Napoleon: The Russian Campaign (2015): Season 1, Episode 1 - La Moskova - full transcript
Peace reigns over a
large part of Europe,
but France is the theatre
for some worrying
military preparations.
Thousands of soldiers
are being enrolled
and different army corps
are being assembled.
But Emperor Napoleon I
is saying loud and clear
that he does not want another war.
In 1811, Napoleon controls Europe,
from the Mediterranean
to the Neman River.
He is counting on fighting the
British with Russian support.
Since his victory over Tsar
Alexander in Friedland in 1807
and the Treaty of Tilsit,
France and Russia
are officially allies.
But Alexander doesn't
support Napoleon's
expansionist strategy and
irrespective of their treaties,
Alexander allows English merchant
ships access to his ports.
For Napoleon, Russia's behaviour
makes it an enemy of France.
Armand de Caulaincourt has
been French Ambassador
to St. Petersburg for four years.
He understands Russia perfectly.
I hear they miss you
greatly in St. Petersburg,
and they even organised
a banquet in honour
of your departure.
Have you turned into a
Russian, Caulaincourt?
You know I've been
requesting a transfer
back to Paris for two years, sir.
Two years, yes.
I hope you took advantage
of your time there
to get to know your
friend, Alexander.
So, why is he refusing to close
his ports to the British?
It's not what one might
call a declaration.
When we signed the peace treaty
in Tilsit four years ago,
he told me,
I hate the English
as much as you do.
And I answered, "In that
case, we have peace."
But he didn't keep his word.
It was you who invaded Germany.
You support the Poles and
you are amassing troops
on the frontiers
during peace time.
Caulaincourt used to be
Napoleon's Aide-de-camp.
He knows how to gain his
trust and his benevolence.
But despite his
admiration for Napoleon,
he won't let himself be blinded.
He can clearly see his game
and he fears for France.
Nothing can justify this
campaign you're leading
so far from Paris.
Too many have already
died on the battlefield.
Ah, Caulaincourt, you don't
understand business.
Russia is vast and the
climate is harsh.
They will let you
come and wear out
your troops forced to march.
They won't fight.
They will wait for winter.
You no longer have
confidence in me.
Caulaincourt, don't worry.
Look upon the war in Russia
as one that makes sense.
War.
The word has finally been spoken.
Over the following months,
Napoleon continues
to amass his troops from all
four corners of Europe,
sending them towards the
borders of the Russian Empire.
Tsar Alexander knows this
confrontation is inevitable.
He hesitates lengthily
between two strategies.
Should he set out
to meet the French
or draw them towards Moscow?
To thwart the French spies,
his plan must remain secret
from the majority of
the General Staff
and the Russian people.
Napoleon continues to
ignore calls for caution.
As Caulaincourt noticed,
he had gone back down
that irresistible path
towards his destiny.
Day one of the campaign,
half a million men.
They speak French in the ranks,
but also Italian, German, Polish,
Portuguese, and Spanish.
It's an army of 20 nations.
The first empire marching
towards its destiny.
Napoleon wants a flash campaign,
a demonstration of force that
will suffice, in his mind,
to make the Tsar see sense.
He wants to achieve
his dream of bringing
all the peoples of
Europe together as one.
They've been promised they
would soon be going home,
but beyond the Neman River
which marks the frontier
between Poland and
the Russian Empire,
they are entering the unknown.
The most important thing to
say about the Grande Armee
is that it's enormous.
The biggest army anyone's ever
seen in European history.
The particularity about
Napoleon's Grande Armee
was that it had very high
numbers of civilians.
Some officers, even
non-commissioned officers,
brought wives and children
with them, even mistresses.
So the caravan was
quite an assorted one.
Some had been with him since
the Egyptian campaign.
They were the old guard and were
the bedrock of the Grande Armee.
They trusted and
followed this man.
To him, he was a star, a genius.
Napoleon is enjoying
the start to his campaign.
He's made it.
He's in the land of the Tsars.
In a letter to his
wife, Marie Louise,
he reveals his optimism and
a certain indifference.
My friend, nothing
significant has happened.
I'm in good health, but
the heat is excessive.
Napoleon's real adversary
in terms of ensuring
the French domination
of Europe was England.
His aim was to bring
England to its knees
and force it to make peace.
Within this framework, he made
a pact with Russia in 1807.
In reality, this was an alliance
of the strong with the weak.
For example, he'd obliged Russia
to declare war on England,
and to cease all trade
with the English.
But the Russians were
never able to respect
this part of the agreement
because trade with England
was vital to their economy.
Another even more
ideological element
involved saying that
going to war with Russia
was about setting
European civilisation
against Asiatic barbarism, in
which Russia was complicit.
If you asked the question
of the Russians,
they would have said that Napoleon
wanted to conquer Russia.
Napoleon wants to win
the war quickly.
He expects to defeat the Russian
army within two months,
force Alexander to make
peace on Napoleon's terms,
but he doesn't want to
destroy the Russian empire
and he doesn't want to chase
Alexander off his throne.
He wants to fight a limited war.
For Alexander, the enemy to defeat
is Napoleon, not France of
whose culture and history
he's a big fan.
He even likes speaking French
as much as he does Russian.
Sir, the Grande Armee crossed
the Neman this morning.
Without a declaration of war?
Impossible.
The new French Ambassador
sent a note two days ago
saying his mission was finished.
Two days ago.
Why wasn't I informed?
We didn't think...
That was their declaration of war.
We are ready to fight, sir.
I do not share that view, General.
But...
The Corsican wants a short war,
the outcome of which
will be determined
by one of those victories that
made his glorious career.
He wants another Austerlitz,
and we are going to deprive
him of that pleasure.
By refusing to fight?
That is not a worthy attitude.
We will lead him to get lost,
which will give us time.
Alexander I is a
complicated human being.
He is, in some senses, a very
wily and tough politician.
In other ways, he's
a very sensitive
and easily hurt individual.
Who wouldn't feel
inferior to Napoleon
in military terms back then?
Alexander tried to command armies
during the 1805 campaign,
and that ended with a
terrible catastrophe
at the Battle of Austerlitz.
So Alexander knows that he
isn't a great military mind
and for the first time
in Russian history,
in 1812 he agreed to not
personally command his armies.
Alexander has learnt lessons
from his 1805 defeat
at Austerlitz.
Napoleon skilfully
let him believe that
he only had 40,000 men left,
whereas in reality,
he had double that.
Trapped, tricked, and humiliated,
the Tsar and his Austrian
ally had abandoned
16,000 dead on the battlefield.
This was the first in a
long series of victories
for the Grande Armee
until the attempt at
Russia seven years later.
To put pressure on Alexander,
French spies distribute
tracts in the villages
to cause concern among the
Russian country folk.
(speaking in Russian)
30 million peasants are
living in slavery.
The slightest resistance
to the nobility
is cruelly repressed.
They must be dreaming
of their freedom.
(speaks in Russian)
By promising to abolish servitude,
perhaps Napoleon can
win their loyalty.
But despite their suffering,
they are attached to
their bits of land.
It is their world, and as for
these Frenchmen approaching,
what to they know?
At this early stage
in the campaign,
it's still impossible for
either Napoleon or Alexander
to predict what the
peasants reaction will be
and to what extent they
can be relied upon.
Russia is nothing but
a huge uncertainty.
Nobody has invaded
Russia for 300 years
and the Russian people
compared Napoleon's
invasion into their land
to the invasion of the
Mongols and Tatars
in their forbearer's day.
Pamfill Nazaroff is
only 20 years old,
but the Tsar needs
soldiers to fight Napoleon
whom he presents
as the antichrist.
Because Pamfill is
young and unmarried,
he's been picked out by
the village community.
Young serfs like him
are conscripted
with the agreement of their owners
who see this as their contribution
to the defence of the
Russian motherland.
(speaking in Russian)
Enrolled for a period of 25 years,
they are then considered free men
if they survive.
Pamfill Nazaroff
will have to learn
the tough lesson of
becoming a soldier
and soon, he will be ready
to face the Grande Armee.
When they were enrolled
into the army,
the serfs were almost certain
they'd never see their
families and loved ones again.
Soldiers lives were
incredibly hard.
The regiment became their family
and that was a fundamental element
that also explains the courage
with which they fought
for these substitute families.
The Russian nobility
was very afraid
that Napoleon would abolish
serfdom in Russia.
This created chaos.
The Grande Armee advances
towards Vilnius,
but the enemy avoids them
and refuses to fight.
Napoleon's Imperial Guard
finally spots a Russian column.
This is their first confrontation,
and their first hand
to hand battle.
Both sides swear they
would rather die
than give up an inch of terrain.
It's a cruel foretaste
of the battles to come.
The French easily push
back their attackers,
which fuels the
illusion that the Tsar
will capitulate in
a matter of days.
(men singing in French)
Sergeant Adrian
Franceau Bourgogne,
Grenadier of the Elite
Imperial Guard,
had participated in all Napoleon's
campaigns prior to 1812.
To him, this long March is
just one more campaign.
Sergeant?
Duvall?
Duvall. Oh, my friend.
You turned out well.
Are you injured?
It's just a scratch.
I've come to give you
your share of home,
a little waggon taken
from a Russian general
and everything it contains.
We put it all in
Florencia's vehicle.
She's our cook.
She's been with us since Spain,
and I took her under my wing.
But I only have
honourable intentions.
Don't listen to the gossip.
Naturally.
You must eat little one,
to give you strength
to fight the Russian.
Otherwise I'll tell the emperor.
In a touching coincidence,
in the same regiment,
Bourgogne finds 12 men
from Con Desieur Lisco,
his home town some
2,000 kilometres away.
And him. What's wrong with him?
He couldn't stand the artillery.
At the first cannon
fire, he left his line
and only came back when
the battle was over.
The Russian General's wine,
you can't say no.
You'll toughen up. You'll see.
One learns to manage one's
fears, anxiety, and pain.
Are you ever afraid?
Me and everyone else.
I've been injured twice
and I understand what it means,
being picked by chance and
taken away from one's family.
The forced marches.
The sleepless nights while
you await the battle.
If my family hadn't been so poor,
without possessions or land,
I would have had
someone to replace me.
Him. That's why he's here.
A conscript paid for
him to take his place.
I've never touched
a penny of my pay.
Look at these soles.
They're supposed to
last three years.
What are we doing here?
Do you know?
Who are we fighting for?
Sergeant Bourgogne chose
to make a career of the army.
In his eyes, Napoleon
is infallible.
Come on, soldier.
He cannot possibly imagine
that very soon, 11 of the
comrades he has just found
will lose their lives.
The Grande Armee is
preparing to enter Vilnius,
the capital of Lithuania.
Vilnius was formerly
part of Poland
before being annexed by Russia,
but the Tsar has just
abandoned the city.
This is good news for the
inhabitants of Vilnius
and the 30,000 Polish soldiers
fighting in the Grande Armee.
When the French entered Vilnius,
the Poles and the Polish
nobility, in particular,
welcomed the French
as their liberators.
They thought that Napoleon
was give them their freedom.
And better than freedom,
he was going to ensure
the rebirth of the Polish state.
Alexander was here
just a few hours ago.
Why would he give me the city
without putting up a fight?
Sir, he's doing everything
to make this campaign last
and to deprive you
of a major battle.
Time is on his side.
The coward.
He has dishonoured himself in
the eyes of the brave Poles.
Sir, General Balashov,
Ambassador for his
Imperial Majesty.
Since Peter the Great, no enemy
has invaded your land,
General Balashov,
yet you allow me to conquer
an entire province
without even putting up a fight.
Are you not ashamed, General?
I can assure you, sir,
that the Russians will
fight like lions.
The Emperor, my master,
insists you withdraw your troops.
My brother, Alexander, is a
novice in military affairs.
Why did he decide to take on
the supreme command alone?
He might surprise you.
He will be obliged
to ask me for peace
before two months have passed.
We will stay here for a few days
to replenish our stores of food.
Set up hospitals to care
for the sick and wounded,
and restructure the Lithuanian
administration, Bertier,
by using the resources
of the local elites.
We will form a
provisional government
and proclaim its autonomy.
But nobody will fall for it, sir.
The government will
be under our control.
Caulaincourt, I didn't
ask for your opinion.
Do you intend to declare yourself
in favour of Lithuanian
independence,
to state loud and clear
that Poland exists?
There is no question of throwing
our alliance with
Austria into jeopardy.
The Poles will have to wait.
In those conditions, your
calls for their patriotism
will go unheeded.
Part of Poland still
belongs to Austria
and Napoleon needs his
Austrian allies to ensure
his victory over the Russians.
The Russians did not
spontaneously leave
when the French arrived.
It was a strategy that
had been decided upon
by the Russian high
command around one year
before the French entered Russia.
The retreat of the
Russian army naturally
had to be accompanied
by every possible means
to slow down the advance
of Napoleon's troops.
These means included the so-called
Scorched Earth Policy
that involved destroying
all available stocks of food,
animal fodder, and livestock.
Continuing their pursuit
of the evasive Russian army,
the Grande Armee leaves Vilnius
and the troops are forced to walk
12 to 25 miles a day, always
heading further east.
The torrential rain
means that every step
is a fight with the mud.
The Russians have burned
mills and depots,
so there's no food
for the cavalry.
They take rotten straw
from the thatched roofs,
but the horses die eating it.
With no bread and
suffering from dysentery
and wounds that go unhealed,
soon there are thousands
of thieves and deserters.
Things started to go wrong
from the very first
weeks of the campaign.
I wouldn't use the word famine,
because that's a little excessive,
but the first problems of
food supplies were emerging.
There were, without doubt,
several tens of thousands
of men who were thieving
and living off the army
without being operational
in military terms.
To bring his troops together
and foster some kind of cohesion,
Napoleon needs the major
battle he's been longing for
now more than ever.
In the distance, they can
see a host of tiny lights.
They're coming from the
Russian army's encampment.
It's the Tsar's army.
This is the moment they've
all been waiting for.
Here they are close
by in his sights.
Napoleon's goal is so close now.
Tomorrow will see
the great battle.
Just one victory,
another Austerlitz,
and this war will be over.
(men singing in French)
Sergeant Bourgogne and his men
are preparing for
the confrontation.
They clean their weapons
and check their rifles.
They cut up sheets in
case they're injured.
On the battlefield, one must
treat one's own wounds.
Some are writing their wills,
recording their last
wishes but dreaming
of seeing their wives
and children once more.
Others seem carefree,
singing or sleeping.
On this campaign,
Napoleon's losses
in terms of men,
horses, and equipment
are the equivalent of
two great battles.
He needs a victory and soon.
Sir, you must come quickly.
I'll be right there, Caulaincourt.
Gentlemen.
Napoleon understands that
he has been tricked.
There will be no battle.
The Russians have disappeared
without a trace.
The army continues on
its unremitting way
towards Smolensk.
The Russian summer is hot
and drinking water is running out.
Some battalions only have beer
with which to quench their thirst.
But they keep going.
Despite all the difficulties
during the early days
of the campaign,
Napoleon has a strategy.
He is here to fight.
This strategy almost works
because his various
troop movements are
forcing the Russian army
to assemble around the
town of Smolensk.
The first artillery
is fired at 6 a.m.
Napoleon expects to
confront the Tsar's armies,
but only 20,000 enemy
soldiers are present.
They've received the order
to defend Smolensk,
whatever it takes.
But behind the ramparts,
this wooden town is burning.
Men, women, and children
who were unable to flee
are dying, burned alive or
asphyxiated by smoke inhalation.
The city is lost.
Napoleon is victorious.
He has captured Smolensk.
But by blocking him, the
defenders of Smolensk
have allowed the main
part of the Russian army
to escape towards Moscow.
Some will compare the
tragedy of Smolensk
with that of Pompeii.
It's like the
eruption of Vesuvius.
A fine spectacle. Is it
not, Master Horseman?
It's horrible, sir.
Just you remember this.
A dead enemy's body always
smells good. Roman Proverb.
Sir, will you permit
me to withdraw?
It's the Russians who
are stoking the flames
while their army runs
away, Caulaincourt.
Now it'll be the honour of
your friend, Alexander,
to face me at least once,
after which we'll be
able to make peace
like two champions
reconciling after a duel.
War is simply politics,
Caulaincourt.
And peace will never
happen while we're
on this side of the Rhine.
Caulaincourt suffers constantly
from the pain I inflict
upon his friend.
The Tsar is not my friend.
I am more French than
many others who only seek
to please and flatter you.
Please, calm down.
You're addressing the Emperor.
Why should I be silent?
I am honoured to
have done everything
to prevent this war.
Sir, give me a mission to Spain.
Let me leave this.
You are too sensitive,
Caulaincourt.
You know the esteem
I have for you.
Alexander simply declares
himself against England
and it'll be all over.
And meanwhile?
If he doesn't wish to
see me crowned Emperor
in the Kremlin,
he'd better seek to stop me.
Napoleon believed in a battle
because he wanted one
and he would win it.
He remained convinced
that Alexander would soon
be asking for peace,
and I realised that all I
could do was to count on
the good ideas that had,
until that point,
made me so happy.
The fight of the town
was a tragic one
because this place which had
once been so magnificent
was completely destroyed by fire,
a fire mainly set by the Russians
in accordance with their
strategy of Scorched Earth.
Smolensk was the first
turning point of the war,
in that there were
widespread civilian deaths
and they were now also
victims of this war.
It's considered that it was
from the taking of Smolensk
that the patriotic war against
the French occupier began.
Napoleon, the invader.
In Smolensk, he sets
up a town council
made of Russian citizens
ordered to obey
if they do not wish to be punished
and paid in French currency.
He orders them to levy a
contribution of wheat,
livestock, and fodder
from the population.
These heavy levies
serve to foster hatred
for the French occupying forces.
But the Russians do not understand
why Alexander's not fighting back
and defending their
towns and countryside.
That triggered a
first and very deep
crisis of confidence
between the Tsar
and the Russian population.
And also, a crisis
of confidence inside
the Imperial Army itself.
A letter from General Bagration
to his friend, Yermaloff,
"I am ashamed to
wear this uniform.
"It is killing me.
"We've been scattered
around like pawns
"and now we stay
here open-mouthed,
"suffering along our frontiers.
"It disgusts me so much
"that it is driving me insane.
I'm going to trade my uniform
against a peasant's smock."
Constantly withdrawing
makes the Russian soldiers
feel like cowards.
Their morale is lower than ever.
All these foreign spies,
their armies, sir.
It includes a thousand
German officers.
All these foreigners dictating
this dishonourable retreat,
your troops are no longer
inspiring confidence.
That is why I brought
you all here.
I am going to appoint
a Supreme Commander,
who will be able to unite the army
and the people around him.
Our victory depends
on this nomination.
(speaking in Russian)
Alexander I didn't like Kutuzov.
Firstly, because his very
face reminded Alexander
of the defeat at Austerlitz.
Because back then,
Kutuzov had suggested
an option which the
Tsar did not follow
and that led to a terrible fiasco.
Sources said that General Kutuzov
liked good food and good women.
Different generals denounced
him to Alexander I,
stating that in both his apartment
and on the battlefield,
Kutuzov had girls
dressed as Cossacks
whose job it was to
warm up his bed.
But Alexander I was
a very modest man
and from that perspective,
there was a certain
incompatibility in terms of
style between the two men.
To lead a war of liberation,
a patriotic war,
we need a Russian.
In that case, what
about General Tomasov?
Kutuzov, sir.
He is the oldest.
Our best generals, including
Bagration and Bennigsen
will agree to serve under him.
He was defeated at Austerlitz.
That doesn't detract from
his general popularity.
He has just been
unanimously elected
head of the militias in St.
Petersburg and Moscow.
His popularity and his exploits
in battle speak for him.
His bravery goes before him.
General Barclay de Tolly will
remain Commander in Chief
of the first Imperial Army
and General Bagration
of the second army.
But,
Kutuzov will be the new
Supreme Commander.
(speaking in Russian)
As soon as he is named,
Kutuzov brings out the
patriotism among his troops.
"Comrades," he writes,
"do your duty.
"Think of the sacrifices
of your towns
"brought down in flames
"and your children begging
for your protection.
"Think of your Emperor Alexander,
"your leader who sees you as
the embodiment of his power."
While the Tsar's army
reorganises itself
in a decisive manner,
Napoleon demands his men
push themselves ever harder.
Rest is not worthy of them.
Gusts of wind throw up whirlwinds
of torturous burning dust.
The speed at which
they must travel
means many horses are lost,
and while Typhus tears
through the troops,
Russian propaganda attacks
the most vulnerable.
"French soldiers, you are
forced to march against us.
"They say you are
fighting for peace.
"Don't believe these
perfidious words.
"You are fighting for
the insatiable mission
"for a leader who
does not seek peace,
"and for whom the blood of
young men is a mere trifle.
"Go home. There's still time."
These calls for desertion
and harassment
aimed to weaken the Grande Armee
to be able to attack it better.
In two months, it
shrinks radically,
because in addition to
the sick, the slain,
the injured, and the deserters,
some units have had to stay behind
to hold Vilnius and Smolensk.
But nothing stops their progress.
Cavalry and infantry keep
moving day and night
in the hope of reaching
the invisible enemy.
Every day, this war
seems ever more absurd
to Caulaincourt who rebels.
"We're destroying each
other with no result
"other than gaining ground."
But due to the ground gained,
Moscow is now just
three days march away.
Public opinion has pushed
Kutuzov's back to the wall.
In Borodino, 75 miles
from the sacred city,
he tries to stop Napoleon.
The terrain is rolling and wooded,
which slows down the
enemies progression.
Kutuzov establishes
his defensive line
on the southern bank
of the Kolosha River,
blocking the route to Moscow.
He sets up four redoubts.
The first and biggest of
them is the Raevsky redoubt.
Then come the two more
modest Bagration redoubts,
and the last one is the
Shevardino redoubt,
as a frontal buffer.
A redoubt is an
earth fortification
constructed like a hillock
where a series of
cannon are installed.
It's defended from below
by a trench of soldiers.
Behind, there's a massive
concentration of Russian troops.
Kutuzov has placed his
forces defensively here.
He thinks he's protected
behind this river,
protected by his redoubts.
We'll start first by taking
the Shevardino redoubt
and the Village of Borodino.
Then we'll be able to
position our troops
for the final battle.
Our northern armies
will be inserted here
to prevent the Russian
army from surrounding us.
There you have it.
140,000 men in the Grande Armee
against 110,000 Russians.
214 infantry battalions
against 180.
317 cavalry squadrons against
20 Cossack regiments.
587 cannon against 624.
The sound of cannon fire creates
great joy for the French
and a strange relief, because
they're certain this time
that the Russians
have not decamped.
The two armies are to fight in
two highly strategic areas,
the Village of Borodino
on the road to Moscow,
and the Shevardino redoubt,
an essential barrier in the
Russian defensive line.
In less than an hour,
more than 10,000 men
are wounded or killed.
This is a bloody prelude
to the main battle,
an attack that will
allow the Grande Armee
to tackle the Russian resistance.
Even when they're wounded,
far from calling for help,
they refuse to give up,
and seem determined to
die where they fought.
But their bravery is not enough.
The French take the
Shevardino redoubt.
Despite heavy losses, the
first step in Napoleon's plan
is a success.
Each army dresses its wounds.
The Russians are reinforcing
their defensive lines
and the Raevsky and Bagration
redoubts in particular.
Kutuzov is organising
a solemn procession
with the virgin of Smolensk.
Pampfill Nazaroff,
like his companions,
prays for divine protection,
his thoughts turned to his family.
But he cannot say this
as one must be ready
to die for God, the
Tsar, and Russia.
(praying in Russian)
"The Russians have never prayed
"with as much fervour
as they did today,"
wrote the poet Glinka.
"In these hours, our
hearts and souls
"are having secret
conversations with divinity."
(singing in French)
While the enemy puts
itself in God's hands,
the Grande Armee, which has
never lost faith in Napoleon,
waits impatiently for
the next morning.
(shouting in French)
The Emperor has slept badly.
Caulaincourt.
Thank you.
He went to bed at 3 a.m.,
worried that the Russians
might disappear once again.
But when he emerges from his tent,
he is confident once again.
The first light of
dawn reminds him
of the sunshine at Austerlitz.
The previous evening, he
redrew his battle plans.
He wants to defeat
the southern flank
of the enemy forces, to
attack the redoubtable
fortifications constructed
by the Russians
and the great Raevsky
redoubt in particular.
The Emperor's Imperial
Guard will stay back,
ready to intervene if necessary.
Soldiers, this is the battle
we wished for so long.
Now, our victory depends on you.
We need it.
It will bring you wealth, land,
and ensure we will soon be home.
Fight as you fought in Austerlitz.
Your efforts will
go down in history
and they will say, "He was
there at that great battle
"at the gates of Moscow."
For 10 hours, the armies
fight hand to hand.
One forgets one's
fear under the deluge
of bullets, cannon
balls, and shells.
One barely notices one's
comrades as they fall,
struck down at point blank range.
The Russians will call it
the Battle of Borodino.
The French will talk of
the Battle of Moscova.
Positions are taken, lost,
taken back, and lost again.
The second cavalry core
of General Monbraum
has now charged to the right
of the Raevsky redoubt.
Monbraum is looking for
the right position
from which to attack.
He heads off on a reconnaissance
mission by horse,
but unfortunately is hit in
the chest by a cannon ball.
Napoleon then decides
to replace him
with Auguste Caulaincourt,
the brother of Armand.
The Russian infantry, destabilised
by the fatal wounding
of General Bagration
pulls itself together
and redoubles its efforts
to regain lost ground.
The actors in this
carnage speak of hell,
of a burning sky,
of the apocalypse,
and cannon spitting death.
Caulaincourt suddenly has
a terrible premonition.
At 3 p.m., his brother
Auguste at the head
of the fifth regiment
of Cuirassiers,
supported by two divisions
and two infantry battalions,
makes an assault on the
great Raevsky redoubt.
The Russians must beat a retreat.
The wounded beg to be
put out of their misery
and be relieved of their
terrible suffering.
The Russians abandon
their positions
but their army has not
been annihilated.
The battle was hellish, but
if there is to be a winner,
there must also be a loser.
I think it's very difficult
to evaluate the results
of the Battle of Borodino.
Because Napoleon and
Kutuzov each had
their own objectives.
Neither Napoleon nor
Kutuzov achieved them.
Napoleon's aim was to totally
defeat the Russian army.
Kutuzov's aim was
to stop the French
and to protect Moscow.
What did it mean to win
a battle at that time?
One might say that the winner
is the army that is in
control of the battlefield.
If that's the case, then
there was a clear winner
at the Battle of Moscova,
because the Russians withdrew
and the French stayed in
control of the terrain.
Therefore, Napoleon won
the Battle of Moscova.
It is true that in strategic
terms, the Battle of Moscova
weakened the Grande Armee
and that's why the Russians
claim it as a victory.
Everyone might agree if
we said that the French
won the Battle of Moscova
and the Russians didn't lose
the Battle of Borodino.
It's a disappointing
victory for Napoleon
and so costly in
terms of human life,
but the Imperial Guard,
the elite of the Grande
Armee stayed back.
Sergeant Bourgogne thus watched
the battle from a distance,
unlike so many of his compatriots
who found themselves
in the front line.
Napoleon was prudent,
too prudent perhaps,
and didn't want to take the
risk of weakening his Guard.
But, if had sent Bourgogne
and his men into the malaise
the victory might perhaps
have been greater.
Lives might have been saved.
Bourgogne's companions might
have gone home safe and sound.
So many heroes, soldiers,
officers, and generals.
Caulaincourt will never
forget that gruesome day.
"We will triumph or I
shall kill myself,"
were the last words
Auguste said to me.
He had led the decisive charge
against the great redoubt.
Did he have the time to enjoy it
before being killed
by an enemy bullet?
For the Emperor, France had lost
one of its best officers,
but I had lost a brother.
He was 35 years old.
During this dreadful day,
120,000 cannon balls and
300,000 cartridges were fired,
resulting in a terrible
loss of human life.
45,000 Russians died,
were injured, or gone,
more than a third of the troops.
Napoleon lost 28,000 men.
This slaughter pushes the medical
services to their limits.
Many injured people are left
on the battlefield without help.
In the Grande Armee,
there is one doctor
and one pharmacist for
every 600 soldiers.
45 surgeons care for
victims on both sides.
It takes less than four
minutes to amputate a leg.
10,000 wounded beyond help
are left in the
surrounding villages
where most of them will die.
Napoleon then waits for the
following day's hostilities.
But Kutuzov has another idea.
Why did Kutuzov not
continue the battle
the following day
as he had promised?
At the end of the battle,
he gave orders to attack
Napoleon's troops the
following morning.
But later on that night,
he gave an order
that was totally contrary,
to withdraw.
The most likely reason was that
he had received information
in the meantime
regarding losses in
the Russian army.
These losses were terrible.
Kutuzov spends a long time
with his generals, weighing
up the pros and cons
of a new fight, eventually
admitting that his troops
aren't strong enough
to stop Napoleon
and that it will be
better to spare them
and take some time to
find reinforcements.
420,000 soldiers crossed
the Neman River
three months earlier.
Now, just half of them remain.
They came from France,
Spain, and Italy.
They travelled over 2,500 miles,
crossed Alps or the Pyranose,
and travelled through Germany,
Poland, and Western Russia.
At last, they think they're
going to get the rest
they desperately need.
But Napoleon remains convinced
that the arrival of
the Grande Armee
at the gates of Moscow,
will be the coup de grace
that will force
Alexander to negotiate.
Sergeant Bourgogne remembers,
"After having crossed
through a big forest,
"we finally caught our
first glimpse of Moscow,
"and in moments like these,
one forgets everything.
"The dangers, the fatigue,
the comrades lost,
"and only one thing counts,
"the pleasure of entering
the promised land."
But Napoleon, who dreamt
of entering the city
as a conquering hero like
in Vienna and Berlin,
discovers that Moscow
has been abandoned
and no public figure
is going to come
and hand him the keys to the city.
Only those who had
neither the money
nor the time to flee remain.
Napoleon moves into the Kremlin
with his guard and his
services in attendance.
His generals occupy
the luxury homes
of the Moscow nobility.
Where are our divisions?
Sir, fires have been started
all across the city.
It seems that it was
the Russians who...
No, I don't believe it.
These barbarians can't
possible be so crazy
as to destroy Moscow.
There are no fire engines left.
They took them all.
Then find the arsonists,
and we'll hang them when we do.
First, they believe the
fires are accidental,
set by drunken
soldiers celebrating
their first night in Moscow.
(speaking in Russian)
But it soon becomes clear
that these fires are no accident.
Dozens of arsonists are
scattered around the city.
Who are they?
And who is giving orders
to create this inferno?
Stop there.
Catch them.
Is anyone there?
Sergeant, I think we
found some treasure.
Don't get ahead of yourself.
Get down.
Kutuzov chose to abandon Moscow
to avoid a new confrontation
and to reorganise his troops.
That is why the Governor
General of the city,
Count Rostopchin left
to his own devices,
orders reprisals by
burning warehouses,
storerooms, and palaces.
Nothing is to be left
to the invading forces.
Is everyone okay?
Yes, Sergeant.
Sergeant Bourgogne remembers,
"When the explosion happened,
we thought we were dead,
"annihilated under the debris.
"The Russians didn't care how
they tried to destroy us."
Are you wounded, Sergeant?
It's nothing.
Where are we?
This is where we should sleep.
You're too ugly and
you smell too bad
to sleep in a palace.
Sergeant, come and look.
What do we do with it, Sergeant?
We take it.
Look out.
It's all collapsing.
Let's get out of here.
Come on.
Danger is everywhere.
Napoleon's Grande Armee has fallen
into a burning trap, surrounded
by flames and blinded,
they still dream of victory.
large part of Europe,
but France is the theatre
for some worrying
military preparations.
Thousands of soldiers
are being enrolled
and different army corps
are being assembled.
But Emperor Napoleon I
is saying loud and clear
that he does not want another war.
In 1811, Napoleon controls Europe,
from the Mediterranean
to the Neman River.
He is counting on fighting the
British with Russian support.
Since his victory over Tsar
Alexander in Friedland in 1807
and the Treaty of Tilsit,
France and Russia
are officially allies.
But Alexander doesn't
support Napoleon's
expansionist strategy and
irrespective of their treaties,
Alexander allows English merchant
ships access to his ports.
For Napoleon, Russia's behaviour
makes it an enemy of France.
Armand de Caulaincourt has
been French Ambassador
to St. Petersburg for four years.
He understands Russia perfectly.
I hear they miss you
greatly in St. Petersburg,
and they even organised
a banquet in honour
of your departure.
Have you turned into a
Russian, Caulaincourt?
You know I've been
requesting a transfer
back to Paris for two years, sir.
Two years, yes.
I hope you took advantage
of your time there
to get to know your
friend, Alexander.
So, why is he refusing to close
his ports to the British?
It's not what one might
call a declaration.
When we signed the peace treaty
in Tilsit four years ago,
he told me,
I hate the English
as much as you do.
And I answered, "In that
case, we have peace."
But he didn't keep his word.
It was you who invaded Germany.
You support the Poles and
you are amassing troops
on the frontiers
during peace time.
Caulaincourt used to be
Napoleon's Aide-de-camp.
He knows how to gain his
trust and his benevolence.
But despite his
admiration for Napoleon,
he won't let himself be blinded.
He can clearly see his game
and he fears for France.
Nothing can justify this
campaign you're leading
so far from Paris.
Too many have already
died on the battlefield.
Ah, Caulaincourt, you don't
understand business.
Russia is vast and the
climate is harsh.
They will let you
come and wear out
your troops forced to march.
They won't fight.
They will wait for winter.
You no longer have
confidence in me.
Caulaincourt, don't worry.
Look upon the war in Russia
as one that makes sense.
War.
The word has finally been spoken.
Over the following months,
Napoleon continues
to amass his troops from all
four corners of Europe,
sending them towards the
borders of the Russian Empire.
Tsar Alexander knows this
confrontation is inevitable.
He hesitates lengthily
between two strategies.
Should he set out
to meet the French
or draw them towards Moscow?
To thwart the French spies,
his plan must remain secret
from the majority of
the General Staff
and the Russian people.
Napoleon continues to
ignore calls for caution.
As Caulaincourt noticed,
he had gone back down
that irresistible path
towards his destiny.
Day one of the campaign,
half a million men.
They speak French in the ranks,
but also Italian, German, Polish,
Portuguese, and Spanish.
It's an army of 20 nations.
The first empire marching
towards its destiny.
Napoleon wants a flash campaign,
a demonstration of force that
will suffice, in his mind,
to make the Tsar see sense.
He wants to achieve
his dream of bringing
all the peoples of
Europe together as one.
They've been promised they
would soon be going home,
but beyond the Neman River
which marks the frontier
between Poland and
the Russian Empire,
they are entering the unknown.
The most important thing to
say about the Grande Armee
is that it's enormous.
The biggest army anyone's ever
seen in European history.
The particularity about
Napoleon's Grande Armee
was that it had very high
numbers of civilians.
Some officers, even
non-commissioned officers,
brought wives and children
with them, even mistresses.
So the caravan was
quite an assorted one.
Some had been with him since
the Egyptian campaign.
They were the old guard and were
the bedrock of the Grande Armee.
They trusted and
followed this man.
To him, he was a star, a genius.
Napoleon is enjoying
the start to his campaign.
He's made it.
He's in the land of the Tsars.
In a letter to his
wife, Marie Louise,
he reveals his optimism and
a certain indifference.
My friend, nothing
significant has happened.
I'm in good health, but
the heat is excessive.
Napoleon's real adversary
in terms of ensuring
the French domination
of Europe was England.
His aim was to bring
England to its knees
and force it to make peace.
Within this framework, he made
a pact with Russia in 1807.
In reality, this was an alliance
of the strong with the weak.
For example, he'd obliged Russia
to declare war on England,
and to cease all trade
with the English.
But the Russians were
never able to respect
this part of the agreement
because trade with England
was vital to their economy.
Another even more
ideological element
involved saying that
going to war with Russia
was about setting
European civilisation
against Asiatic barbarism, in
which Russia was complicit.
If you asked the question
of the Russians,
they would have said that Napoleon
wanted to conquer Russia.
Napoleon wants to win
the war quickly.
He expects to defeat the Russian
army within two months,
force Alexander to make
peace on Napoleon's terms,
but he doesn't want to
destroy the Russian empire
and he doesn't want to chase
Alexander off his throne.
He wants to fight a limited war.
For Alexander, the enemy to defeat
is Napoleon, not France of
whose culture and history
he's a big fan.
He even likes speaking French
as much as he does Russian.
Sir, the Grande Armee crossed
the Neman this morning.
Without a declaration of war?
Impossible.
The new French Ambassador
sent a note two days ago
saying his mission was finished.
Two days ago.
Why wasn't I informed?
We didn't think...
That was their declaration of war.
We are ready to fight, sir.
I do not share that view, General.
But...
The Corsican wants a short war,
the outcome of which
will be determined
by one of those victories that
made his glorious career.
He wants another Austerlitz,
and we are going to deprive
him of that pleasure.
By refusing to fight?
That is not a worthy attitude.
We will lead him to get lost,
which will give us time.
Alexander I is a
complicated human being.
He is, in some senses, a very
wily and tough politician.
In other ways, he's
a very sensitive
and easily hurt individual.
Who wouldn't feel
inferior to Napoleon
in military terms back then?
Alexander tried to command armies
during the 1805 campaign,
and that ended with a
terrible catastrophe
at the Battle of Austerlitz.
So Alexander knows that he
isn't a great military mind
and for the first time
in Russian history,
in 1812 he agreed to not
personally command his armies.
Alexander has learnt lessons
from his 1805 defeat
at Austerlitz.
Napoleon skilfully
let him believe that
he only had 40,000 men left,
whereas in reality,
he had double that.
Trapped, tricked, and humiliated,
the Tsar and his Austrian
ally had abandoned
16,000 dead on the battlefield.
This was the first in a
long series of victories
for the Grande Armee
until the attempt at
Russia seven years later.
To put pressure on Alexander,
French spies distribute
tracts in the villages
to cause concern among the
Russian country folk.
(speaking in Russian)
30 million peasants are
living in slavery.
The slightest resistance
to the nobility
is cruelly repressed.
They must be dreaming
of their freedom.
(speaks in Russian)
By promising to abolish servitude,
perhaps Napoleon can
win their loyalty.
But despite their suffering,
they are attached to
their bits of land.
It is their world, and as for
these Frenchmen approaching,
what to they know?
At this early stage
in the campaign,
it's still impossible for
either Napoleon or Alexander
to predict what the
peasants reaction will be
and to what extent they
can be relied upon.
Russia is nothing but
a huge uncertainty.
Nobody has invaded
Russia for 300 years
and the Russian people
compared Napoleon's
invasion into their land
to the invasion of the
Mongols and Tatars
in their forbearer's day.
Pamfill Nazaroff is
only 20 years old,
but the Tsar needs
soldiers to fight Napoleon
whom he presents
as the antichrist.
Because Pamfill is
young and unmarried,
he's been picked out by
the village community.
Young serfs like him
are conscripted
with the agreement of their owners
who see this as their contribution
to the defence of the
Russian motherland.
(speaking in Russian)
Enrolled for a period of 25 years,
they are then considered free men
if they survive.
Pamfill Nazaroff
will have to learn
the tough lesson of
becoming a soldier
and soon, he will be ready
to face the Grande Armee.
When they were enrolled
into the army,
the serfs were almost certain
they'd never see their
families and loved ones again.
Soldiers lives were
incredibly hard.
The regiment became their family
and that was a fundamental element
that also explains the courage
with which they fought
for these substitute families.
The Russian nobility
was very afraid
that Napoleon would abolish
serfdom in Russia.
This created chaos.
The Grande Armee advances
towards Vilnius,
but the enemy avoids them
and refuses to fight.
Napoleon's Imperial Guard
finally spots a Russian column.
This is their first confrontation,
and their first hand
to hand battle.
Both sides swear they
would rather die
than give up an inch of terrain.
It's a cruel foretaste
of the battles to come.
The French easily push
back their attackers,
which fuels the
illusion that the Tsar
will capitulate in
a matter of days.
(men singing in French)
Sergeant Adrian
Franceau Bourgogne,
Grenadier of the Elite
Imperial Guard,
had participated in all Napoleon's
campaigns prior to 1812.
To him, this long March is
just one more campaign.
Sergeant?
Duvall?
Duvall. Oh, my friend.
You turned out well.
Are you injured?
It's just a scratch.
I've come to give you
your share of home,
a little waggon taken
from a Russian general
and everything it contains.
We put it all in
Florencia's vehicle.
She's our cook.
She's been with us since Spain,
and I took her under my wing.
But I only have
honourable intentions.
Don't listen to the gossip.
Naturally.
You must eat little one,
to give you strength
to fight the Russian.
Otherwise I'll tell the emperor.
In a touching coincidence,
in the same regiment,
Bourgogne finds 12 men
from Con Desieur Lisco,
his home town some
2,000 kilometres away.
And him. What's wrong with him?
He couldn't stand the artillery.
At the first cannon
fire, he left his line
and only came back when
the battle was over.
The Russian General's wine,
you can't say no.
You'll toughen up. You'll see.
One learns to manage one's
fears, anxiety, and pain.
Are you ever afraid?
Me and everyone else.
I've been injured twice
and I understand what it means,
being picked by chance and
taken away from one's family.
The forced marches.
The sleepless nights while
you await the battle.
If my family hadn't been so poor,
without possessions or land,
I would have had
someone to replace me.
Him. That's why he's here.
A conscript paid for
him to take his place.
I've never touched
a penny of my pay.
Look at these soles.
They're supposed to
last three years.
What are we doing here?
Do you know?
Who are we fighting for?
Sergeant Bourgogne chose
to make a career of the army.
In his eyes, Napoleon
is infallible.
Come on, soldier.
He cannot possibly imagine
that very soon, 11 of the
comrades he has just found
will lose their lives.
The Grande Armee is
preparing to enter Vilnius,
the capital of Lithuania.
Vilnius was formerly
part of Poland
before being annexed by Russia,
but the Tsar has just
abandoned the city.
This is good news for the
inhabitants of Vilnius
and the 30,000 Polish soldiers
fighting in the Grande Armee.
When the French entered Vilnius,
the Poles and the Polish
nobility, in particular,
welcomed the French
as their liberators.
They thought that Napoleon
was give them their freedom.
And better than freedom,
he was going to ensure
the rebirth of the Polish state.
Alexander was here
just a few hours ago.
Why would he give me the city
without putting up a fight?
Sir, he's doing everything
to make this campaign last
and to deprive you
of a major battle.
Time is on his side.
The coward.
He has dishonoured himself in
the eyes of the brave Poles.
Sir, General Balashov,
Ambassador for his
Imperial Majesty.
Since Peter the Great, no enemy
has invaded your land,
General Balashov,
yet you allow me to conquer
an entire province
without even putting up a fight.
Are you not ashamed, General?
I can assure you, sir,
that the Russians will
fight like lions.
The Emperor, my master,
insists you withdraw your troops.
My brother, Alexander, is a
novice in military affairs.
Why did he decide to take on
the supreme command alone?
He might surprise you.
He will be obliged
to ask me for peace
before two months have passed.
We will stay here for a few days
to replenish our stores of food.
Set up hospitals to care
for the sick and wounded,
and restructure the Lithuanian
administration, Bertier,
by using the resources
of the local elites.
We will form a
provisional government
and proclaim its autonomy.
But nobody will fall for it, sir.
The government will
be under our control.
Caulaincourt, I didn't
ask for your opinion.
Do you intend to declare yourself
in favour of Lithuanian
independence,
to state loud and clear
that Poland exists?
There is no question of throwing
our alliance with
Austria into jeopardy.
The Poles will have to wait.
In those conditions, your
calls for their patriotism
will go unheeded.
Part of Poland still
belongs to Austria
and Napoleon needs his
Austrian allies to ensure
his victory over the Russians.
The Russians did not
spontaneously leave
when the French arrived.
It was a strategy that
had been decided upon
by the Russian high
command around one year
before the French entered Russia.
The retreat of the
Russian army naturally
had to be accompanied
by every possible means
to slow down the advance
of Napoleon's troops.
These means included the so-called
Scorched Earth Policy
that involved destroying
all available stocks of food,
animal fodder, and livestock.
Continuing their pursuit
of the evasive Russian army,
the Grande Armee leaves Vilnius
and the troops are forced to walk
12 to 25 miles a day, always
heading further east.
The torrential rain
means that every step
is a fight with the mud.
The Russians have burned
mills and depots,
so there's no food
for the cavalry.
They take rotten straw
from the thatched roofs,
but the horses die eating it.
With no bread and
suffering from dysentery
and wounds that go unhealed,
soon there are thousands
of thieves and deserters.
Things started to go wrong
from the very first
weeks of the campaign.
I wouldn't use the word famine,
because that's a little excessive,
but the first problems of
food supplies were emerging.
There were, without doubt,
several tens of thousands
of men who were thieving
and living off the army
without being operational
in military terms.
To bring his troops together
and foster some kind of cohesion,
Napoleon needs the major
battle he's been longing for
now more than ever.
In the distance, they can
see a host of tiny lights.
They're coming from the
Russian army's encampment.
It's the Tsar's army.
This is the moment they've
all been waiting for.
Here they are close
by in his sights.
Napoleon's goal is so close now.
Tomorrow will see
the great battle.
Just one victory,
another Austerlitz,
and this war will be over.
(men singing in French)
Sergeant Bourgogne and his men
are preparing for
the confrontation.
They clean their weapons
and check their rifles.
They cut up sheets in
case they're injured.
On the battlefield, one must
treat one's own wounds.
Some are writing their wills,
recording their last
wishes but dreaming
of seeing their wives
and children once more.
Others seem carefree,
singing or sleeping.
On this campaign,
Napoleon's losses
in terms of men,
horses, and equipment
are the equivalent of
two great battles.
He needs a victory and soon.
Sir, you must come quickly.
I'll be right there, Caulaincourt.
Gentlemen.
Napoleon understands that
he has been tricked.
There will be no battle.
The Russians have disappeared
without a trace.
The army continues on
its unremitting way
towards Smolensk.
The Russian summer is hot
and drinking water is running out.
Some battalions only have beer
with which to quench their thirst.
But they keep going.
Despite all the difficulties
during the early days
of the campaign,
Napoleon has a strategy.
He is here to fight.
This strategy almost works
because his various
troop movements are
forcing the Russian army
to assemble around the
town of Smolensk.
The first artillery
is fired at 6 a.m.
Napoleon expects to
confront the Tsar's armies,
but only 20,000 enemy
soldiers are present.
They've received the order
to defend Smolensk,
whatever it takes.
But behind the ramparts,
this wooden town is burning.
Men, women, and children
who were unable to flee
are dying, burned alive or
asphyxiated by smoke inhalation.
The city is lost.
Napoleon is victorious.
He has captured Smolensk.
But by blocking him, the
defenders of Smolensk
have allowed the main
part of the Russian army
to escape towards Moscow.
Some will compare the
tragedy of Smolensk
with that of Pompeii.
It's like the
eruption of Vesuvius.
A fine spectacle. Is it
not, Master Horseman?
It's horrible, sir.
Just you remember this.
A dead enemy's body always
smells good. Roman Proverb.
Sir, will you permit
me to withdraw?
It's the Russians who
are stoking the flames
while their army runs
away, Caulaincourt.
Now it'll be the honour of
your friend, Alexander,
to face me at least once,
after which we'll be
able to make peace
like two champions
reconciling after a duel.
War is simply politics,
Caulaincourt.
And peace will never
happen while we're
on this side of the Rhine.
Caulaincourt suffers constantly
from the pain I inflict
upon his friend.
The Tsar is not my friend.
I am more French than
many others who only seek
to please and flatter you.
Please, calm down.
You're addressing the Emperor.
Why should I be silent?
I am honoured to
have done everything
to prevent this war.
Sir, give me a mission to Spain.
Let me leave this.
You are too sensitive,
Caulaincourt.
You know the esteem
I have for you.
Alexander simply declares
himself against England
and it'll be all over.
And meanwhile?
If he doesn't wish to
see me crowned Emperor
in the Kremlin,
he'd better seek to stop me.
Napoleon believed in a battle
because he wanted one
and he would win it.
He remained convinced
that Alexander would soon
be asking for peace,
and I realised that all I
could do was to count on
the good ideas that had,
until that point,
made me so happy.
The fight of the town
was a tragic one
because this place which had
once been so magnificent
was completely destroyed by fire,
a fire mainly set by the Russians
in accordance with their
strategy of Scorched Earth.
Smolensk was the first
turning point of the war,
in that there were
widespread civilian deaths
and they were now also
victims of this war.
It's considered that it was
from the taking of Smolensk
that the patriotic war against
the French occupier began.
Napoleon, the invader.
In Smolensk, he sets
up a town council
made of Russian citizens
ordered to obey
if they do not wish to be punished
and paid in French currency.
He orders them to levy a
contribution of wheat,
livestock, and fodder
from the population.
These heavy levies
serve to foster hatred
for the French occupying forces.
But the Russians do not understand
why Alexander's not fighting back
and defending their
towns and countryside.
That triggered a
first and very deep
crisis of confidence
between the Tsar
and the Russian population.
And also, a crisis
of confidence inside
the Imperial Army itself.
A letter from General Bagration
to his friend, Yermaloff,
"I am ashamed to
wear this uniform.
"It is killing me.
"We've been scattered
around like pawns
"and now we stay
here open-mouthed,
"suffering along our frontiers.
"It disgusts me so much
"that it is driving me insane.
I'm going to trade my uniform
against a peasant's smock."
Constantly withdrawing
makes the Russian soldiers
feel like cowards.
Their morale is lower than ever.
All these foreign spies,
their armies, sir.
It includes a thousand
German officers.
All these foreigners dictating
this dishonourable retreat,
your troops are no longer
inspiring confidence.
That is why I brought
you all here.
I am going to appoint
a Supreme Commander,
who will be able to unite the army
and the people around him.
Our victory depends
on this nomination.
(speaking in Russian)
Alexander I didn't like Kutuzov.
Firstly, because his very
face reminded Alexander
of the defeat at Austerlitz.
Because back then,
Kutuzov had suggested
an option which the
Tsar did not follow
and that led to a terrible fiasco.
Sources said that General Kutuzov
liked good food and good women.
Different generals denounced
him to Alexander I,
stating that in both his apartment
and on the battlefield,
Kutuzov had girls
dressed as Cossacks
whose job it was to
warm up his bed.
But Alexander I was
a very modest man
and from that perspective,
there was a certain
incompatibility in terms of
style between the two men.
To lead a war of liberation,
a patriotic war,
we need a Russian.
In that case, what
about General Tomasov?
Kutuzov, sir.
He is the oldest.
Our best generals, including
Bagration and Bennigsen
will agree to serve under him.
He was defeated at Austerlitz.
That doesn't detract from
his general popularity.
He has just been
unanimously elected
head of the militias in St.
Petersburg and Moscow.
His popularity and his exploits
in battle speak for him.
His bravery goes before him.
General Barclay de Tolly will
remain Commander in Chief
of the first Imperial Army
and General Bagration
of the second army.
But,
Kutuzov will be the new
Supreme Commander.
(speaking in Russian)
As soon as he is named,
Kutuzov brings out the
patriotism among his troops.
"Comrades," he writes,
"do your duty.
"Think of the sacrifices
of your towns
"brought down in flames
"and your children begging
for your protection.
"Think of your Emperor Alexander,
"your leader who sees you as
the embodiment of his power."
While the Tsar's army
reorganises itself
in a decisive manner,
Napoleon demands his men
push themselves ever harder.
Rest is not worthy of them.
Gusts of wind throw up whirlwinds
of torturous burning dust.
The speed at which
they must travel
means many horses are lost,
and while Typhus tears
through the troops,
Russian propaganda attacks
the most vulnerable.
"French soldiers, you are
forced to march against us.
"They say you are
fighting for peace.
"Don't believe these
perfidious words.
"You are fighting for
the insatiable mission
"for a leader who
does not seek peace,
"and for whom the blood of
young men is a mere trifle.
"Go home. There's still time."
These calls for desertion
and harassment
aimed to weaken the Grande Armee
to be able to attack it better.
In two months, it
shrinks radically,
because in addition to
the sick, the slain,
the injured, and the deserters,
some units have had to stay behind
to hold Vilnius and Smolensk.
But nothing stops their progress.
Cavalry and infantry keep
moving day and night
in the hope of reaching
the invisible enemy.
Every day, this war
seems ever more absurd
to Caulaincourt who rebels.
"We're destroying each
other with no result
"other than gaining ground."
But due to the ground gained,
Moscow is now just
three days march away.
Public opinion has pushed
Kutuzov's back to the wall.
In Borodino, 75 miles
from the sacred city,
he tries to stop Napoleon.
The terrain is rolling and wooded,
which slows down the
enemies progression.
Kutuzov establishes
his defensive line
on the southern bank
of the Kolosha River,
blocking the route to Moscow.
He sets up four redoubts.
The first and biggest of
them is the Raevsky redoubt.
Then come the two more
modest Bagration redoubts,
and the last one is the
Shevardino redoubt,
as a frontal buffer.
A redoubt is an
earth fortification
constructed like a hillock
where a series of
cannon are installed.
It's defended from below
by a trench of soldiers.
Behind, there's a massive
concentration of Russian troops.
Kutuzov has placed his
forces defensively here.
He thinks he's protected
behind this river,
protected by his redoubts.
We'll start first by taking
the Shevardino redoubt
and the Village of Borodino.
Then we'll be able to
position our troops
for the final battle.
Our northern armies
will be inserted here
to prevent the Russian
army from surrounding us.
There you have it.
140,000 men in the Grande Armee
against 110,000 Russians.
214 infantry battalions
against 180.
317 cavalry squadrons against
20 Cossack regiments.
587 cannon against 624.
The sound of cannon fire creates
great joy for the French
and a strange relief, because
they're certain this time
that the Russians
have not decamped.
The two armies are to fight in
two highly strategic areas,
the Village of Borodino
on the road to Moscow,
and the Shevardino redoubt,
an essential barrier in the
Russian defensive line.
In less than an hour,
more than 10,000 men
are wounded or killed.
This is a bloody prelude
to the main battle,
an attack that will
allow the Grande Armee
to tackle the Russian resistance.
Even when they're wounded,
far from calling for help,
they refuse to give up,
and seem determined to
die where they fought.
But their bravery is not enough.
The French take the
Shevardino redoubt.
Despite heavy losses, the
first step in Napoleon's plan
is a success.
Each army dresses its wounds.
The Russians are reinforcing
their defensive lines
and the Raevsky and Bagration
redoubts in particular.
Kutuzov is organising
a solemn procession
with the virgin of Smolensk.
Pampfill Nazaroff,
like his companions,
prays for divine protection,
his thoughts turned to his family.
But he cannot say this
as one must be ready
to die for God, the
Tsar, and Russia.
(praying in Russian)
"The Russians have never prayed
"with as much fervour
as they did today,"
wrote the poet Glinka.
"In these hours, our
hearts and souls
"are having secret
conversations with divinity."
(singing in French)
While the enemy puts
itself in God's hands,
the Grande Armee, which has
never lost faith in Napoleon,
waits impatiently for
the next morning.
(shouting in French)
The Emperor has slept badly.
Caulaincourt.
Thank you.
He went to bed at 3 a.m.,
worried that the Russians
might disappear once again.
But when he emerges from his tent,
he is confident once again.
The first light of
dawn reminds him
of the sunshine at Austerlitz.
The previous evening, he
redrew his battle plans.
He wants to defeat
the southern flank
of the enemy forces, to
attack the redoubtable
fortifications constructed
by the Russians
and the great Raevsky
redoubt in particular.
The Emperor's Imperial
Guard will stay back,
ready to intervene if necessary.
Soldiers, this is the battle
we wished for so long.
Now, our victory depends on you.
We need it.
It will bring you wealth, land,
and ensure we will soon be home.
Fight as you fought in Austerlitz.
Your efforts will
go down in history
and they will say, "He was
there at that great battle
"at the gates of Moscow."
For 10 hours, the armies
fight hand to hand.
One forgets one's
fear under the deluge
of bullets, cannon
balls, and shells.
One barely notices one's
comrades as they fall,
struck down at point blank range.
The Russians will call it
the Battle of Borodino.
The French will talk of
the Battle of Moscova.
Positions are taken, lost,
taken back, and lost again.
The second cavalry core
of General Monbraum
has now charged to the right
of the Raevsky redoubt.
Monbraum is looking for
the right position
from which to attack.
He heads off on a reconnaissance
mission by horse,
but unfortunately is hit in
the chest by a cannon ball.
Napoleon then decides
to replace him
with Auguste Caulaincourt,
the brother of Armand.
The Russian infantry, destabilised
by the fatal wounding
of General Bagration
pulls itself together
and redoubles its efforts
to regain lost ground.
The actors in this
carnage speak of hell,
of a burning sky,
of the apocalypse,
and cannon spitting death.
Caulaincourt suddenly has
a terrible premonition.
At 3 p.m., his brother
Auguste at the head
of the fifth regiment
of Cuirassiers,
supported by two divisions
and two infantry battalions,
makes an assault on the
great Raevsky redoubt.
The Russians must beat a retreat.
The wounded beg to be
put out of their misery
and be relieved of their
terrible suffering.
The Russians abandon
their positions
but their army has not
been annihilated.
The battle was hellish, but
if there is to be a winner,
there must also be a loser.
I think it's very difficult
to evaluate the results
of the Battle of Borodino.
Because Napoleon and
Kutuzov each had
their own objectives.
Neither Napoleon nor
Kutuzov achieved them.
Napoleon's aim was to totally
defeat the Russian army.
Kutuzov's aim was
to stop the French
and to protect Moscow.
What did it mean to win
a battle at that time?
One might say that the winner
is the army that is in
control of the battlefield.
If that's the case, then
there was a clear winner
at the Battle of Moscova,
because the Russians withdrew
and the French stayed in
control of the terrain.
Therefore, Napoleon won
the Battle of Moscova.
It is true that in strategic
terms, the Battle of Moscova
weakened the Grande Armee
and that's why the Russians
claim it as a victory.
Everyone might agree if
we said that the French
won the Battle of Moscova
and the Russians didn't lose
the Battle of Borodino.
It's a disappointing
victory for Napoleon
and so costly in
terms of human life,
but the Imperial Guard,
the elite of the Grande
Armee stayed back.
Sergeant Bourgogne thus watched
the battle from a distance,
unlike so many of his compatriots
who found themselves
in the front line.
Napoleon was prudent,
too prudent perhaps,
and didn't want to take the
risk of weakening his Guard.
But, if had sent Bourgogne
and his men into the malaise
the victory might perhaps
have been greater.
Lives might have been saved.
Bourgogne's companions might
have gone home safe and sound.
So many heroes, soldiers,
officers, and generals.
Caulaincourt will never
forget that gruesome day.
"We will triumph or I
shall kill myself,"
were the last words
Auguste said to me.
He had led the decisive charge
against the great redoubt.
Did he have the time to enjoy it
before being killed
by an enemy bullet?
For the Emperor, France had lost
one of its best officers,
but I had lost a brother.
He was 35 years old.
During this dreadful day,
120,000 cannon balls and
300,000 cartridges were fired,
resulting in a terrible
loss of human life.
45,000 Russians died,
were injured, or gone,
more than a third of the troops.
Napoleon lost 28,000 men.
This slaughter pushes the medical
services to their limits.
Many injured people are left
on the battlefield without help.
In the Grande Armee,
there is one doctor
and one pharmacist for
every 600 soldiers.
45 surgeons care for
victims on both sides.
It takes less than four
minutes to amputate a leg.
10,000 wounded beyond help
are left in the
surrounding villages
where most of them will die.
Napoleon then waits for the
following day's hostilities.
But Kutuzov has another idea.
Why did Kutuzov not
continue the battle
the following day
as he had promised?
At the end of the battle,
he gave orders to attack
Napoleon's troops the
following morning.
But later on that night,
he gave an order
that was totally contrary,
to withdraw.
The most likely reason was that
he had received information
in the meantime
regarding losses in
the Russian army.
These losses were terrible.
Kutuzov spends a long time
with his generals, weighing
up the pros and cons
of a new fight, eventually
admitting that his troops
aren't strong enough
to stop Napoleon
and that it will be
better to spare them
and take some time to
find reinforcements.
420,000 soldiers crossed
the Neman River
three months earlier.
Now, just half of them remain.
They came from France,
Spain, and Italy.
They travelled over 2,500 miles,
crossed Alps or the Pyranose,
and travelled through Germany,
Poland, and Western Russia.
At last, they think they're
going to get the rest
they desperately need.
But Napoleon remains convinced
that the arrival of
the Grande Armee
at the gates of Moscow,
will be the coup de grace
that will force
Alexander to negotiate.
Sergeant Bourgogne remembers,
"After having crossed
through a big forest,
"we finally caught our
first glimpse of Moscow,
"and in moments like these,
one forgets everything.
"The dangers, the fatigue,
the comrades lost,
"and only one thing counts,
"the pleasure of entering
the promised land."
But Napoleon, who dreamt
of entering the city
as a conquering hero like
in Vienna and Berlin,
discovers that Moscow
has been abandoned
and no public figure
is going to come
and hand him the keys to the city.
Only those who had
neither the money
nor the time to flee remain.
Napoleon moves into the Kremlin
with his guard and his
services in attendance.
His generals occupy
the luxury homes
of the Moscow nobility.
Where are our divisions?
Sir, fires have been started
all across the city.
It seems that it was
the Russians who...
No, I don't believe it.
These barbarians can't
possible be so crazy
as to destroy Moscow.
There are no fire engines left.
They took them all.
Then find the arsonists,
and we'll hang them when we do.
First, they believe the
fires are accidental,
set by drunken
soldiers celebrating
their first night in Moscow.
(speaking in Russian)
But it soon becomes clear
that these fires are no accident.
Dozens of arsonists are
scattered around the city.
Who are they?
And who is giving orders
to create this inferno?
Stop there.
Catch them.
Is anyone there?
Sergeant, I think we
found some treasure.
Don't get ahead of yourself.
Get down.
Kutuzov chose to abandon Moscow
to avoid a new confrontation
and to reorganise his troops.
That is why the Governor
General of the city,
Count Rostopchin left
to his own devices,
orders reprisals by
burning warehouses,
storerooms, and palaces.
Nothing is to be left
to the invading forces.
Is everyone okay?
Yes, Sergeant.
Sergeant Bourgogne remembers,
"When the explosion happened,
we thought we were dead,
"annihilated under the debris.
"The Russians didn't care how
they tried to destroy us."
Are you wounded, Sergeant?
It's nothing.
Where are we?
This is where we should sleep.
You're too ugly and
you smell too bad
to sleep in a palace.
Sergeant, come and look.
What do we do with it, Sergeant?
We take it.
Look out.
It's all collapsing.
Let's get out of here.
Come on.
Danger is everywhere.
Napoleon's Grande Armee has fallen
into a burning trap, surrounded
by flames and blinded,
they still dream of victory.