French Historians Ridicule ‘Napoleon’ for its Glaring Historical Inaccuracies

Summary:

• French historians continue criticizing Napoleon for its historical inaccuracies like bombing the pyramids, mixed up ages, etc.
• The portrayal of the French ruler is half-baked and fails to show the positive impact of Napoleon in the French society.
• The film is also criticized for being pro-British and Anti-French in its portrayal.

Even after two weeks of its release, French historians continue to call out Napoleon for its glaring historical inaccuracies. 

This historical drama, directed by Ridley Scott, features Joaquin Phoenix as the titular French Emperor and portrays his military expeditions and topsy-turvy relationship with Empress Josephine. 

In an interview with Variety, French historians Patrice Gueniffey and Romain Marsily dissect the barrage of historical inaccuracies in Napoleon. 

Marsily talks about the movie’s inaccurate portrayal of Napoleon as a “mediocre” and “lackluster” character and failing to show his positive impacts on French society. On the other hand, Gueniffey refers to the film as a “big disappointment.” 

Read what they had to say below:

Josephine was a wise woman who had already had a life by the time she married Napoleon, who was this younger and very ambitious man. That dynamic is completely altered in the film because Napoleon looks much older… I’m not against invented scenes but when we see Napoleon putting his hand in the wounded horse to retrieve the bullet and give it to his mother, I thought it was grotesque. He had a very distant relationship with his mother.

Gueniffey

Napoleon killed a lot of people in Egypt, but he didn’t touch any landmarks. He brought 130 scholars on this expedition to make an inventory of the Egyptian civilization, so if anything we owe Napoleon the creation of ancient Egyptian studies.

This film is like spitting in the face of French people because it feels like Ridley Scott ridiculed both Napoleon and the history of France… There is a fascination for Napoleon in France, even from people who hate him for reinstating slavery in the French West Indies and for his abuse of power once he became Emperor of France, but even these people are disappointed by the film because the film fails to substantially address his legacy, whether good or bad.

Marsily

Napoleon was a symbol of meritocracy because he succeeded even though he wasn’t a noble, but watching the film you come out thinking he was a total idiot. Napoleon wasn’t a saint and no one expected Scott to give an evangelical portrayal of him, but his Napoleon is so grotesque that you keep wondering how he even got there.

Even before the movie’s release, the trailer was criticized by TV historian Dan Snow because Napoleon never shot at the Pyramids during the Battle of the Pyramids in Egypt. Furthermore, he pointed out that Marie-Antoinette had famously cropped hair for the execution, which was not the case in the trailer. 

However, Ridley Scott’s reaction to these criticisms has been short and dismissive. He’s asked the critics to just “Get a life!”

In addition to these inaccuracies, Napoleon has been extensively criticized for being “pro-British” and “anti-French” in depicting history. 

In his interview, Gueniffey points out that the film omits that Napoleon reinstated slavery in the French West Indies because the reason puts Britain’s position under criticism. 

Marsily explains that Napoleon’s biggest regret was reintroducing slavery because he was in favor of abolishing it. However, he was coerced into doing so because of incessant pressure and a twisted geopolitical situation with the British. 

Finally, Ridley Scott has always been dismissive in his approach, saying things like “The French don’t even like themselves.” The English director has also acknowledged that most people like the film despite its glaring historical inaccuracies. 

About Napoleon

Napoleon is an epic historical drama film directed and produced by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and depicts the French leader’s rise to power and his relationship with his wife.

The film released by Sony Pictures Releasing on November 22, 2023, before streaming on Apple TV+ at a later date.