Man in Black Bicorn Hat

Black edge with yellow band encircles an illustration of a man with a pensive look in black wearing a black bicorn hat with a red and white striped flag behind him

This is a poster image for the 1927 French silent film, Napoléon, directed by Abel Gance. It is widely praised as a breakthrough in cinematic innovation. At a time when most camera shots were fixed, this film was one of the first that made extensive use of fast cutting, close-ups, hand-held cameras, multiple camera angles, and other visual effects used today. 

The original 1927 music scores were by Arthur Honegger and Werner Heymann. In 1980, two further productions were accompanied by music from Carl Davis in the UK and Carmine Coppola in the US. The latter would be played live a year later at New York’s Radio City Music Hall.