Napoleon (2023)

I am going to stand out here, because I thought this was a great epic film that I really enjoyed for both it’s sumptuous production design and costumes, and how it, however briefly, covers the major events of Napoleon’s life. Bonaparte was born on the island of Corsica in 1769—he was acutely aware of his lowly birth, and from the beginning sought to erase that part of his past. He championed the French Revolution in 1789 and rising from the military ranks, he came to rule France from 1799 to 1804, then as a self-anointed emperor from 1804-1814. He was a battle-hungry brilliant military strategist who invaded and then ruled all of Europe. He made the same mistake that others before and since have made, which is that invading and conquering Russia, especially Russia in winter, is just not a winning strategy. He paid dearly for that mistake, and the film takes us all the way to his end. The battlefield is beautifully rendered, but the more intimate side of Napoleon’s life is light on details and long on judgement. I would recommend watching the 1954 film Désirée (which stars Marlon Brando as Napoleon) for a more sympathetic view. And it is perhaps easier to follow this if you have a bit of background about Napoleon. I recently read—and loved—War and Peace, which delineates the Russian side of the story, as an example. When all is said and done, Napoleon was a megastar in French history and deserves the Ridley Scott treatment.