From 18 to 21 June 2015, the role of Napoleon will be played by Frank Samson
An exceptional re-enactment calls for exceptional protagonists! Frank Samson, a lawyer originally from Orleans, has been chosen to take on the title role of Napoleon 1st. Leaving behind the gown and the arguments – in Waterloo during the weekend of 19 and 20 June, Mr Samson Esq. will be the Emperor.
We are entering the final run-up to the commemorations of the Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo in June 2015. The organisers are proud to announce they have chosen a Napoleon 1st worthy of the exceptional nature of the greatest re-enactment ever been held. The honour and the responsibility of re-enacting Napoleon Bonaparte goes to Mr Frank Samson Esq. aged 47.
Frank Samson is a lawyer by profession, but his passion for the Napoleonic era plays a major part in his already busy life: he has been playing the role of Napoleon since 2005. Insofar as re-enactments are concerned therefore, he is by no means a novice: Mr Samson has already participated in a hundred or so re-enactments. Notably assuming the role of the Emperor during the coronation at the Basilica of Boulogne in 2011, during the XIIIth Napoleonic Encampment in Waterloo in 2012 and during the re-enactment of the Battle of Leipzig in 2013.
The details that made all the difference
What are the qualities of an ideal ‘Napoleon’? According to the asbl Bataille de Waterloo 1815 "not everyone can be a Napoleon. In fact, apart from a physical resemblance to the Emperor, you have to have the human qualities that mean that you are appreciated by as many people as possible, have a knowledge and a mastery of the history of the Napoleonic period, be able to speak French, be sufficiently competent in uniformology to be able to reproduce it in exact detail, and, above all, be a good public speaker".
All qualities that Mr Samson possesses. However, the factor that really made the difference in comparison with his rivals was, without a doubt, the attention to detail demonstrated by the Orleans lawyer. He rides a horse better than anyone and is very concerned to reproduce both the behaviour and the habits of the Emperor: the Corsican expressions, the habit of regularly pulling on his sleeve, the way in which he taps his whip on his boot, and even those Homeric outbursts during which Napoleon would trample on his hat!
A man who is well surrounded …
Frank Samson does not only play the role of the Emperor. He is the sovereign of a micro-nation himself. In 1996, well before he began to play the role of Napoleon, the lawyer started practising on a grand scale by founding the micro-Empire of La Basse Chesnaie in the depths of Ille-et-Vilaine in Brittany. This little nation even has a 53 article Constitution and the national flag is adorned with an 'F', for 'Frank'.
Frank Samson has passed his passion on to his family: encamped by his side are his wife and his two sons, respectively taking on the roles of Josephine de Beauharnais, a page and an imperial rifleman.
Mr Samson has nearly 4 months left in which to prepare himself. There are no rehearsals on the schedule, but rather several rallies throughout the year. Four times a year – in Golfe-Juan, in Brienne, in Boulogne-sur-Mer and in Eckmühl (Germany), Frank Samson removes his glasses, dons his wig (he himself has little hair), puts on the celebrated bicorne hat and the uniform of Colonel of the Guard, all so that he can carry out the famous military manoeuvers of the time and celebrate the high points of the Napoleonic legend.
Like Bonaparte, who abdicated in 1815, Frank Samson will give up both his uniform and his role having played it with panache during the Bicentenary celebrations. A good way to say goodbye for one who humorously calls himself "Sire"!
The names of the re-enactors who will play the Duke of Wellington, the Prince of Orange and Marshal Blucher will be announced over the coming weeks.
