Worshipped as a national savior, Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson masterminded the naval victories that thwarted Napoleon's plans to invade Britain. Yet, in the midst of public adulation, rumors... See full summary »
Stars: Kenneth Colley, Tim Pigott-Smith, Geraldine James, John Clements
Votes: 71
Admiral Horatio Nelson bio series
42. Goya's Ghosts (2006)
R | 113 min | Biography, Drama, History
Painter Francisco Goya faces a scandal involving his muse, who is labeled a heretic by a monk.
Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Javier Bardem, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgård, Randy Quaid
Votes: 31,960 | Gross: $1.00M
Affects of the wars in Spain
43. Scarlet and Black (1993)
238 min | Drama, Romance
The story of an ambitious but impoverished young man who seduces women of social class in order to improve his own prospects in 19th century France.
Stars: Ewan McGregor, Christopher Fulford, Alice Krige, T.P. McKenna
Votes: 515
The main character has an imaginary friendship with Napoleon.
44. Mansfield Park (1999)
PG-13 | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Fanny, born into a poor family, is sent away to live with wealthy uncle Sir Thomas, his wife and their four children, where she'll be brought up for a proper introduction to society.
Director: Patricia Rozema | Stars: Frances O'Connor, Jonny Lee Miller, Alessandro Nivola, Hannah Taylor Gordon
Votes: 25,851 | Gross: $4.76M
45. Mansfield Park (2007 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 88 min | Drama, Romance
The classic tale by Jane Austen of family scandal, social graces, and the unrequited love between cousins.
Director: Iain B. MacDonald | Stars: Julia Joyce, Douglas Hodge, Maggie O'Neill, Tara Berwin
Votes: 7,554
46. Carry on Jack (1964)
Not Rated | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Romance
This is the tale of Albert Poop-Decker, a newly commissioned Midshipman (although he took 8 1/2 years to qualify). He joins the frigate Venus, and adventures through Spanish waters, mutinee... See full summary »
Director: Gerald Thomas | Stars: Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Bernard Cribbins, Juliet Mills
Votes: 2,579
47. The Emperor's New Clothes (2001)
PG | 107 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
During Napoleon's exile on St. Helena, some loyalists hire a look-alike to swap places with the deposed Emperor. While the impostor lives in luxury on the island, the real Napoleon returns to Paris in order to retake the throne.
Director: Alan Taylor | Stars: Ian Holm, Iben Hjejle, Tim McInnerny, Tom Watson
Votes: 2,757 | Gross: $0.57M
48. Scaramouche (1952)
Approved | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
In France during the late 18th Century, a man sets out to avenge the death of his friend at the hands of a master swordsman.
Director: George Sidney | Stars: Stewart Granger, Janet Leigh, Eleanor Parker, Mel Ferrer
Votes: 6,367
49. The Man of Destiny (1981 TV Movie)
59 min | Drama
Young Napoleon Bonaparte arrives at an inn. He is supposed to receive a packet of letters. Meanwhile, an unnamed lady steals the letters to keep the content of one of the letters secret.
Director: Desmond Davis | Stars: Delphine Seyrig, Simon Callow, David Troughton, Niall Toibin
Votes: 41
50. Passion in the Desert (1997)
PG-13 | 91 min | Adventure, Drama
Young French officer Augustin Robert escorts artist Jean-Michel Venture de Paradis to Egypt during Napoleon's Egyptian campaign. Napoleon sent de Paradis to record Egypt's great monuments ... See full summary »
Director: Lavinia Currier | Stars: Ben Daniels, Michel Piccoli, Paul M. Meston, Kenneth Collard
Votes: 919 | Gross: $0.25M
51. Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story (1987)
285 min | History, Romance, War
Epic story about the romance between the most powerful man in the world and the woman who conquered his heart.
Stars: Armand Assante, Jacqueline Bisset, Stephanie Beacham, Anthony Higgins
Votes: 535
52. Napoléon (2002– )
380 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
A masterful soldier, tactician, and statesmen, Napoleon Bonaparte, with courage and love for his country, rises from an unpaid general consumed with ambition to the most powerful man in Europe. But his life ends with a fall and exile.
Stars: Christian Clavier, Isabella Rossellini, Gérard Depardieu, John Malkovich
Votes: 5,025
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