Napoleon – Film Review
by Frank L.

Director – Ridley Scott
Writer – David Scarpa
Stars – Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim

Napoleon was born on August 15, 1769, and died on 5th May 1821. In the intervening years, there are few, if any political leaders, who can match the level of fascination, reverence and revulsion that he has generated and continues to generate. He is a gargantuan figure.

He rose to power during the Directoire which governed France following the revolution in 1789. He was a military leader of extraordinary insight and ability. He was, in addition, a gifted administrator who was responsible, amongst other achievements, for decimalisation and the Napoleonic Code. His marital life has also been the subject of absorbing interest to many, in particular his marriage to his first wife Josephine. His life story is complex and immense. Scott tells it in just two and a half hours.

The first scene is the guillotining of Marie Antoinette which represents the collapse of the monarchy. The Directoire has a brief airing and it is during this time Napoleon consolidates his power. Scott moves through his matrimonial and military life chronologically. It makes for a riveting story. Scott takes liberties with historical facts. For example, Napoleon was not in Paris at the time of the execution of Marie Antoinette. However, he is making a film and inevitably artistic licence will transgress upon historical accuracy.

Joaquin Phoenix is the all-powerful Napoleon. He has to portray two personas – his public one as a man of action and authority and his private one which primarily concerns Josephine (Vanessa Kirby). These two personas intertwine inextricably. However, Napoleon and Josephine’s inability to create an heir means the marriage inevitably comes under pressure and Josephine has to go. Meanwhile, the various military campaigns were taking place heading towards Waterloo in 1815 and the arrival on the scene of Napoleon’s nemesis; Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington (Rupert Everett).

Scott is adept at devising scenes on a grand scale. This applies to the many battles where hand-to-hand conflicts rage where bloodied equine and human limbs intertwine in mortal conflict. But it also applies to the scenes of the yelling mob in Paris demanding their pound of human flesh. Scott keeps the viewer on high alert as he creates these aggressive horrors on a panoramic scale. Napoleon thought and acted big and in these scenes, Scott thinks cinematically big.

This is a film about a man who lived on an epic scale. Inevitably areas of his life do not feature (such as the aforementioned decimalisation and the Napoleonic Code) which would be difficult to portray to dramatic effect. There are not many films about individuals who were great administrators.

What the film portrays is a man of action who left his mark on France and Europe and whose legacy continues to this day. Historians may criticise the liberties taken in the story but Scott’s Napoleon is first and foremost a film.  In that task of making a film Phoenix, Kirby and Everett are impressive and lead a well-drilled cast in scenes which are often sumptuous and full of grandeur. Scott has created a film which is engaging on a grand scale.