Known for cinematic masterpieces like Alien and Gladiator, Ridley Scott is undoubtedly one of the best filmmakers in the industry. He is returning to the silver screen with his latest film, Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role alongside Vanessa Kirby. And the movie has piqued the interest of historians and experts ahead of its release, as they spotted some historical inaccuracies in its trailer.
The French critics also joined in on the criticism following its early screenings and have pointed out their issues in their reviews. Despite the critical feedback, the filmmaker is unbothered and went on to boldly respond to the critics during an interview with BBC.
Ridley Scott’s Bold Response to Napoleon’s Criticism
Ridley Scott’s upcoming film Napoleon had its world premiere in the French capital, Paris, this week. While the movie has received pretty well in the UK, the French critics have slammed the film, calling it “Barbie and Ken under the Empire.”
Other French critics also called the movie “very anti-French and pro-British.” The Oscar-nominated director was asked about the negative reception his upcoming film is getting in France, and he bashed the critics during a recent conversation with BBC.
“The French don’t even like themselves,” he said before adding, “The audience that I showed it to in Paris. They loved it.” The movie follows the story of Napoleon Bonaparte, spread over six separate battles. Scott reportedly shot the film in 61 days, and it is 2 hours 38 minutes long.
This is not the first time the Alien director has boldly responded to the movie’s critics. “Were you there? Oh, you weren’t there. Then how do you know?” he said during a recent interview with The Sunday Times responding to historians who called out the movie’s historical inaccuracies.
Ridley Scott on Casting Joaquin Phoenix in Napoleon
Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix have collaborated on the Academy Award-winning film Gladiator. And he decided to cast him in the lead role in his upcoming movie after seeing his performance in Joker. “I was blown away by his outrageous film Joker. I didn’t like the way it celebrated violence, but Joaquin was remarkable,” he shared in an interview.
His performance in the 2019 film made Scott realize that Phoenix could be “an amazing asset to Napoleon” not only creatively but also commercially. However, he also shared that he had another actor in mind for the lead role in Napoleon. “There were only two actors I had in mind for the role,” he said. But he did not reveal the second name.
Napoleon is set to release on 22nd November 2023.
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