Theatre of War

Overview

Founded by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802, France's prestigious St Cyr military school brands Frenchness into the hearts and souls of young officers using theatrical rituals and initiations, most notably a re-enactment in full period costume of the Battle of Austerlitz and the Grand Soir in which third-year students ceremonially dress the second-years in the traditional uniform of plumed hat, gloves, and epaulettes. We follow one class over the year before their graduation.