282. Napoleon; movie review

 

NAPOLEON

Cert 15

158 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong bloody violence, injury detail, sex

According to Ridley Scott, those who question the historical accuracy of his version of Napoleon should "get a life."

In other words, he doesn't allow the facts to get in the way of a rollicking good story.

And no film fan will deny that Joaquin Phoenix is impressive (even though he is much older than Napoleon) or that there are some impactful battle scenes and plenty of 19th-century backdrop detail.

So, if we take it on its cinematic value alone, this is an enjoyable movie.

However, its liberties with history are tough to take, while I can understand French disquiet that it is not in their language.

Phoenix plays Napoleon as a lowly officer who goes up through the ranks in the blink of an eye, thanks to his laser-like focus on the battlefield.

His dramatic rise comes during extreme turmoil following the French Revolution and the subsequent purges of those seeking power.

He grabs the opportunity to fill the vacuum, grabbing the throne to the shock of fellow rebels.

Meanwhile, he has fallen for wealthy and worldly-wise Josephine (Vanessa Kirby), recently released from prison after the beheading of her husband.

Napoleon is painted as the equivalent of one of George Orwell's pigs in Animal Farm, shifting from man of the people to supreme leader.

However, his relationship with Josephine is not nearly as smooth as he would like, and his judgment in politics and on the battlefield becomes more questionable.

We watched Napoleon in a lovely little cinema in Palma, Majorca for half the price of a ticket in a British picture house.

As we walked away, we began discussing how engaging Scott's film was and how we hadn't realised some aspects of the history.

I stick with the former assessment, but I have marked it down because of what turned out to be its substantial historical inaccuracies.

Reasons to watch: Joaquin Phoenix

Reasons to avoid: Historical inaccuracies

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? Napoleon was a bit of a softie as his soppy love letters and a recently unearthed romantic novella prove. Napoleon was 26 when he wrote the 17-page Clisson et Eugénie. 

The final word. Ridley Scott: "With Joaquin, we can rewrite the goddamn film because he’s uncomfortable. And that kind of happened with Napoleon. We unpicked the film to help him focus on who Bonaparte was. I had to respect that, because what was being said was incredibly constructive. It made it all grow bigger and better." Variety

Lokasi: Beeston, Nottingham NG9, UK

Berbagi :