Nice -if not historically accurate- biopic of Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon's sister from her infancy in Corsica to his' brother defeat. The film greatly benefits from Gina Lollobrigida's cast as Pauline. She is the film and plays her role with conviction. Her Pauline is a strong will woman determined to live life and faithful to his brother. (In fact Pauline was trully the only one of his relatives that gave him her jewels to sell when he was defeated, an episode that is shown at the end of the movie). The title comes from a Canova's Venus Victrix, a scandalous statue of Pauline naked made and exhibited during her marriage with prince Camillo Borghese. The movie begins in Corsica, where she lives with her family in poor conditions due to his brother's Lucien sedicious comments. The USA version censored several scenes that remain in the European version (notably reducing film's length), such as the opening one showing Pauline and Marseille proconsul Fréron, whom she is sentimentally involved and plan to marry. But when his brother Napoleon returns he forbids their marriage. This is shown in the film as the beginning of her dissipated life, beginning a scandalous lovers' career that leads her from Paris to Haiti following her first husband, general Leclerc and back to Paris when his husband dies from yellow fever only to remarry -by Napoleon's orders- to Italian prince Camillo Borghese. In the middle she meets captain Joules de Canouville (Stephen Boyd) and fall in love with him. At a time when women were confined at home, to be wives and remain quiet, Pauline did what most men did, and that was rather unusual and critisized then - and even now is. The story succeeds in showing Pauline's free will personality and independent spirit, and it is true enough -even taking many licenses- to make a nice entertainment. Action, humour, nice photography and beautiful scenery, palaces and fashions make it a notable film to watch.
Review of Imperial Venus
