Ridley Scott directed a biopic of Napoleon, an impressing movie to discover on French screens at the end of November.

Copyright Apple

A biopic that promises to be epic

This is undoubtedly one of the cinema events of the year 2023: the film Napoleon, by director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator), is soon arriving on the big screen. A biopic that promises to be epic, carried by Joaquin Phoenix in the role of the French emperor. Ridley Scott seems tireless. At 85 years old, the director combines prosperous periods and long breaks, playing on all tables and genres. The 2010s marked his return to science fiction, notably with his comeback in the universe of Alien. The 2020 decade seems to be devoted to historical films, with the excellent The Last Duel and House of Gucci in 2021. A desire which seems to be confirmed, since his next film will be a biopic entitled Napoleon, a character he chose for his complex personality.

Conquering and more tyrannical than ever

We see a Napoleon (played by Joaquin Phoenix) conquering and more tyrannical than ever, however revealing some flaws in his passionate relationship with the aristocrat Joséphine de Beauharnais, played by Vanessa Kirby. The choice of actress was debated since Vanessa Kirby, revealed in the series The Crown, is 35 years old, thirteen years younger than Joaquin Phoenix (48 years old). In historical facts, the emperor’s wife was 6 years his senior. But in the mind of the American filmmaker, his Napoleon is not a historical film nor a university documentary but rather a vision, a fiction around the destiny of Napoleon Bonaparte. Concerned about his authorial freedom, he wanted through this new Napoleonic fresco to show a new interpretation of the epic of a man who became brigadier general at 25, First Consul at 30, Emperor at 35 and who finished his life, exiled on “a rock lost in the middle of the Atlantic”, Saint Helena. A perfectionist, Ridley Scott has also promised that a “Director’s cut” version of around 4 hours and 10 minutes should be broadcast on Apple TV+.