‘Napoleon’ based on a ‘true’ story

In the history of the world, few names have the kind of recognition as Napoleon’s. The prospect of telling the story of an icon with such pedigree is beastly. Thankfully, acclaimed director Ridley Scott reunites with Best Actor-winner Joaquin Phoenix to chronicle the life and legacy in Napoleon. With such a wealth of talent behind the camera, Napoleon is primed to be a biopic like no other.

The film focuses on Napoleon’s conquests, his personal life, and his oversized headwear. Phoenix gives a dynamite Napoleon performance with an eccentricity that’s hard to grasp. Napoleon’s identity shifts on a franc, behaving like a reserved authoritarian in one moment, and a babbling child in another. All the while his movements are that of a man whose ego far exceeds his stature, believing that conquest is his destiny, and all opposition is godless treason.

Whether this was the true persona of Napoleon, is far from the film’s concern. Napoleon plays fast and loose with historical record, and creates spectacle wherever it can. Even the most middling conversation is given a treatment worthy of a giant cinema screen. One has to wonder if the intent is to portray events as Napoleon might recount it, rather than submit to the banal convention of truth.

That’s not to say Napoleon passes off as historical fiction. The broad strokes of his accomplishments are told, but it’s the finer details that have been ‘moviefied’. The film’s apathy towards authenticity extends to its accents. French characters have British accents, but puzzlingly, German and Russian characters do not, while Joaquin Phoenix sounds like himself.

As distracting as these elements may be, the core of the movie remains oddly compelling. Napoleon is an unpredictable presence, and his romantic dynamic with Vanessa Kirby’s Josephine is one of the oddest ever depicted. Kirby is a force to be reckoned with, and the film simply doesn’t work without her. Intentional or otherwise, between the two of them, Napoleon is one of the funniest films of the year.

Frankly, any film based on history deserves an asterisk to its script. Napoleon simply abandons the pretence that it’s anything more than entertainment. To that end, it’s a film with an astounding sense of scale, with an incredible attention to detail in its wardrobe and set design, and the kind of battle scenes that only Ridley Scott can deliver. It may not be the truth, but it sure is a sight to behold.

Rating: Half Price

Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.