Paul Cuff is an Associate Fellow in the Department of Film and Television at the University of Warwick, UK.

• List of illustrations Note on formatting Acknowledgements Foreword Preface: Critical perspective 1. Napoleonic ambition and historical imagination 2. Shaping expectations: The young Napoléon Bonaparte 3. Civilization and savagery: Visions of the French Revolution 4. Mortal gods: Voices of power and of providence 5. The dark light of Napoleonic cinema 6. A view from the margins of history 7. Melodrama and the formulations of family 8. Worlds in transition: Class, consumption, corruption 9. Death and transf.iguration Conclusion: The case for enthusiasm Filmography and bibliography Index