A One Mann’s Movies review of “Napoleon” (2023).
Hearing Ridley Scott talk about Napoleon, he obviously has a lot of genuine interest in the man. This was clearly a passion project for him. And he should be proud of it. For it certainly is an impressive historical epic: the most spectacular he’s done since “Gladiator”.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Junior officer Napoléon Bonaparte (Joaquin Phoenix) makes his mark when leading his troops to retake the fortress at Toulon from the British forces. From there, he progressively climbs the ladder to power during a tumultuous period of French history. Also tumultuous is his relationship with the love of his life – the widow Josephine (Vanessa Kirby).
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong bloody violence, injury detail, sex”).
Talent:
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Rupert Everett, Tahar Rahim, Miles Jupp, Sinéad Cusack, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Paul Rhys.
Directed by: Ridley Scott.
Written by: David Scarpa.
Twitter Handle: #NapoleonMovie.
Running Time: 2h 38m.
Brilliant battle re-enactments. I thought these were filmed on Salisbury plain, but it seems most were filmed in Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and around Blenheim Palace. (Source: Apple Studios).
“Napoleon” Review:
Positives:
- It’s been quite a few years since we’ve seen a historic epic on this sort of scale. For it’s a handsomely staged movie-event. I remember a call going out across the South of England in 2022 for extras and its easy to see why that was needed on screen. You can’t fail to be impressed by the scale of costuming, hair/makeup and practical effects deployed in bringing the bruising battle scenes to life. While there were no doubt many additional special effects used, they are subtly done such that you don’t think you are watching a ‘special effects-heavy’ movie.
- The cast absolutely deliver:
- Joaquin Phoenix always gives his roles 100% and he again smashes this one. It’s a busy field this year, but an Oscar nomination perhaps? What’s intriguing about the direction here is that his Napoleon isn’t portrayed as some square-jawed John Wayne or Robert Mitchum type of character. In his action scenes, particularly those before he becomes battle-hardened, he is evidently shit-scared – brilliantly portrayed by a selfless Phoenix.
- Almost eclipsing Joaquin’s performance is the brilliant Vanessa Kirby as Joséphine. We knew the lady can act (from her awards nominated/winning performances in “The Crown” and “Pieces of a Woman“) but her guilt and remorse after yet another adulterous relationship is terrific to see. (Mind you, given Napoleon’s limited imagination when it comes to love-making, you can’t really blame Joséphine for seeking her kicks elsewhere!) Her interactions with Phoenix feel dangerous and unscripted, as indeed some of them were. An unexpected slap by Napoleon in a key scene (no spoilers) was very much unscripted, as witnessed by the look of shock on Vanessa Kirby’s face. This came from a pre-approved agreement between the actors to ‘go with the moment’ if the conditions felt right (see quote).
So we had this agreement that we were going to surprise each other and try and create moments that weren’t there, because both of us wanted to avoid the cliché of the period drama. And by that I mean moments that are well-orchestrated and designed.
Vanessa Kirby in an Empire online article
- In a supporting role, Rupert Everett is fabulous as the Duke of Wellington and Ben Miles impresses as Caulaincourt. And there are some familiar faces in the cast delivering effective smaller parts: notably the comedian Miles Jupp in the unlikely role of Emperor Francis I of Austria; Sinéad Cusack as Napoleon’s mother Letizia and Julian Rhind-Tutt as Sieyes. (I’m afraid the latter is forever typecast in my mind as the Ritz-journalist in “Notting Hill”: “She took your grandmother’s flowers?” “Yeah…. bitch!”). Paul Rhys has also had a busy month: he was the slightly odd butler Duncan in “Saltburn” and here he plays an equally strikingly-odd-looking diplomat Talleyrand.
- The closing sub-titles are very impactful. I actually knew very little about Napoleon before the film other than the very broad basics. And I’m sure there will be rancour about historical inaccuracies. But some of the events – like his banishment to Elba – now make sense, given the circumstances.
Negatives:
- I originally had this movie as a 4* film, but getting to this section I really struggle to come up with anything I didn’t like about it. The only criticism I can come up with is that some of the storytelling is a bit ‘notchy’. For example, two ‘daughters’ appear at the end of the film on Saint Helena. At least, I assume they were daughters, but (unless I misses it during a quick loo break!) we have not been introduced to them before that point and they kind of come out of nowhere. I understand that there is a 4 hour (FOUR HOUR!!) version of the film that will be available on Apple TV+, so I suspect that that will round off a few of those rough edges that I noticed.
He should really have gone and watched “How to Have Sex“. (Well, actually, no – that probably wouldn’t have helped much!) (Source: Apple FIlms).
Summary Thoughts on “Napoleon”
A brilliant, visceral and epic biopic of a legendary historical character. It was a wonderful surprise to go into a lunchtime screening yesterday and find it virtually full. This is clearly a movie that will have broad appeal, particularly to a mainstream older audience, and I predict that it will do very well. It certainly deserves to. Go see it!
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Napoleon”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAZWXUkrjPc .
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