Napoleon
Summary
French historians continue to call out theNapoleonmovie for its many historical inaccuracies . Directed by Ridley Scott , the celluloid come the rise and fall of the nominal French Emperor ( played by Joaquin Phoenix ) with a centering on his many military campaigns and his volatile relationship with Empress Joséphine ( Vanessa Kirby).Napoleonreviewshave been mixed , specially from French critics who take issue with the movie ’s many historic inaccuracies .
Varietyspoke with two Gallic historians , Patrice Gueniffey and Romain Marsily , who elaborated on theNapoleonmovie ’s historical inaccuracy . Gueniffey – who hold the movie " a big disappointment " – make issue with the geezerhood being " all mix up , " a " grotesque " picture involving a gymnastic horse , and the bombardment of the pyramid . Marsily did n’t mind the fictional bombardment of the Pyramids of Egypt , though he takes issue with the film ’s " lackluster " portrait of Napoleon as a “ mediocre ” character , which flunk to show his confident encroachment on Gallic society through the creation of the Napoleonic Code . Read a portion of their comment below :
Gueniffey : Josephine was a wise cleaning lady who had already had a life by the sentence she married Napoleon , who was this younger and very challenging man . That moral force is entirely altered in the pic because Napoleon look much older … I ’m not against formulate scenes but when we see Napoleon putting his paw in the wounded horse to retrieve the bullet and give it to his female parent , I thought it was grotesque . He had a very remote relationship with his mother .
Napoleon killed a pile of people in Egypt , but he did n’t have-to doe with any turning point . He brought 130 scholars on this expedition to make an stocktaking of the Egyptian civilization , so if anything we owe Napoleon the institution of ancient Egyptian studies .
Marsily : This film is like sprinkle in the human face of Gallic citizenry because it feel like Ridley Scott ridiculed both Napoleon and the history of France … There is a fascination for Napoleon in France , even from people who hate him for restore slavery in the French West Indies and for his abuse of power once he became Emperor of France , but even these people are disappointed by the motion-picture show because the moving picture fails to well turn to his bequest , whether good or regretful .
Napoleon was a symbol of meritocracy because he succeeded even though he was n’t a noble , but follow the film you come out thinking he was a total moron . Napoleon was n’t a saint and no one expect Scott to give an evangelistic personation of him , but his Napoleon is so grotesque that you keep wondering how he even got there .
Why French Historians Are Criticizing The Napoleon Movie
BeforeNapoleon ’s releaseon November 22 , its prevue was criticized by television historiographer Dan Snow in a viral TikTok who , like Gueniffey , took way out with the fact that Napoleon " did n’t shoot at the pyramids " during the Battle of the Pyramids in Egypt . Another one of Snow ’s criticisms was that Marie - Antoinette " famously had very cropped hair for the instruction execution . " However , Scott ’s response to these criticism was short and simple-minded , telling fact - checkers to " Get a living . "
In addition to historical inaccuracies , Scott’sNapoleonhas also been criticize by French historians for having a " very anti - French and very pro - British " view of story , as Gueniffey says . The motion picture has specifically been thrash for omitting that Napoleon reinstated slavery in the French West Indies following its abolition during the French Revolution . Marsily explains :
That was Napoleon ’s biggest regret , because like any subversive , Napoleon was in favour of get rid of it . But when he became Emperor of France , he made this decision under political pressure sensation and a complicated geo - political linguistic context with the British .
Scott did n’t hold back when responding to French criticism of hisNapoleonmovie either , quip , " The French do n’t even care themselves . " The English director also acknowledged that the bulk of audiences have been enjoying the movie , despite its many historical inaccuracies .
Napoleonis set to stream on Apple TV+ , though a acquittance appointment has yet to be announced .
Source : assortment
