Napoleon
Written by Shane Siddall
His enemies were many, his allies few and his equals none. No nation or coalition could stop his conquest as he humbled Italy, tamed the east, marched in the footsteps of Alexander the Great in Egypt, and under the shade of olive trees he burned Spain to the ground. These victories tremendously outnumber his defeats. His legacy echoes throughout the halls of legend. In this film, we see the man who became the Master of Europe, from his battlefield prowess to his troubled personal life. He was Napoleon and he was Emperor.
The movie begins with the dropping of a guillotine; the last queen of France, Marie Antoinette, is executed. It's the middle of the French Revolution, and a young artillery officer by the name of Napoleon Bonaparte is seeking a promotion. He received his first command and led the young French Republic to its first major victory against a lifelong rival England in the battle of Toulon. At the young age of 24, he is awarded the title of General, and then the legend starts to rise when he earns a reputation for being a ruthless tactician as well as a brilliant commander. We then see his rise to power and how Napoleon gained the admiration of the people of France. While seen as a virtual god in his homeland, he will lead the charge to glorious victories and even more devastating defeats.
The film exquisitely captures his social awkwardness where he’s essentially like one person separated into two different individuals. For instance, on the battlefield, he is confident, cold, and calculating, yet in more social settings he is noticeably uncomfortable. This is shown in the scenes with his wife, `, as the audience is subjected to the uncomfortable atmosphere that surrounds him. The story delves into his more private life where we see him hide behind his ‘legend” and reputation to mask his vulnerabilities. This leads viewers to the clear divide between Napoleon the conqueror, and Napoleon the man.
When covering such an infamous legacy there will always be a great deal of history to cover. This movie does an overall respectable job of covering Napoleon’s accomplishments. However, there have been arguments voiced against skipping over his campaigns in Italy and glossing over the conquest of Spain. While most of these particular historical facts will not matter to the viewer nor affect the overall impact of the movie, there have also been objections to an older actor such as Joaquin Phoenix portraying Napoleon as he was only in his twenties and thirties when most of the campaigns and coups shown in the movie were conducted. Then the criticisms begin to target the relationship between him and his wife. Now first-hand accounts are few and far between about how he and his wife behaved in private. So naturally, there were some artistic liberties taken with the film to portray the few private encounters that were witnessed.
Now on to what the movie accomplished not only with its brilliant cinematography, but it's accurate depiction of his renowned battle tactics. The uniforms, the weaponry, formations, and the battles themselves were precise down to some of the most minute details, from the cavalry charges to the artillery barrages the audience will understand why he was unstoppable for so long.
I would have to give the movie an 8/10, I liked how they portrayed the history in a much more compelling way that would even keep an audience who hates history invested, and how they portrayed the rise and fall of Napoleon, and his personal life with Josephine with it being one of if not the most forgotten part about his life. The main reason for it not being a 10/10 is simply the jumping around in the movie and that they skipped some important parts in his campaigns and then covered them with historical inaccuracies. But overall is the movie worth the time needed to watch it? The answer is yes, I would recommend that anyone should go and see this movie if not for the history but for the brilliant story of power, passion, and unbridled ambition.