With the kidnapping and execution of the young Duc d’Enghien in March 1804, First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte was making an antiroyalist example of a probably harmless young aristocrat. His execution became the subject of historical treatises, paintings and dramas. Léon Hennique’s historical drama, which is named on the 1909 film poster as its source, had its premiere in 1888 at André Antoine’s Théâtre Libre (which opened in 1887). Capellani’s film version is very different from the play: he exploits the specific possibilities of film to bring events of the past to life realistically on screen. Locations could be original, even when they are not: horses, coaches, fortresses, all have the material textures of real life. The dog interest – which feels like an add-on – is historically accurate, by the way. It was a pug called Mohilof (which does not figure in the play).