“Napoleon” is the latest film. The adaptation of part of the biography of the most famous Frenchman of our times is another magnum opus of the director. Unfortunately, the production’s premiere was not without problems. “Napoleon” – although it is a historical film – was criticized by… historians. The director was also criticized by the main interested parties, i.e. the French.
Ridley Scott denies all allegations and does not attempt any diplomacy in this case. He defends his work and does not mince his words.
“Napoleon” by Ridley Scott criticized
Although viewers who have already had the opportunity to see “Napoleon” on the big screen liked the film, experts are skeptical. Ridley Scott apparently added a lot of himself to the well-known biography of the French leader and in a quite free way shows both the historical realities and the historical events themselves.
One of the scenes that particularly outraged historians can be found in the production’s trailer. It’s about the fire on the Egyptian pyramids – Napoleon supposedly ordered cannons to shoot at them, which was to check the accuracy of his troops. The problem is that this event did not take place, as historians have been emphasizing for several decades. However, Ridley Scott repeated the popular historical myth quite consciously, and he responds to the criticism in the following way:
Napoleon dies and then, 10 years later, someone writes a book. Then someone writes another book based on this book, and 400 years later, these subsequent books contain a lot of made-up things. I have a problem with historians. I ask them: I’m sorry, but were you there? NO? Well, then shut up – he said in an interview with “The Times”.
Ridley Scott’s new film ‘Napoleon’ Photo promotional material
He expressed himself in a slightly more delicate way in an interview for:
Over 10,000 books have been written about Napoleon. That’s one per week since he died. Have you been there? Well, no, you weren’t. So how do you know what it was like? – he asks rhetorically and – for an educated man – quite bravely.
He advises those pointing out minor historical inaccuracies (Marie Antoinette’s incorrect hairstyle).
Ridley Scott mocks the French
But it wasn’t only historians who got hurt by the director. Ridley Scott’s film was received quite poorly on the Seine – it was accused of being Anglocentric and anti-French. Scott, as a thoroughbred Brit, does not give up without a fight. He has one thing to say to the French who criticize him: “The French don’t even like themselves. I showed this film to a Parisian audience and they fell in love with it,” explains the BBC.
Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” hits Polish cinemas this Friday, November 24.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
