The French are Unhappy About the Recent Release ‘Napoleon’
The movie got so much hate and criticism but has made $170 million worldwide with mixed reviews.
While some have praised the fight scenes and performances, others have condemned the film for being historically inaccurate. French critics have given the film the worst ratings overall.
Napoleon, The Historic Power Giant!
This week’s film premiere by Ridley Scott has caused an uproar in France. Few global leaders have tombs in the heart of their country’s city, except for Lenin, Mao, and Napoleon, whose bones rest in the Les Invalides monument.
The guy who personified the final instance of French dominance in history is essential to understanding this nation.
The Criticism That the Movie “Napoleon” Faced
The military advisor behind the film’s extensive battle scenes claims that critics of Ridley Scott’s new movie epic Napoleon, which portrays Napoleon Bonaparte in a “damaging” and “inaccurate” manner, are only victims of the French emperor’s persistent propaganda.
Tulard, ninety years old, has a bibliography with hundreds of works on Napoleon Bonaparte.
He came clean when asked if the new movie was a suitable place to start for someone unfamiliar with Napoleon. He said,
“I admire Ridley Scott, but as a Sorbonne history professor, I would advise against seeing this film.”
“As a film buff, yes,” he concluded. “As a historian, no!”
Paul Biddiss asserts that “Old Boney,” as the British troops under the Duke of Wellington referred to him, was elevated because he detailed his accomplishments.
Until 1815, when he met his Waterloo, Napoleon’s lies mesmerized France and terrified his adversaries.
“Napoleon was famous for exaggerating his own victories, and there were not many ways to verify or to challenge his version.”
Historians’ Remarks on the Movie “Napoleon”
Historians Adam Tooze and Andrew Roberts argue that it overlooked Napoleon’s many non-military accomplishments and widespread popularity among the French.
Napoleon biographer Roberts referred to his image as a proto-Hitler as “as tired as it is absurd.”
According to Joan Tumblety, the movie disregarded significant historical tragedies like the Siege of Jaffa.
Since Napoleon was in charge of the army in Toulon at the time, he was unable to witness Marie Antoinette’s death. In the film, Wellington meets a defeated Napoleon; however, this is not true; the two men never met.
The real-life Josephine also passed away the day before Napoleon was banished to Elba, not a year later during the Hundred Days, and she did not influence Napoleon’s return.
Napoleon is shown in the movie shooting on the Giza Pyramids, although this is untrue.
Development of the Movie “Napoleon”
Napoleon develops in two ways. The facts come first in this case. Since the protagonist is a community member, the French audience may be more prickly and impatient than other audiences.
Even without the phrase, there remains a sense of cultural appropriation. Reunited with the filmmaker after Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix was attached to star as the French general and emperor Napoleon.
Ridley Scott, About the Movie
Scott was “blown away” by Phoenix’s incredible performance in Joker, but he still had another actor in mind to play Napoleon.
In a statement, Scott stated,
“I’ve always been fascinated by Napoleon.”
“He appeared out of nowhere and took over everything, but he was also engaged in a love battle with his unfaithful wife, Joséphine.
When he failed to earn her love, he conquered the world to destroy her, and in the process, he ruined himself.“
Napoleon as a Movie: A Hit or A Flop?
There are many fact-related issues about the events and Napoleon’s personality in the movie, but the film managed to keep the viewers engaged and made an impactful business.
The criticism upheld by the critics is valid. The military formations were also duplicated using computer-generated graphics, yet the cannon fire and cavalry charges were authentic despite the absence of natural weaponry.
