Napoleon - Scott, Phoenix (Trailer)

[Post Oak 20239]

I thought it was good. Not great. Two outstanding performances with Phoenix and Kirby. I think its a hard story to tell. Im interested to see how I feel about it on a rewatch. Beautiful cinematography.

Keep you expectations level.

 

[Parliament 14260]

Does she get naked?

[Post Oak 20239]

Nope.

[UpperWestside 6169]

I liked it. I can guarantee though that there will be posts of folks who are upset with too much focus put on his relationship with Josephine. I think that, although I would thoroughly have enjoyed even more battle scenes, showing another aside of Napoleon humanized him in a way. I’m cool with how the movie played out. 

Edited November 22, 2023 by UpperWestside

[UpperWestside 6169]

I also enjoyed Mark Bonnar being in this. He’s probably more familiar to folks who watch UK shows like Shetland. He’s Scottish so why not have him play someone French! I did not look at the cast before getting there so seeing him included was cool to me. 

[Post Oak 20239]

3 minutes ago, UpperWestside said:

I also enjoyed Mark Bonnar being in this. He’s probably more familiar to folks who watch UK shows like Shetland. He’s Scottish so why not have him play someone French! I did not look at the cast before getting there so seeing him included was cool to me. 

Bonnar was fantastic in Catastrophe. I haven't seen or thought about Rupert Everett in years but he was good too.

[Elmer_Fudd 22270]

Saw that a 4+ hour directors cut will be released at a later date (Apple+/blu ray).

[Reynolds Woodcock 4757]

37 minutes ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Saw that a 4+ hour directors cut will be released at a later date (Apple+/blu ray).

Ridley continues to be the king of directors cuts. The theatrical Kingdom of Heaven is garbage. The directors cut is awesome. 

[UpperWestside 6169]

2 hours ago, BeardIP said:

I noticed this is Rated R. Is it Rated R due to violence? Or is it overly sexual? I ask because I have a young pre-teen who is a budding history buff and who has read a lot about Napoleon and thought this would be cool to take him to if it's about his life and battles (he really likes to read about the battles and wars).

Violence and sex scenes, but they are always fully clothed. The battle scenes are pretty awesome. Your kid will enjoy it.

[UpperWestside 6169]

3 hours ago, Elmer_Fudd said:

Saw that a 4+ hour directors cut will be released at a later date (Apple+/blu ray).

Going to assume more battles in that cut. Would be worth it to see it I think. The first battle scene really caught me off-guard with his horse and what transpired.

[956 Worldwide 34715]

I did not love it. It was nice to see a big Hollywood movie for grownups, but I agree that this was good and not great. 
 

I think part of it was the scope— it covered his career from the Revolution to Waterloo and a movie just can’t cover that much ground without getting muddled.  The politics were complicated and so it helps to know a lot of the history first to keep track of why everyone is fighting. 
 

Austerlitz didn’t quite go down that way t but the visuals were amazing.  When you go to the battlefield at Slavkov in Czech Republic, it’s underwhelming like many battlefields are.  Borodino gets almost no screen time and that is battle that should have been the tent pole of the movie. 
 

There is a great novel by Joseph Roth called The Hundred Days that covers Bonaparte’s return from Elba to Waterloo and final exile.  I think THAT could have been just the right size for an epic movie— start with the exile and show his return and army building and then final downfall. 

[Bama Llama 1450]

Ridley had me at Blade Runner. In for Napoleon despite all reactions, lukewarm and otherwise. Melt down the enemy cannons and build a monument yourself. The emperor of ego, got to be interesting.

[Post Oak 20239]

1 hour ago, Bama Llama said:

Ridley had me at Blade Runner. In for Napoleon despite all reactions, lukewarm and otherwise. Melt down the enemy cannons and build a monument yourself. The emperor of ego, got to be interesting.

I actually wish it was more interesting.  JMO.  Definitely worth a watch though

[Helobious 9455]

Everything in that movie that wasn’t a battle scene sucked ass

[naija 2865]

didn't like this at all.

[UpperWestside 6169]

22 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I did not love it. It was nice to see a big Hollywood movie for grownups, but I agree that this was good and not great. 
 

I think part of it was the scope— it covered his career from the Revolution to Waterloo and a movie just can’t cover that much ground without getting muddled.  The politics were complicated and so it helps to know a lot of the history first to keep track of why everyone is fighting. 
 

Austerlitz didn’t quite go down that way t but the visuals were amazing.  When you go to the battlefield at Slavkov in Czech Republic, it’s underwhelming like many battlefields are.  Borodino gets almost no screen time and that is battle that should have been the tent pole of the movie. 
 

There is a great novel by Joseph Roth called The Hundred Days that covers Bonaparte’s return from Elba to Waterloo and final exile.  I think THAT could have been just the right size for an epic movie— start with the exile and show his return and army building and then final downfall. 

If this movie were made on a narrow timeline like that it would not make money. I am not saying it wouldn’t be entertaining, but it would be a loss. Ridley Scott is smart enough to realize that if you want to draw in more people (women) you had better have something besides early 19th century battlefields. Putting in this love story with Josephine does that. It opens it up to a wider audience. I’m fine with that because it’s nice having an adult movie to go see. I can always find a history channel documentary if I just want battlefield stories. 

[Macanudo 12988]

This should have been a 10-12 episode mini-series.   But Netflix or Amazon isn't going to fund that.

[ATXhorn17 1624]

Just finished reading “Napoleon: A Life” by Andrew Roberts to pre-game this… But I’m nervous because I saw an interview where Ridley Scott compared Napoleon to Hitler (which doesn’t lead me to believe he’ll portray Napoleon accurately at all lol)….

[Hermanator 7085]

Reading the first page of this one is really funny when compared to the 2nd page. Y'all get duped too easily. 

On 11/22/2023 at 11:12 AM, BeardIP said:

I noticed this is Rated R. Is it Rated R due to violence? Or is it overly sexual? I ask because I have a young pre-teen who is a budding history buff and who has read a lot about Napoleon and thought this would be cool to take him to if it's about his life and battles (he really likes to read about the battles and wars).

Ever think about how absolutely warped we are as a people that what this dude wrote makes perfect sense to us and isn't supremely disturbing? Then we wonder why we're fucked as a society. Just sayin'

15 hours ago, ATXhorn17 said:

Just finished reading “Napoleon: A Life” by Andrew Roberts to pre-game this… But I’m nervous because I saw an interview where Ridley Scott compared Napoleon to Hitler (which doesn’t lead me to believe he’ll portray Napoleon accurately at all lol)….

This will be about as historically accurate as the Bible. 

 

19 hours ago, UpperWestside said:

 Ridley Scott is smart enough to realize that if you want to draw in more people (women) you had better have something besides early 19th century battlefields. Putting in this love story with Josephine does that.

The more a film costs the more it'll be pandering to a wide audience, and in this day and age that means they have to pull in the women with emotional relationship stuff even if it doesn't fit the historical narrative. It's why the best movies are found in the basement budget range where they can let artistry take control and not return on profit. 

Edited November 24, 2023 by Hermanator

[52-80 19162]

On 11/22/2023 at 5:02 PM, Elmer_Fudd said:

Saw that a 4+ hour directors cut will be released at a later date (Apple+/blu ray).

Is this the one with 1 hour of Josephine's tits?  asking for me.

[jkates 316]

I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars. It was interesting in spots. The battles were fun. But it all just sort of ran together. There was no climax. 

[Guest]

Went and saw it today.  Enjoyed it somewhat.

I did start laughing when he went on first exile with all of the servants and amenities.  "Damn, he was the original Jimbo Fisher."

[Guest]

On 11/22/2023 at 1:26 PM, UpperWestside said:

Violence and sex scenes, but they are always fully clothed. The battle scenes are pretty awesome. Your kid will enjoy it.

They are fully clothed, so Junior won't see a nipple( gasp! by some in our society,)  but the banging his wife from behind is about as graphic as it gets without showing anything. It happens in 2 different scenes.  Just a legitimate heads up@BeardIP

[Post Oak 20239]

22 hours ago, ATXhorn17 said:

Just finished reading “Napoleon: A Life” by Andrew Roberts to pre-game this… But I’m nervous because I saw an interview where Ridley Scott compared Napoleon to Hitler (which doesn’t lead me to believe he’ll portray Napoleon accurately at all lol)….

Well he didn't make him interesting at all imo

 

[Augustus 3061]

On 11/22/2023 at 9:40 AM, Reynolds Woodcock said:

Ridley continues to be the king of directors cuts. The theatrical Kingdom of Heaven is garbage. The directors cut is awesome. 

 

I'll never understand editing in Hollywood.  In the theatrical cut you mentioned, they cut out some completely essential stuff as far as the plot's concerned, specifically:  how does a poor blacksmith in France immediately turn into an expert siege engineer?

They completely altered and therefore destroyed the plot of I Am Legend in the same way.

Edited November 25, 2023 by Augustus

[Nivek 16944]

 
I'll never understand editing in Hollywood.  In the theatrical cut you mentioned, they cut out some completely essential stuff as far as the plot's concerned, specifically:  how does a poor blacksmith in France immediately turn into an expert siege engineer?
They completely altered and therefore destroyed the plot of I Am Legend in the same way.

Easy. They know most people are morons and are more concerned with run time. Problem is that not all people are morons….

[UpperWestside 6169]

2 hours ago, Nivek said:

Easy. They know most people are morons and are more concerned with run time. Problem is that not all people are morons….

The amount of complaining that would be contained in this thread if this film were 3 plus hours would be incredible. I would have been cool with the movie going to three and a half hours to include more material. I look forward to the director’s cut when it comes out.

[Guest]

My answer was relevant to your question regarding a child viewing the movie.  It was not an unwarranted warning, IMHO.

The scene wasn't gratuitous, as the 'quest for an heir' was absolutely a thing.

It was just a head-up towards bringing a kid.  It wasn't a 'Burn this bitch down' statement.

Edited November 26, 2023 by slorch

[Hefeweizen 5327]

On 11/23/2023 at 8:37 AM, naija said:

didn't like this at all.

Same.  It felt really disjointed and didn’t capture his military genius.  The instant execution of orders, the skipping of his detailed planning, his marshals, all were weak spots.  The Josephine story was dwelt on way too long, and his relationship with Joseph and the Iberian war was completely missing.   That was where Napoleon first got his ass handed to him, not the Russian campaign.  Further, he lost over 100k to disease in Russia.  The best part of the movie was the battle footage.

[Michael Knight 12988]

It was certainly a different take on Napoleon, but if you want a more complimentary view on the dude maybe don't hire a Englishman to tell the story

[mchookem 16336]

saw it today. caveat: prior to this i really knew almost nothing about Napoleon beyond his and Josephine's great love affair, his defeat at Waterloo, and his exile. so with those eyes... really enjoyed it! no idea of accuracy, i assume the featured battles happened somewhat as depicted as far as victories/defeat/casualties. wtf with invading Russia in the winter lol. battle scenes were awesome and easy to follow. Phoenix was terrific, he always portrays pain very well. Kirby was also great.

i could see if you weren't expecting so much focus on his personal life, or would have preferred a more in depth biographical take, how you might not appreciate it, but i found it a well balanced story even 'hollywoodized', and i enjoyed his portrayal. it's obvious from his writing that he was deeply in love.

 

[Mitch Cumsteen 18550]

On 11/22/2023 at 10:08 PM, Helobious said:

Everything in that movie that wasn’t a battle scene sucked ass

I was going to write a rather scathing review of how boring and laborious this movie was, but I find myself at a great crossroads agreeing with Helobious about anything. But fuck it, when you're right, you're right. Boring, bloated, slow and just bad. Even the battle scenes weren't that cool.  Fuck this movie. I spent the last hour of it alternating being jealous of my son who completely fell asleep in the theatre and trying not to pick up my phone to see how much time was left in it.

[Da Fino 2783]

On 11/25/2023 at 9:50 AM, Augustus said:

 

I'll never understand editing in Hollywood.  In the theatrical cut you mentioned, they cut out some completely essential stuff as far as the plot's concerned, specifically:  how does a poor blacksmith in France immediately turn into an expert siege engineer?

They completely altered and therefore destroyed the plot of I Am Legend in the same way.

I had done a really good job of forgetting about that piece of shit until recently. 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19103]

Napoleon was an absolute racist and completely erased a lot of the equalities black men had won during the revolution, reinstituting slavery in France after it had been abolished in the 1st Republic.  His hatred of Thomas-Alexandre Dumas (father of Alexandre Dumas of Three Musketeers fame) is a hell of a fucking story. 

Also, Napoleon got his ass handed to him in Egypt.

[Guest]

when you account for the loss of 1MM* of your own troops, that ass handing had to happen more than once or twice.

 

*estimates vary.  Going with the low end.

Edited November 28, 2023 by slorch

[Guest]

so...Mack Brown.

[Bateshorn 9928]

On 11/25/2023 at 10:50 AM, Augustus said:

 

I'll never understand editing in Hollywood.  In the theatrical cut you mentioned, they cut out some completely essential stuff as far as the plot's concerned, specifically:  how does a poor blacksmith in France immediately turn into an expert siege engineer?

They completely altered and therefore destroyed the plot of I Am Legend in the same way.

The I am Legend travesty will always send me into aphorisms of rage.   The book is literally the script to the movie, it needs minimal edits and can pretty much be shot as is.  How Hollywood has managed to mangle it 3 fucking times just blows my mind. 

[HornOnTheBayou 8931]

Saw it last night with my 15-year old. He was bored, I thought it was alright. The problem is how quick the pacing was. I'm not the only one to point this out, but it just goes from scene to scene with no explanation or context. In ten movie minutes, we go from Russia and France are allies, now they are not, France must invade Russia, Moscow is abandoned, Napoleon is on Elba. The Russian invasion should have had so many Oscar bait scenes.

I totally understand why my son was bored by it and it wasn't just teenage boy rolling his eyes at a love story. The plot was so hard to follow that it's just a jumbled mess. I teach European History so I knew the story and could keep up (in fact, I taught about Napoleon in class this week). My son knew the basic gist of the story, but that was it and he was totally lost.

[HornOnTheBayou 8931]

And AnimalTobacco (or @BeardIP or whatever you're calling yourself these days), get the fuck over yourself about gratuitous sex scenes. A major part of the story was about producing a male heir. Sexual intercourse is an important step in producing a male heir.

My teenager somehow survived watching those scenes. Just like he handled seeing a pair of tits in Oppenheimer. 

[kevwun 15797]

It could maybe be done as a trilogy or a one off movie focused on one battle or his rise to power that ends when he seizes control of France.  You can't cover the last 25 years of his life in one film without problems though.  There's just too much to cover.

[HornOnTheBayou 8931]

5 minutes ago, kevwun said:

It could maybe be done as a trilogy or a one off movie focused on one battle or his rise to power that ends when he seizes control of France.  You can't cover the last 25 years of his life in one film without problems though.  There's just too much to cover.

Completely agree. Someone above mentioned a TV mini-series which would be cool. If a director's cut comes out, I'll definitely watch it, but not in one sitting.

[kevwun 15797]

Yeah, a tv series would be ideal but I think it would be too expensive for anyone to ever agree to it.  The only things that get huge budgets are already popular sci fi or fantasy stuff.

[ChickenSandwich 9843]

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by ChickenSandwich

[UpperWestside 6169]

6 hours ago, HornOnTheBayou said:

And AnimalTobacco (or @BeardIP or whatever you're calling yourself these days), get the fuck over yourself about gratuitous sex scenes. A major part of the story was about producing a male heir. Sexual intercourse is an important step in producing a male heir.

My teenager somehow survived watching those scenes. Just like he handled seeing a pair of tits in Oppenheimer. 

Anyone out there who thinks kids either have not seen stuff like this with their friends or talk about it is just in denial. There are times I have been on the subway here and you hear kids that look like they are in elementary school talk about “adult topics”. Kids are not shocked by any of these scenes. Not in the least. 

[GreenspointTexas 9616]

This movie was one of Ridleys worst, imo. It had no clue what type of movie it was trying to be

Grand epic? Dark comedy? Love story? Historical drama?

[Michael Knight 12988]

On 11/28/2023 at 8:56 AM, BeardIP said:

I thought the movie made the point at the end when tallying Napoleon's losses as it recounted the wars the movie showed, that Napoleon burned through a lot of his human capital to get those expensive wins. He's lionized as a military genius, and maybe he was, but he was also privileged with huge armies full of people he didn't mind using to achieve his ends.

To put it in business terms, he was a highly capitalized firm whose CAC was extremely high, so he might have won a lot of battles, but was seemingly inefficient. And like in business (or the NFL coaching job), he was fired for that gross inefficiency but kept getting chances based on his name and past achievements. 

Most of the battles he fought in he was outnumbered and inflicted more casualties than he lost.

[Horn80 6127]

Haven’t seen it yet but just thankful someone made movie not based on comic book characters.

[Elmer_Fudd 22270]

Just got back home from seeing it.  As most have said, this should have been a series with all the jumping around from year(s) ahead.  Maybe the directors cut will fill in a lot?  I'll probably check it out when that versions comes out.  Still enjoyed it though, better than most of the junk that comes out in the theater these days.

[PittsburghTiger 6188]

Saw it today. Enjoyed it but, like most here have said, it could have been better. I wanted a bit less of Josephine and a bit more on the wars. I thought the battle scenes were good. I just wanted more of a historical picture and less of a romance.

[UpperWestside 6169]

11 hours ago, Horn80 said:

Haven’t seen it yet but just thankful someone made movie not based on comic book characters.

There’s several really good movies out right now. The pendulum is swinging back in the direction away from comic book movies because of over saturation of the genre. 
 

This movie will probably not be liked by historians and amateur historians. Scott made it really clear this wasn’t going to be a movie for those people. It makes the complaining a bit of a head-scratcher from that group of folks.