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Napoleon (Original photograph from Francis Ford Coppola’s 1980 re-release of the 1927 French silent film, signed by Abel Gance)

Vintage studio still photograph of director Abel Gance from Francis Ford Coppola's 1980 re-release of the 1927 French silent film. SIGNED and dated 1979 by Gance on the bottom left corner. One of the late masterpieces of the silent era, following Napoleon's early life through his appointment as Commander in Chief of the Army. Notable for the many innovative and experimental techniques used by Gance, uncommon in the silent era, including location shooting, fast cutting, close up, hand held, and point of view shots, multiple camera set ups, in-camera movement, and visual effects such as superimposition, film tinting, and split screen or mosaic shots. Most famously, the film helped pioneer widescreen viewing, as Gance created a technique, later referred as Polyvision, which required three projectors to run film shot from three different cameras simultaneously to achieve a 4:1 aspect ratio for the film's climatic battle sequence (although seams between the screens would remain visible). 8 x 10 inches. Near Fine.