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r 9

A waste. I appreciate the darker story tone that 'Napoleon and Samantha' attempts to provide, sadly none of it really sticks and it comes out as a slow paced, dull would-be adventure. The cast features two very familiar names - Michael Douglas and Jodie Foster. The latter doesn't have much to do, while Douglas plays an oddly written character. Johnny Whitaker, fresh off the lovely 'The Biscuit Eater', is alright. Will Geer's role has a lot of heart, if not much else. They try to cram so many different elements into this, to the point it feels overcrowded and unrefined. There's a lion in the film, for practically no reason whatsoever. As well as unexplored plot lines and characters. Without wanting to give anything away, it's all very uneven. A cool and intriguing concept, just not fulfilled one bit. Disappointing.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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steve d

Lame kids film that hasn't aged well.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

The real hero is the goat-herding hippy, who: Fails to report a child, living in dangerous conditions (alone, with a lion, and a corpse). Illegally disposes of a corpse. Assaults an officer, and escapes police custody. Jacks, and wrecks a motorcycle. Leads cops on a very destructive chase. But, it's okay. He lead the cops right to the escaped mental patient he left the kids with!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

This film gets some extra entertainment value by two of the leads in before-they-were-famous roles for future Oscar winners Michael Douglas and Jodie Foster. Douglas had not yet broke out in his hit TV series "The Streets of San Francisco" and this was Fosters first film appearance. It's funny to think that co-star Johnny Whitaker of "Family Affair" and "Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" was likely the most famous person in the film at the time. The story follows Whitaker and Foster traveling across the Oregon wilderness (filmed around John Day, Oregon) with their pet lion and encountering all sorts of trouble on their way to meet their reclusive beatnik grad student friend, Douglas. Ellen Corby and Will Geer also appear in the film as Whitaker's grandparents, which is kind of fun since they'd go on to play Grandma and Grandpa in "The Waltons." This film is essentially one in a long line of Disney nature films, though this one did focus more on the humans, which I think works better when a clear choice is made whether the narrative is about the people or the animals, unlike say "Charlie the Lonesome Cougar" which couldn't quite seem to make up it's mind. Not a classic, but an enjoyable family film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

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Audience Member

The acting and filming are OK, it's just a good little G-rated movie..... what I found most interesting are seeing Michael Douglas in his 20s and Jodie Foster about 8 or 9 when the filming was done, and mentally comparing that to their mega-star status today...

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

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Audience Member

oh my gosh. Legitimately one of the worst pieces of film I have ever seen. Hilariously bad. The lion is a freaking foot-note. you can see the wires on the animals. The chase at the end is over 8 1/2 minutes long. lots of "WTF?" moments. poor Michael Douglas. The writing is crap. I was shaking in my seat with laughter from watching this over the ridiculous writing, jump cuts, stupid music, and especially the obvious stunt-double with fake hair. oh my gosh. Some of the lines are just too funny. and Mark? oh my gosh I lost it with Mark. really. if you want to have some good laughs at a real P.O.S. film, this is it!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Bernard McEveety

Director

Michael Douglas

Danny

Johnny Whitaker

Napoleon

Jodie Foster

Samantha

Arch Johnson

Chief of Police

Henry Jones

Mr. Gutteridge

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Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

enjoyable kid's movie

Rated: 3/5

Jun 14, 2005

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Synopsis

Napoleon is an 11 year old boy being brought up in the Rocky Mountains by his grandfather. Napoleon has befriended a circus clown, and when the clown has to return to Europe, Napoleon agrees to look after the clown's aging lion. Contrary to popular belief he's a gentle creature, so boy and animal form a friendship. However, Napoleon's world is turned upside down when his grandfather dies.

Director: Bernard McEveety
Screenwriter: Stewart Raffill
Distributor: Buena Vista Distribution Co. Inc.
Production Co: Walt Disney Productions
Rating: G
Genre: Kids & Family, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 19, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013

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