Posted on 11/26/2023 8:06:44 PM PST by Rummyfan
If, at 85, Ridley Scott has reached the final season of his filmmaking career, Napoleon is the ideal work of wintry grandeur to mark it. Scott’s 28th feature is a magnificently hewn slab of dad cinema with a chill wind whistling over its battlefields and round its bones: its palette is so cold, even the red in the tricolore is often the shade of dried blood.
Spanning 32 years, from the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 to its title character’s death on St Helena in 1821, it casts Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise, reign and downfall as both a prickly psychodrama and a sweeping military epic, in which the intimate lives of its central players and the fate of France itself become instantly and anxiously entwined.
Napoleon himself is played with startling blunt-force charisma by Joaquin Phoenix, who is working again with Scott for the first time since 2000’s Gladiator. Phoenix’s undisguised soft Californian accent is one of a number of details that might irk historical sticklers – television’s Dan Snow has already chimed in with a list of inaccuracies, to which Scott’s not unreasonable response was “get a life”. But on screen it’s oddly ideal, reinforcing the idea that this Corsican roughneck can never fully settle into the role for which history has him picked out.
We get the measure of the man almost instantly at the Siege of Toulon, as the French Republican forces lay siege to the British-occupied harbour fort. In the dead of night, as Napoleon leads the advance, a cannonball tears through the shoulder of his horse – the film earns its 15 certificate fast – though almost before he hits the ground he hurriedly barks “I’m OK,” and strides on, shaken but resolute, and smeared with the blood of his steed.
(Excerpt) Read more at uk.style.yahoo.com ...
I always thought of Napoleon as an Italian name .
….
Yes, Dr.
Napoleon’s last request was, “I’ll have a short bier.”
I agree. I had no idea he was that old.
What does "the film earns its 15 certificate fast" mean?
He was Corsican which was part of the Republic of Genoa for a long time.
They had movies in Napoleon’s time? I must’ve slept through nearly a century of History class.
Some things I just cannot take.
15 certificateIt seems to be the European movie rating:
15 is a certificate given by the BBFC determining that a particular form of media is suitable only for persons aged 15 or over.
15 (BBFC)
He never had one.
There is also a Napoleon, Ohio, and one in Michigan.
Same in Michigan.
Read later. I like Juaquin Phoenix.
(I always thought of Napoleon as an Italian name .)
I have always thought of Napoleon as an ice cream 🍨🍨🍨🍨🍨🍨🍨
😂😆😀🤣🤣🤣
Oh and the guy who ate the ice cream 🍨🍨 in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure
The Ziggy Piggy?
Evidently, my comment about seeing animals suffer is NOT my favorite thing didn’t sit well with some. As if, because I hate seeing animals suffer precludes my horror of killing, torturing, intimidating, human beings. HOW CRAZY IS THAT???
Well, that did NOT SIT WELL WITH MANY HERE WHO THINK: CRUELITY TO ANIMALS IS SOMEHOW ...OKAY.
Well, guess what, I’m a wimp, I’m a traitor to macho man who thinks killing horses, cows, ducks, hamsters is perfectly normal.
I remember reading about most serial killers began their “careers” in torturing animals.
Since many FReepers seem to be concerned with my priorities, I shall concede that I accept ALL the killing involved in a war is HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE, DISGUSTING, INHUMANE, AND JUST PLAIN “MEAN”.
Now, we can all go to bed happy.
My husband and I took the family to see this today.
I agree; it was an excellent film.
My only criticism was that the film spent a lot of time on his relationship with Josephine and not enough time on the battles or the politics that gave rise to them.
Nonetheless, it was a solid film and did a good job compressing his life into just a few hours.
“I encourage everyone to try to see it.”
Maybe everyone who has any interest in the subject matter which wouldn’t include me.
Was there crude language or overt bedroom scenes
I’m interested in the history…..the actor and the director……..but not prurient junk
Are you saying that the horse in the movie actually suffered on set or that he was portrayed as suffering? I didn’t think that animals were allowed to be injured when making movies.
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