Napoleon and Samantha

Napoleon and Samantha
Napoleon and Samantha Theatrical Release Poster
Directed by	Bernard McEveety
Produced by	Winston Hibler
Written by	Stewart Raffill
Starring	Michael Douglas Jodie Foster Johnny Whitaker
Music by	Buddy Baker
Cinematography	Monroe P. Askins
Editing by	Robert Stafford
Distributed by	Buena Vista
Release date(s)	July 5, 1972
Running time	92 min.
Country	USA
Language	English

Napoleon and Samantha is a 1972 family/adventure/drama directed by Bernard McEveety and written by Stewart Raffill. It stars Michael Douglas, Jodie Foster, and Johnny Whitaker.

Plot

Eleven-year-old Napoleon (Johnny Whitaker) lives with his grandfather (Will Geer). He and his grandfather adopt a lion named Major when by chance they meet an old clown who cannot take him back to Europe. The old lion has bad teeth and only drinks milk so they put Major in the chicken cage to look after him. When Napoleon's grandfather dies of old age, Napoleon asks a young grad student named Danny (Michael Douglas) to help bury his grandfather. Uncertain about his future Napoleon runs off with the lion, a pet rooster, and his friend Samantha (Jodie Foster) to try and find Danny, now a goat herder who lives in the mountains, and so Napoleon can avoid being sent to an orphanage. Along their way, the two children encounter many dangers. Napoleon nearly falls off a cliff, but Major manages to pull him up with a rope. They have to cross a river which Major does not like, being a cat who's afraid of water. The rooster is chased by a hungry cougar but soon the tables are turned and the mountain lion gets chased away by Major. While Napolean is out looking for wood he comes across a large black bear that chases him back to where Samantha is resting with Major. At first, Major is too tired and wants to sleep while Samantha desperately tries to wake him. But as soon as the lion hears the roar of the bear he becomes angry and stands up to challenge his opponent. The two large beasts fight hard but the lion easily defeats the bear and chases him away. Eventually the children find Danny's cabin and he takes them in with the hope of convincing Napolean that orphanages really aren't that bad. Danny leaves the kids with a man he recently met and attempts to find Samantha's family to notify them but he is arrested and accused of kidnapping the children. While at the police station, Danny notices a photo of the man he left the kids with, who happens to be a dangerous pedophile and escapes to rescue them. He steals a motorcycle and the police chase him all the way back to his cabin where they find and arrest the wanted man. When things are back to normal, Napoleon takes Major and tries to run away again to live with the Indians but Danny catches up. Danny explains that the Indians don't really live out in the wild anymore and that Napolean should give foster care a try with a promise that Major could stay in the mountains and live with him. Napoleon agrees and they go back to Danny's cabin.

Cast

• Michael Douglas as Danny
• Will Geer as Grandpa
• Arch Johnson as Chief of Police
• Johnny Whitaker as Napoleon Wilson
• Jodie Foster as Samantha
• Henry Jones as Mr. Gutteridge
• Vito Scotti as Clown Dimetri
• John Crawford as Desk Sergeant
• Mary Wickes as Clara
• Ellen Corby as Gertrude
• Rex Holman as Mark
• Claude Johnson as Gary
• John Lupton as Pete

Mauling incident

Foster was mauled by one of the lions used in the movie, named Zambo, on the set and still has scars on her back and stomach. "I was walking ahead of him. He was on an invisible leash, some piano wire. He got sick of me being slow, picked me up and held me sideways and shook me like a doll."^[1] "I was in shock and thought it was an earthquake. I turned around and saw the entire crew running off in the other direction. The trainer then said, “Drop it” and he opened his mouth and dropped me."^[1] The incident left her with a lifelong fear of cats.^[1]

References

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Napoleon and Samantha

• Napoleon and Samantha at the Internet Movie Database