Director Ridley Scott at 85 proves he still has the chops for staging and directing epic battle scenes. But in Napoleon, the script by David Scarpa leaves us wondering how and why The Little Corporal” was able to gain the political and public love of the French people.
At 2 hours and 38 minutes, Scott (Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator) only covers 6 of the more than 60 battles Napoleon had a hand in. Scott was efficient shooting the massive scenes with a cast of thousands in their colorful pristine uniforms. He devised a system of using 11 to 14 cameras to shoot the scenes to get all the angles at once, saving time in the editing process. But will you be willing to see his director’s cut which is expected to run more than 4 hours when it streams on Apple TV+?
Scott, reunited with Joaquin Phoenix for the first time since their 2000 triumph with Gladiator, takes on the journey from his 20’s watching Marie Antoinette’s execution up to his death at 51.Phoenix plays his Napoleon as a petulant, self-centered narcissist who shows brilliance on the battlefield. What’s lacking is his development as a political tactician. We get glimpses of the intrigue in the hall of power through his interactions with politicians like Talleyrand (Paul Rhys), but little else explains how he ascended to his pomp-filled coronation as Emperor.
Scott puts Napoleon in context among history’s dictators crediting him with the deaths of upwards of 3,000,000 people during the Napoleonic Wars. There’s very little to laugh about even though Phoenix delivers a few unintentionally funny lines which are stabs at humor. In one instance he tells a British officer “You think you’re so great, just because you have boats!” which sounds odd but gets light laughs.
The only relationship that’s illuminated is with Joséphine de Beauharnais (Vanessa Kirby). She was the widow of a General who was guillotined during the French Reign of Terror. Kirby brings an understated, yet steamy sensuality to her portrayal which completely enraptures Napoleon. Her attitude is the epitome of aloofness, which we’ve seen in her play well in other of her films.
Phoenix’s character didn’t have a clue how to truly love her. His lovemaking always looked more like rape and she never appears satisfied. They seam to tease each other in tests of surrender rather than have any kind of meaningful relationship. He tells her how much he loves her, but is she just another battle he needs to conquer for his own ego? The tension between Napoleon and Joséphine culminates in the annulment of the marriage when she fails to produce an heir, although the relationship is never completely over.
It’s clear the Director is intent on centering the storyline around 6 immense, intense battle scenes starting with Napoleon brilliantly breaking the Anglo-Spanish naval blockade of Toulon. The ferocity and the carnage only increases with each subsequent campaign. In the battle of Austerlitz, Scott and cinematographer Darius Wolski create a slo-motion ballet of death as Napoleon traps the opposing army on a frozen lake and then proceeds to bomb the ice sending both men and horses into a swirling, bloody vortex.
The burning of Moscow was a visually gripping scene. The grand view of Napoleon, in silhouette watching in amazed disbelief as the Russians burned their city to the ground rather than capitulate was the beginning of the end.
So much time is spent moving from battle to battle Scott makes hardly an effort to flesh out Napoleon’s motivations and reasons why he continued to wield such power over the French. In fact, Jaoquin Phoenix seemed to have a real problem trying to reconcile the duality of Napoleon’s psyche. He often appears confused on screen trying to figure it out himself. The overblown sound design will have you plugging your ears along with Napoleon as the canons boom, the horse hooves pound and Martin Phipps’ music just keeps swelling to painful decibel levels.
By the time Wellington smacks him at Waterloo delivering yet another interminably long final pitched battle, we were ready for a little peace and quiet with Bonaparte in exile on St. Helena. Long as it is, and even though it may not be an accurate depiction of French history, we give credit to Ridley Scott for taking on this enormous production.
Apple Original Films/Columbia Pictures 2 Hours 38 Minutes R
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