"Napoleon was the man! Always enlightened, always clear and decided, and endowed with sufficient energy to carry into effect whatever he considered advantageous and necessary. His life was the stride of a demi-god, from battle to battle, and from victory to victory. It might well be said of him, that he was found in a state of continual enlightenment. On this account, his destiny was more brilliant than any the world had seen before him, or perhaps will ever see after him." - Goethe, "When Napoleon Met Goethe" ShannonSelin.com.
The other night I finally mustered up the enthusiasm to watch Ridley Scott's 2023 film Napoleon, and, my oh my, what a waste of time. I only got through 30 minutes of it before turning it off. I couldn't tolerate it. You can tell immediately that the film had no energy, no grandeur, no respect for its subject.
It's a stain on Napoleon's legacy, and an artistic crime against history.
It's a shame Kubrick never made his Napoleon film because this was an absolute hit job. An assassination of his character, his achievements, and his very being.
Scott must have a historic grudge against Napoleon because he is more than capable of delivering the goods.
Joaquin Phoenix's performance was awful. Huge miscast. Just a total travesty of cinema, and an insult to the audience.
Both Phoenix and Scott should be ashamed of themselves. They dishonoured the memory of a great world historic personality with their weak portrayal. If you're going to make a movie about Napoleon you have to do it right.
It's a great responsibility for filmmakers to tackle historic figures. Spike Lee and Denzel Washington did Malcolm X justice. The whole cast of HBO's John Adams did an amazing job, and their performances left an undeniable cultural imprint on the collective memory.
Hopefully everyone forgets this trash version of Napoleon and a better film gets made in the future because his epic life deserves an epic treatment.
