When a movie claims that it is ‘based on a true story’, oftentimes, the directors prefer that the audience take this notion with a grain of salt. Real life, unfortunately, is rarely as entertaining as movies and adaptations often have to twist events and add plot points to make the story they are trying to tell, into the format of a script. Arcs are added, intentions are given, and depth is carved to make reality fit into the mold of cinema.
However, the question that arises is where does one draw the line?
Ridley Scott’s Napoleon is the perfect example of a film that took creative freedom too far. In its pursuit of telling a good story, it twists the past to a point of no recognition. The change was so drastic that even historians got involved.
Napoleon and Its Glorious Inaccuracies
Ridley Scott made a lot of changes to the story of the Napoleon Bonaparte. While there are a lot of interpretations of events when it comes to the great French emperor, there is also a lot known to be fact. Despite the information at his disposal, there are a lot of mistakes and factual errors in the film.
- Napoleon’s Relationship with Josephine: In the film, the emperor slapped Josephine during their divorce hearing, something that many called to be out of character for him and would have never happened.
- Napoleon and Josephine’s Age Difference: Another fact that faced criticism was the age difference between the two, with Vanessa Kirby being significantly younger than Joaquin Phoenix. The actor is 14 years older than the actress. In reality, Josephine was six years older than Napoleon.
- The Battle of the Pyramids: One of the biggest criticisms that audiences had with the film was the Battle of the Pyramids. During this sequence in the film, Napoleon attacks and causes serious damage to the Pyramids in Egypt. While the scene was a creative way to say that ‘He took Egypt’, many called out that while the battle did take place near the Pyramids, they were never damaged.
There is also common speculation that he broke the nose on the Great Sphinx of Giza during the battle, which is unsubstantiated.
- Napoleon and Arthur Wellesley Never Met: There is a sequence in the film where the emperor and the Duke of Wellington interact with each other after the Battle of Waterloo. The entire sequence could not have been possible as the two never actually met.
- During the Siege of Toulon, it is showcased that Napoleon came up with a plan against the British, which is completely fictitious. He was involved in combat and had sustained a wound that could have been fatal.
- Napoleon Didn’t Always Charge Into Battle: There are several scenes where Napoleon is on the front lines during battle, riding alongside the cavalry. In reality, he would usually be stationed at the very back, overseeing everything.
- Napoleon Was Bad At Horseriding: The emperor was also famously bad at horseriding, something that was left out of the movie.
- Napoleon Never Saw Marie Antoinette Get Beheaded: In the film, there is a sequence where the emperor witnesses the public execution of Marie Antoinette. He did, however, witness her getting imprisoned.
These many inaccuracies are one too many in a film claiming to be a representation of true events. No wonder so many historians were upset at the film.
Ridley Scott’s Great Battle With Historians
Many historians voiced their feelings about Napoleon, talking about what they think about the inaccuracies in the film. Some appreciated the beauty of the movie and how artistically breathtaking it was, however, they simply could not look past all of the factual errors.
Some even stated that the film only had a small percentage of truth in it, with the rest being fictitious. Ridley Scott recently ended up commenting on these criticisms.
“Get a life” said Scott to his critics.
During an interview with The New Yorker, he was asked what he thought about his film being labeled so incorrect and his answer was quite surprising. He spoke directly to critics, asking them to get a life. It is safe to say that this response is quite an unconventional one.
Napoleon Is Out On Streaming Services
Despite all its mistakes, a fact that is undeniable is that Napoleon is a masterpiece. On top of being visually stunning, it also has an exceptional cast that gave excellent performances and one of the most captivating stories of recent times.
After its release in November of 2023, the film is finally making its way onto the smaller screen. The Joaquin Phoenix movie is making its streaming service debut on Apple TV and is available for streaming now.
