“The French don’t even like themselves.” Director Ridley Scott uttered this sentence to a journalist from the British BBC a few days ago. The journalist had confronted Scott with the comment of a French Napoleon expert who described Scott’s new film, Napoleon “very anti-French and very pro-British” felt.
The war epic has been playing in cinemas worldwide since Thursday – but Ridley Scott’s is a thoroughly hearty one, shot from the hip France scolding apparently hardly dampens the enthusiasm for Napoleon in the home country of the famous historical figure. On the contrary.
Napoleon is a success in France – despite mixed reviews
As the industry publication Variety reports, 120,000 French people stormed into the cinemas on the first day to watch Joaquin Phoenix conquer the world (and fail in the bedroom). This puts Napoleon just behind the similar biopic Oppenheimer, which sold 150,000 tickets in France when it debuted. For Scott it is an extremely strong result, especially compared to his previous films, which grossed 868,000 euros.
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Napoleon
By the way, the reviews for Napoleon are overall mixed. In the USA, for example, Napoleon is perceived as surprisingly funny, while the staging of the battles is praised – which, however, should be the minimum requirement for a war epic about Napoleon.
The French criticism seems more likely with Napoleon to tend to tear. Naturally, the French press pays attention to historical accuracy when assessing a film that primarily depicts French history. However, this falls on Ridley Scott’s deaf ears. His answer to the annoying troubleshooters: “Find a life.”
What is Napoleon about?
Napoleon Bonaparte lived from 1769 to 1821 and during this period he rose from general to French emperor. Legendary campaigns gave the military and strategic genius influence in the highest levels of politics. Director Ridley Scott said in 2021 that he wanted this one Climb with six battles trace want. Ultimately there were only three battles. In addition to his military and political career, Napoleon’s relationship with his wife Joséphine plays a major role in the film.
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