Change Your Image
stasymeonides
Reviews
Napoleon (2023)
Fail de Lux
If Napoleon was some kind of a baggage who during the Coup of 18-19 Brumaire, (November 9-10, 1799) aged 30 mounted the stairs like a failing duck, Josephine a low life (although Vanessa tried her best in an unknown direction) and Wellington an old man suffering from dementia, then Scott, Phoenix and Rupert have nailed it.
The only characters worth mentioning are Talleyrand and the beheaded queen Marie Antoinette. In Scott's delusional impression, Napoleon was born aged 50 and French (?) at the beheading of Antoinette, the whole Italian campaign is written off, as "Italians never fought against us" and Prussia wasn't crushed, just a guy named Blucher emerged out of nowhere in the nick of time for Waterloo performed by Abba!!! Spain never existed, neither Metternich; Abukir or Trafalgar vanished along, with many ''insignificant'' French marshals named Lannes, Soult, Massena, Macdonald, Murat, to name a few! Some others like Ney, Davout, Berthier and Fouche were just extras and also nonexistent in this science fiction film are Danton, Desire and the Polish countess Marie Walewska. Absent are Napoleons lawgiving, reforming abilities and scientific knowledge. But Letizia fortunately exists, is just a nanny interested in Napoleon's ability to produce children and is for laughs also for laughs or rather tears are the existing love??? Scenes...
The English were so captivated by this indifferent exhibition that even the costumes design dpt were bypassed by the poor things of Yorgos, who won the bafta award. Finally the music accompanying the scenes is lamentable. Being in a generous mood I give it 3 stars (three too many).
If after watching this cartoon you are still interested in how Napoleon and his era almost looked like and also at the same time enjoy a worthwhile assimilation of the Old Nosey (Duke of Wellington), Waterloo(1970) by Sergey Bondarchuk is still relevant, rather underrated and free to watch in YouTube.
PS. A film 2h 30min about a timespan of 30 years so packed with events and historic characters is almost impossible and on the verge of failure. When the director, scenario, actors and everything despite the money is so rough and below mediocre, colossal failure is easily achieved! France during Napoleon's time was fighting against Europe from 1792 till 1815, with small interims. Imagine a film about the two WW which lasted 5 and 7 years respectively, together with their interim of 20 years, covering them both in 3 hours net!