Star director Ridley Scott has brought the life of the greatest French general to the screen with Napoleon. He took a few liberties with the historical original to make his epic war film even more dramatic: 3 scenes actually played out completely differently.
Made-up moment 1: Marie Antoinette died with short hair and Napoleon wasn’t there
Scott’s film begins in the turmoil of the French Revolution, whose supporters also drag Queen Marie Antoinette (Catherine Walker) to the scaffold. Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix) watches as she is beheaded with long, flowing hair. In a video, historian Dan Snow explains that the scene didn’t happen like that: First Marie Antoinette’s hair was shaved before her execution. And secondly, Napoleon was not in Paris at the time, but rather at the siege of the city of Toulon in southern France (via Britannica).
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Nevertheless, it is an important scene in the film. Napoleon’s indifference shows Phoenix’s character as neither an ardent admirer of the revolution nor a friend of the monarchy. It is also simply gripping to observe the facial expressions of the future emperor witnessed the death of an incomparably arrogant regime.
Contrived Moment 2: The Battle of Toulon ended completely differently
In the battle for the French port city of Toulon, Napoleon was able to demonstrate his great strategic skills for the first time: he recaptured the city’s cannons and used them to destroy British ships that were blocking the port. The burning British ships are a visually stunning sight in the cinema. But they come from Scott’s imagination: at the end of the battle, it was actually the British who destroyed a whopping 42 French ships (via Britannica).
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Napoleon’s troops bombard British ships in the port of Toulon
Made-up moment 3: Napoleon never shot at the pyramids
Napoleon not only conquered large parts of Europe, but also fought a battle near the pyramids of Giza. In Scott’s film he fires at the pyramids themselves, to unsettle his enemies. According to Polygon, there is no evidence of this action. But that doesn’t make the scene worthless: it shows how little scruples the history-loving Napoleon allowed himself in the face of battle. She proves that Phoenix’s character understands his enemy. And it also looks simply bombastic.
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A cannonball hits one of the pyramids at Giza
Ridley Scott is annoyed by historians’ criticism of Napoleon. And he’s right. Fans of historical authenticity may turn up their noses, but Scott’s inventions make the film more visually powerful, more dramatic and better.
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