Ridley Scott’s war and historical epic Napoleon will start later this year. Joker star Joaquin Phoenix stars in the lead role. Scott wants to tell the rise of the French general and later emperor for more than 160 minutes, whole six battles the film will show in this course – the seventh and perhaps most painful, “Battle” Scott subsequently threw out again.
“Like a toothache on the butt”: Ridley Scott decided against an important Napoleon detail
Napoleon suffered from his hemorrhoids – painful dilation of the veins in the rectal area. The importance of suffering for the course and outcome of the Battle of Waterloo is disputed in historical research, but was possibly enormous. Ridley Scott cut the hemorrhoids out of Napoleon anyway, he said in an interview with Empire, quoted from the slash film.
i have her [die
Hämorrhoiden] no, but they are very, very painful, it’s not funny. It’s like having a toothache on your butt. There’s nothing you can do about it.
The inclusion of the warlord’s physical ailment would have added an additional, personal layer to the portrait. So why did Scott decide against them
Hemorrhoids – and thus also against Joaquin Phoenix’s facial expressions distorted by shame and pain?
‘Isn’t That Pretty Undignified?’: Why Ridley Scott Would Rather Not Have Hemorrhoids
Scott acknowledges the importance of hemorrhoids: “We have a feeling that history might have been different if Napoleon hadn’t had a very bad attack of hemorrhoids on the day of Waterloo.”he said.
The director had even filmed a hemorrhoids scene. Here he describes them – be careful! – very explicit:
I had him in Waterloo sitting on the toilet and it’s pouring rain outside. He does his business. He gets up, looks in the toilet and sees blood. He then spends the day in battle, sweating in pain from hemorrhoids.
Ridley Scott’s screenwriter David Scarpa then noted: “Isn’t that pretty undignified?” Scott agreed, but initially insisted on historical accuracy. Why did he ultimately decide against Napoleon’s very personal hemorrhoid gate? “It’s too distracting.”
World history simply has no place for after-anecdotes.
More about Napoleon:
When is Napoleon in cinemas?
Although Napoleon is a production for the Apple TV+ streaming service, the film will still have a regular theatrical release. At the Nov. 23, 2923 you can convince yourself if the movie would have been better with hemorrhoids.
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