I enjoyed the film about Napoleon, but it seems odd that so much of it is shot in the UK. Boughton makes sense because it was designed in the style of a French château in the 1680s; Blenheim which is used for so many of the interiors comes across as much more French than I would have expected – more spacious too; it seems particularly odd that a version of the north façade of Blenheim is used to represent Moscow before it is burnt down. Then I thought there was quite a lot of use of the Painted Hall at Greenwich, as well as a glimpse of the long walkway by the William III Court. So, late seventeenth-century British architecture is used as a simulacrum of post-Revolutionary France.
The one I couldn’t figure out was the Château de Malmaison which had a lovely English landscape garden.
| Charles | Saumarez | Smith | 
I have now seen the film myself. All of Chateau de Malmaison was filmed at West Wycombe Park, Buckinghamshire. Both the external architecture and interiors were used, and it has a wonderful early English landscape garden as noted. It is all the creation of Sir Francis Dashwood, 2nd baronet (think Hell Fire Club, but a much more fascinating character than that). It was given to the National Trust in 1946. Think I saw the famous Hogarth staircase at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in the film, as well as a glimpse of Robert Adam’s Ante Room at Syon Park. I would love to know what the church was at the beginning of the film, that doubled as a courtroom. It had the quality of one of the City of London churches, but probably may not be. Think the church was certainly England somewhere.
Thank you. Yes, it’s being troubling me. I still can’t quite figure it out. You glimpse the east portico by Nicholas Revett. But is the north front by Roger Morris ? And was it doctored in the film ? We thought Bart’s appeared. And apparently Lincoln Cathedral. Charles
All for facades of the house represent about 40 years of architectural evolution, through Palladian to Greek etc. The north front is attributed to Roger Morris, or an idea by Morris but adapted by Dadhwood’s clerk of works John Donowell. There is a great online resource of drawings for different architectural ideas for the house and other Dashwood projects (Art & the County House, Paul Mellon Centre). It was not changed in the film, all four facades of the house are completely different ..and makes the house so interesting.
Thank you. Very helpful. I have been, but not for many years. Charles