I am happy to say that I went into Napoleon with virtually no knowledge of the film, which is pretty hard to do these days. I finally broke down and watched a trailer to entice my wife into accompanying me to the theater. We've recently gotten married and were invited to see the film along with some fellow teachers from MovieMindsPodcast. Our plans for a local honeymoon were interrupted, so we weren't able to see any new movies in the theater. With prices increasing, the school year in full swing and a lack of movies which enticed us, we just don't get out there as much. So, Napoleon is my first theatrical experience as a married man. This is perhaps fitting (maybe?) that the narrative is sort of a tragic romance of sorts. That's not to say I recommend it as a typical date night movie, by any means.
The film was not what I was expecting. Well, in a general sense it was (pun was actually not intended there but I'm keeping it anyway). The specifics of the thematic elements were more the surprise. As I suspected, the movie follows Napoleon Bonaparte through aspects of his political rise to power and several major chapters in his military campaigns. As my wife and I were discussing, it's often difficult to fit any person's life (let alone a towering historical figure's) into a few hours. Usually they focus on one major element or event, or just give brief intercuts throughout the most notable moments.
We see Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix) as an adult, although no real effort is made through make-up or digital effects to signify any aging throughout the story. This biopic opts for lightly breezing through major events but breaks them up with sprinkles of intrigue by various statesmen and nobles. Most notably, the filmmakers spend several scenes putting together recreations of several major battles. While I think think the most love and care was put into those aspects of Napoleon, the juxtaposition of this is what I suspect is core of the story. This being Napoleon's relationship to his wife, Josephine.
I will confess at this point with some embarrassment that, despite considering myself something of a history buff, I don't really know a great deal about Napoleon or his wars. I guess I've never been super drawn to that period of Europe between the Renaissance and the First World War. That is one of the film's greatest positives, in that it genuinely made me more interested in learning more about the man.
Unfortunately, the desire to read more about this period is driven by a lack of real depth to many of the specific facts and a kind of unclear theme which seems to contradict itself in a number of ways. I honestly applaud the less obvious approach of focusing much of the film on Napoleon's passion and accompanying frustrations with his wife, who seems rather unfaithful in conjunction with the two having a kind of unhealthy relationship. Josephine is a character who confuses me, as she is portrayed as being both at Napoleon's mercy but also very aware of her power over him. I'm not saying love can't be messy and I'm sure the actual events brought their own unique complications. However, since the film doesn't really make the intentions or the motivations of these characters very clear, I'm not entirely sure how I'm supposed to feel about them. Simply put, despite all the scenes with them, I don't really know them.
While I really admire this idea of Napoleon being very devoted to his wife, with all the imperfections of the relationship included, I don't think it really works well as presented. I think the idea seems to add some feminine power as a motivating force behind the French general, but it feels like no real clear statement is ever put forth. Not that it necessarily has to, as Phoenix does a great job of portraying the complex emotions Napoleon feels for his wife, especially upon hearing of her death. However, we are never really sure why. Then again, maybe he doesn't know. Love is complicated. I guess I can look past that a bit. Unfortunately, the lack of any real dialogue or scenes clarifying this make the character study on Napoleon himself even more confusing.
His love for Josephine is implied to be intertwined with his eventual downfall. This is an interesting idea, as if the man's drive is directly connected to his love for this woman. Between their marriage being made null and her death, Napoleon's victories dwindle. Once again, I really like the general idea of this theme, but I couldn't really see any direct correlation between these two ideas. As one of my fellow podcasters pointed out, "It's two films." I agree.
While I did find some of the ideas of the romance and surrounding political atmosphere moderately intriguing, where this movie shines the most is in the battle sequences. While I'm not sure if Phoenix would have been my first choice for Napoleon (based on my admittedly limited knowledge), I really liked the contrast between his soft spoken demeanor and his decisiveness in combat. He portrayed a man who was quietly confident. I appreciated that. The overall production of France circa 1800 was fantastic, with amazing sets and costume design. It's in the battles that these elements, combined with other special effects really bring you into the time and place of the battle. It feels larger than life but also rather gritty and realistic, with hints of that movie magic greatness I love.
I will say I think the violence is honestly a bit much, as it is placed deliberately enough to draw attention but with a lack of frequency that allows it be a surprise when it happens again. One one hand, this film shows the horrors of war while on the other kind of glorifying it through the bombastic presentation of other classic war films. This is understandable, since the concept of war has often been shown to be both horrifying and oddly intriguing. It's why films like these exist and a complicated issue probably worthy of another blog or two. I'm sure some experts with much more authority on the subject than me have written about it somewhere.
Regardless, this movie leaves me uncertain about how to feel about Napoleon and I think there may be some clunky aspects of the script or production that diminished some of the fine polish of the cinematography and costumes. Napoleon dies and his last words imply a devotion to his men, his country and his wife. These are among the final texts at the end of film, along with the number of casualties caused by his wars. From what I understand, Napoleon is a controversial figure, as the text suggests. I can understand Scott not necessarily having an answer or taking a stance (although I think it helps to). Regardless, I can't help but feel like I didn't really know this version of Napoleon as well as I could have.
Scott has his place in film history for sure, having made some truly great films. Alien is one of my favorite movies, so I really appreciate his work. While I did not like Napoleon nearly as much as Gladiator or The Martian, I think it had some true moments of greatness. Ultimately, the film's overall themes and objects felt as undercooked and enigmatic to me as the title character. There are some gorgeous shots though.
C+
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