(dramatic patriotic music)
Peace reigns over a large part of Europe,
but France is the theater 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 behavior 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 organized a banquet in honor
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.
(dramatic music)
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.
(dramatic orchestral music)
(indistinct yelling)
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 civilization
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.
(gentle classical music)
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.
(sighs)
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... (exhales)
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.
(dramatic music)
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 learned lessons
from his 1805 defeat at Austerlitz.
Napoleon skillfully 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.
(dramatic orchestral music)
(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.
(sad piano music)
Young serfs like him are conscripted
with the agreement of their owners
who see this as their contribution
to the defense 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.
(guns firing and men yelling)
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.
(canon fire and men yelling)
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! (laughing)
You turned out well.
Are you injured?
It's just a scratch.
I've come to give you your share of home,
a little wagon 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 honorable intentions.
Don't listen to the gossip.
Naturally. (both laughing)
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 hometown some 2,000 kilometers away.
And him. What's wrong with him?
He couldn't stand the artillery.
At the first canonfire, he left his line
and only came back when the battle was over.
Hmm.
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.
(thunder cracks loudly)
(horse neighing)
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 dishonored 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 favor 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 unheaded.
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 dysentary
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)
Sgt. 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.
(suspenseful music)
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.
(canons firing)
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.
Ha! 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 honor 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 honored 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.
Hmm?
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 realized 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 dishonorable retreat,
your troops are no longer inspiring confidence.
That is why I brought you all here.
I am going to appoing 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.
(solemn male vocals music)
(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 reorganizes 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 th 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 canon 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.
(deep orchestral music)
140,000 men in the Grande Armee
against 110,000 Russians.
214 infantry battalions against 180.
317 cavalry squadrons against 20 Cossack regiments.
587 canon against 624.
The sound of canonfire 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.
(canons firing)
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.
(thunder cracks)
Each army dresses its wounds.
The Russians are reinforcing their defensive lines
and the Raevsky and Bagration redoubts in particular.
Kutuzov is organizing 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 fervor 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."
(gunfire and canonfire)
For 10 hours, the armies fight hand to hand.
One forgets one's fear under the deluge
of bullets, canon 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 canon ball.
Napoleon then decides to replace him
with Auguste Caulaincourt, the brother of Armand.
(guns and canons firing)
The Russian infantry, destabilized 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 canon 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.
Sgt. Bourgogne thus watched the battle from a distance,
unlike so many of his compatriots
who found themselves in the front line.
(sad violin music)
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 malais
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.
(slow sad orchestral music)
During this dreadful day,
120,000 canon 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.
(melancholy violin and piano music)
(crying)
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.
(horses neighing)
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 Pyranese,
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.
Sgt. 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 dreamed 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!
(fires crackling)
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!
(explosion)
Kutuzov chose to abandon Moscow
to avoid a new confrontation
and to reorganize 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.
(coughing and choking)
Is everyone okay?
Yes, Sergeant.
Sgt. 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?
(creaking)
This is where we should sleep.
You're too ugly and you smell too bad
to sleep in a palace. (laughs)
(coughing)
Sergeant, come and look.
(whistles)
What do we do with it, Sergeant?
We take it.
(loud creaking)
Look out!
(crashing)
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.
(dramatic orchestral music)