Posted by Ridley Scott’s new film has been at the center of much criticism despite its great merits. One of the main questions is: how historically accurate is the movie compared to the true story of Napoleon Bonaparte: let’s try to clarify this.
The sense of predestination, the deep conviction of being at the center of one’s own destiny. This and much more is Napoleon.
The aggressive French press dismisses Ridley Scott’s latest film (The Gladiator, Blade Runner) as the worst film ever made about Napoleon, while articles from media outlets around the world praise its beauty. Let’s be clear from the start that Napoleon is not a bad film. The duration of two hours and forty minutes overall is almost short considering that it is a historical film whose protagonist is Napoleon, who in his existence led more than one battle. The film had to be smooth to attract the largest audience to the theater, and so it was. The problem is that it turns out to be all too smooth, to the point of appearing disjointed.
The Historical Events
The film Napoleon opens with the protests of 1789 and the decapitation of Marie Antoinette. In post-revolutionary France, Captain Napoleon Bonaparte conquers Toulon by eliminating the English ships through a sudden attack on the fortress overlooking the port. Before the end of the Reign of Terror (1794), he goes from captain to general of the French Republic. He faces the expedition in Egypt, returns home, and becomes one of the three consuls after a coup d’état. In 1804, he crowed himself Emperor. Then comes the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805, the disastrous campaign in Russia, exile to Elba, the return home, and the failure at Waterloo, until his last breath on the Island of Saint Helena.
The Cinematography of Napoleon
It’s one of the best aspects of the film. Cold tones alternate with more intense colors, creating a synergy that goes hand in hand with the pace of the plot, the successes, and failures of Napoleon. At the right moment, the viewer is drawn into the pulsating heart of the staging, such as the thrilling moment of Napoleon’s coronation as Emperor of France. The only drawback is that many of the crucial images representing the major turning points are already spoiled in the trailer.
The true story: is the movie Napoleon historically accurate?
Some comedic scenes inserted between the context of fierce battles might leave the viewer somewhat perplexed. However, on the directorial front, Ridley Scott is a true master, which makes it almost unnecessary to emphasize that the film is technically superb. The editing of the battle scenes is excellent, and the soundtracks fit beautifully depending on the scene’s setting, although not always flawlessly. This is evident, for example, when Napoleon is in exile on the island of Elba. Here, the background consists of Neapolitan dialect, which feels out of place since Elba is located in Tuscany.
What is lacking is any in-depth exploration of Napoleon’s rise from consul to Emperor, but the absence of the crucial moment of the rupture of friendship with the Tsar, whom he considered a brother, also weighs heavily. In these and other parts, the film is full of cuts and temporal jumps that lose sight of the centrality of the plot. Ridley Scott’s choice was to communicate not only Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to power but much more, namely, the vulnerabilities of such a famous historical figure. Indeed, the profound theme of Napoleon is the true story of a man blinded by ambition, due to which he gives up the woman he loves.
Another significant aspect is the love between Napoleon and Josephine. Napoleon defines himself as a confident man, and this is how he is portrayed on the battlefield, where even in failure, he earns the respect of his adversaries. However, in the film, the bloody wars give way to the complicated and at times toxic marriage with Josephine. The impression one gets watching Napoleon dealing with the routine of a couple is that of a weak and capricious man. In short, the vulnerable man that Ridley Scott wants to show us. Below is one of the numerous letters written by Napoleon to Josephine.
I have not spent a day without loving you; I have not spent a night without clasping you in my arms; I have not drunk a cup of tea without cursing the glory and ambition which keep me from the heart of my very being. In the midst of my activities, whether at the head of my troops or inspecting the camps, my adorable Josephine stands alone in my heart, she occupies my mind and fills my thoughts. If I depart from you with the speed of the rushing Rhone, it is only so that I may see you again more quickly.
Bonaparte’s fifth letter to Josephine
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