Napoleon Bonaparte was one of the most important figures in world history. Its time was the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. He turned the existing order upside down and crowned himself emperor. This genius of war achieved spectacular victories and suffered severe defeats. In just less than 52 years of his life, he rose to the very top of power, and then died alone on the tiny island of St. Helena. Ridley Scott says in interviews that he has long been fascinated by the figure of the French emperor, who set fire to Europe and created an empire. “He came from nowhere and took over everything. But all the time he was also at war with his unfaithful wife, Józefina. He conquered the world to win her love,” the director told Deadline.com. Scott appreciates Napoleon’s achievements and points out that he was both a dictator who could not stand opposition and an extremely talented and brave man.
An unknown man from Corsica becomes Emperor Napoleon
During the French Revolution, Napoleon rose quickly in the military ranks. His primary goal was to gain power. Starting in 1798, he brilliantly won subsequent military campaigns. In 1799 he staged a coup d’état, and in 1804 he was crowned Emperor of the French. Piece by piece he conquered and subjugated Europe. He also led to the creation of a Polish state under the name of the Duchy of Warsaw. The road to Napoleon’s downfall began with the failed invasion of Russia in 1812 and the lost Battle of Leipzig in October 1813. He abdicated in April 1814, receiving in return power over the island of Elba and retaining the right to call himself emperor. In 1815 he decided to regain what he had lost. Dreams of power were finally ended by the defeat at Waterloo near Brussels. He died in English captivity on the island of St. Helena.
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Napoleon and Josephine
At the center of Ridley Scott’s historic fresco stand a pair of lovers, Napoleon and Josephine. Their love, mutual attraction and repulsion, gives the film its rhythm. It is as turbulent as Napoleon’s wars. They met in 1795. She was 33, he was 27. Józefina was already a divorcee with two children and had numerous affairs. – Has my life just changed? – Josephine asked Napoleon during their first meeting in Ridley Scott’s film. Only she could say to Napoleon with impunity: “You are an ordinary brute who is nothing without me.” They married on March 9, 1796, in 1804. Napoleon crowned her Empress of the French, and five years later he divorced her. However, she remained the love of his life.
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Napoleon was played by Joaquin Phoenix. For the first time, the actor worked for Ridley Scott in the Oscar-winning “Gladiator” (2000). He was the selfish, frustrated and morbidly ambitious Emperor Commodus. Scott did not lose sight of Phoenix. He was delighted with him, among others, in “Joker”, for which the actor received Oscar. The actor says that he accepted the role of Napoleon without a second thought. Although the director had previously suggested taking part in his other projects, this one seemed most attractive to Phoenix, who likes challenges. However, it was not without problems. Two weeks before filming began, Joaquin Phoenix told Scott that he didn’t really know what to do. So for 10 days they discussed scene after scene. The director revealed that the actor’s comments were very valuable and in the end the script of the film was almost written from scratch. new.
Josephine Bonaparte was played by Vanessa Kirby, winner of an Oscar for her leading role in “Pieces of a Woman” (2020), also known, among others, from the role of Princess Margaret in the series “The Crown” and such films as “Citizen Jones” by Agnieszka Holland or “Mission: Impossible – Fallout”. Ridley Scott says that Josephine, like Napoleon, escapes clear assessments and is like a chameleon.
Crowds of extras and great battles
Shooting “Napoleon” was a huge logistical undertaking. For such a huge production, for which six great battles were filmed, the shooting took a surprisingly short time – only 62 days. “I wanted to shoot it in one take. I had three hundred people, one hundred horses and eleven cameras on set. It was an amazing experience because I was recreating real events. I started thinking like Napoleon,” said Ridley Scott in one of the interviews.
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Shooting sets were organized mainly in Great Britain. Notre Dame in Paris, where Napoleon’s coronation took place, was played by, for example, Lincoln Cathedral. The team also worked, among others, on Malta. Modern film techniques played an important role while working on “Napoleon”.
The author of the photos for “Napoleon” is Dariusz Wolski, a regular collaborator of Ridley Scott, who was his cameraman on the set of, among others, “The Martian”, “The Last Duel” and “The House of Gucci”.
Is the prediction that Ridley Scott will finally win an Oscar for directing true? This giant of cinema, called the king of great historical shows, has so far been nominated for this award three times – for “Black Hawk Down”, “Thelma and Louise” and “Gladiator”. He never received a statuette. In his extensive film career, Scott has had many blockbusters and critically acclaimed productions. For example, “Blade Runner” and “Alien – 8th Passenger of the Nostromo” have gained cult status. The 85-year-old director does not stop working. Now he is shooting the sequel to “Gladiator”.
“Napoleon” directed by Ridley Scott hits Polish cinemas on November 24.
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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.
