This is glorious French theatre all the way at its best, and of course Sophia Loren is predominantly the shining star that outshines even Napoleon, who nevertheless is very well played by Julien Bertheau, who is especially convincing as the young twerp fooling around with exploding artillery in Paris in August 1792. Christian-Jacques made many historical films and was if anyone an expert of them, and they are all sumptuous and glorious in rendering history alive. The washer-woman Sophia Loren, "Madame Sans-Gêne", meaning the lady who is not ashamed of herself, makes one of her best performances in this thoroughly French film and, as Napoleon admits himself, is the only one who masters him successfully. Since they knew each other well in the gunsmoke of the Paris revolutionary gutters, when it comes to a crisis and Napoleon threatens to dishonour her, forcing her to an involuntary divorce, she recalls the young prig Napoleon of the gutters and finds him rather changed as an emperor, while she hasn't changed at all and still knows how to rebuke him and put him in his place. It's above all glorious theatre, and the historical scenery gives the comedy full justice and a perfect frame. Any admirer of Sophia Loren should never miss this one.
