Of all the major historical figures, there has been none other than the likes of Napoleon Bonaparte. Some people pegged Napoleon as a heroic leader, a few described him as a tortured genius, some portrayed him as a megalomaniacal ruler, and others depicted the man as a comedically short yet deeply insecure tyrant.
There have been only a few movies about Napoleon- a 1927 silent screen epic, a two-part French duology film, and a 2002 miniseries. Yet none of them tried to explore what made the man tick and how he came up with ideas. The late filmmaker Stanley Kubrick attempted to make a Napoleon biopic in the wake of 2001: A Space Odyssey, but the failure of other big-budget costume epics and rising costs prevented it from being made. While Kubrick never got the movie produced, he did make Barry Lyndon as a means of putting his research on the Napoleonic Wars to good use.
Enter Ridley Scott. The English director has run the gamut in his long career, such as tackling aliens (Alien, Prometheus, Alien Covenant), bio-organic humanoids (Blade Runner), fantasy creatures such as fairies and goblins (Legend), female partners-in-crime (Thelma and Louise), a ship-wreck (White Squall), the Roman Empire (Gladiator), modern warfare (Black Hawk Down), psychological horror (Hannibal), the Crusades (Kingdom of Heaven), romantic comedy (A Good year), heroin dealers and corrupt cops (American Gangster), the fashion world (House of Gucci) and an astronaut on Mars (The Martian). He’s even tried his hand at tackling medieval England with Robin Hood and The Last Duel, as well as exploring the story of Moses in Exodus: Gods and Kings – with disappointing results. Now, he is tackling his next big historical epic, and the ground is quite ripe with ideas for storytelling.
Napoleon is a vast, ambitious epic that focuses on the turbulent life and times of the general-turned-ruler of France and six of the eighty-one battles he fought. What Scott has achieved is something that not even Kubrick managed to do: he got such a movie made. In addition, this is the second collaboration between Scott and actor Joaquin Phoenix since they last worked on Gladiator over two decades ago.
The film starts during the French Revolution, in which a young Napoleon (Phoenix), who is serving as an officer in the Army, watches the execution of disgraced Queen Marie Antoinette. The Reign of Terror is in full swing, as the people of France no longer want a monarch guiding their country. Within four years, Napoleon quickly rose through the ranks and made a name for himself, especially with his famous artillery skills and a certain “whiff of grapeshot”. He wins the Siege of Toulon and later helps end the French Revolution. The Reign of Terror within France comes to an end.
At a party for those who’ve lost family members in the Revolution, Napoleon is introduced to the widowed Josephine Beauharnais (Vanessa Kirby) by politician Paul Barras (Tahar Rah). Despite an awkward start, he is instantly smitten with her beauty. Although Josephine is six years older and the mother of two children, she is also attracted to the intelligent, brooding military man. The couple soon marry afterwards and have a passionate, yet troubled marriage.
Over time, Napoleon becomes more immersed in his military career, and this comes at the expense of Josephine, who is reduced to waiting for his return. He goes off on a campaign to Egypt and wins the Battle of the Pyramids in 1798. However, the success of his triumph is shattered upon learning that the lonely Josephine has engaged in an affair during his absence. Napoleon also had issues with the Directory of France, whose leadership was incompetent and sorely lacking. After staging a coup, he becomes the First Consul. This culminated in Napoleon crowning himself the Emperor of France in 1804 with Josephine as Empress. It is the high point of their lives.
From there, Napoleon faces several struggles. Trying to maintain control over his empire is not an easy task. He is also having marital difficulties with Josephine, who has affairs with other men during his absence. Napoleon is also desperate to have a son of his own to continue the bloodline, but Josephine is discovered to be interfiled and unable to bear children. This creates a wedge between the couple, which continues to spread as they grow apart. What’s more, Napoleon’s plans to conquer Russia were poorly strategized and disorganized, which led to a largely disastrous campaign. As a result, Napoleon’s professional and personal lives begin spiraling out of control.
Joaquin Phoenix delivers a cerebral, conflicted, and dour take on the French Emperor. Having a shot to fame in the 1990s, the actor specialized in playing troubled, dark types, such as the sniveling insecure Commodus in Gladiator, a former baseball prospect in Signs, the haunted singer-songwriter Johnny Cash in Walk The Line, a World War II veteran in The Master, a lonely introvert in love with a computer in Her, and a neurotic mama’s boy in Beau Is Afraid. He even starred as a fictionalized version of himself trying to be a hip-hop singer in the mockumentary I’m Still Here. Most recently, he won an Academy Award for performing as the Clown Prince of Crime in 2019’s surprise smash hit psychological thriller Joker. While Phoenix does seem too old when playing the early years of Napoleon’s career, he manages to convey the military leader’s intelligence and strategist approach. As the character ages, the viewer sees a complex ruler and administrator trying to hold onto his empire while continually reaching for more territory to conquer. Viewers and critics might try to draw comparisons with his previous work as Gladiator’s cowardly antagonist, but Phoenix’s intelligent, strategic take on Napoleon is quite a different character than Commodus.
Vanessa Kirby does an excellent job as Josephine, the wife and muse of Napoleon. She holds her own opposite Phoenix in several emotionally charged scenes. She is a formidable actress in her own right. The marital scenes and passionate love of Napoleon and Josephine is one of the movie’s many highlights. Indeed, one could argue the film is as just about Josephine as it is about her husband.
Many historians have taken issue with the depiction of Napoleon in this film. The main sticking points seem to be Joaquin Phoenix’s age (48) making him too old and his being of average height. What they seem to miss is the fact actors and actresses can play roles that age over many years. Ironically, the 35-year-old Kirby is the appropriate age to play Josephine, since she was in her early thirties at the time of their first meeting and courtship. On the subject of Napoleon’s height, it should be noted that the real man stood at 5’7 feet. This was fairly common for a person in 18th-century France. Napoleon was hardly a dwarfish figure, because most men of that era were scarcely a few inches taller than five feet. In addition, the quality of life and hard conditions tended to age people more quickly in those days, so Napoleon gained weight and became more peaked as he entered his forties and fifties.
In terms of production values, Napoleon is quite beautiful to look at. Cinematographer Dariusz Wolski’s camera work is vivid and impressive in all its details. The scope of the battle sequences is breathtaking to behold. One can almost get the sense that he or she is seeing the real thing unfold. What’s more, composer Martin Phipps (The Crown) provides an elegant score that is quite appropriate for the period.
While Napoleon is largely accurate, a few historical details have changed for artistic license. Scott has been known to adjust or “fudge” certain facts when making historical movies. The movie claims that Napoleon “came from nothing”, whereas he was actually from minor Corsican nobility, albeit not a wealthy one. For instance, in reality, Napoleon never lost any of his family members during the Reign of Terror, so he would never have been invited to the Red Ball. The film depicts Napoleon leading a cavalry charge at the Siege of Toulon, but historical evidence states he never did such a thing in battle. Furthermore, the famous Battle of Austerlitz is depicted as taking place during winter. A big portion of the battle occurs on a snowy, ice-covered lake, which proves to be a major turning point in Napoleon’s favour. Yet evidence has shown there was no ice or snow at the time because the battle took place in early December. One major disappointment of the film is the absence of Napoleon’s autocratic career and contributions to Europe’s legal systems; during his reign, he sought to introduce reforms and laws for the betterment of society. Consequently, his role in creating the Code Napoleon is omitted from the narrative. Also, the third act streamlines certain events to have them happen much closer than they did in real life, and this makes the film’s depiction over-dramatized and more than a little contrived.
Overall, Napoleon is a worthy, solid effort by Scott. It is a great return to form for the filmmaker. Both Phoenix and Kirby deliver memorable performances. Now the real question is can the film march its way to success at the Academy Awards? Three and a half out of four stars.
