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“Napoleon” Trailer Reaction
“The film is an original and personal look at Napoleon Bonaparte’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship […]
“The film is an original and personal look at Napoleon Bonaparte’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine.”
Director: Ridley Scott
Writer: David Scarpa
Staring: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Ben Miles, Tahir Rahim, Ludivine Sagnier, Catherine Walker
Release Date: November 22, 2023
IMDB
So, let me get this straight. You are telling me that I have one of the best big-scale filmmakers taking on the story of one of the biggest egomaniacs in history? You are telling me that a man soaking in a bigger-is-better mindset has the opportunity to flex his muscle through the lens of one of the greatest historical conquerors ever?
Is this real life?
Napoleon (2023) is a Ridley Scott directed feature starring Oscar award winning Joaquin Phoenix as the titular Frenchman Napoleon alongside Oscar nominated Vanessa Kirby as his wife, Empress Josephine. The screenplay of David Scarpa is going to focus on Napoleon’s relationship with Josephine, and how his tumultuous relationship with her is emblematic of his confidence and erratic behavior in court and on the battlefield.
Looking at this first trailer for Napoleon, it is impossible not to use the world “epic” in terms of its scale. The pomp and circumstance hinted at among the French aristocrats and nobility is matched only by the gritty ugliness of the battlefield. Napoleon is a man who was able to tame both battlefields, but which one was more difficult may be left up to viewers interpretation.
Ridley Scott was born in November of 1937, but he is still out here creating movies that are impossible to ignore. Napoleon is a character driven story and Scott has tagged arguably the greatest actor to be the magnetic world shaping leader. This might be perfect casting for this character. I am no casting director, but this two minute trailer is enough for me to say that Phoenix is a tour de force.
In this trailer Napoleon is telling us so much about himself without uttering phrases longer than two short sentences. Napoleon glares at those he shares disdain for and has 1,000 yard stares when totting his accomplishments. To put it crassly, Napoleon seems like a huge asshole. How hard is it to shine the light on someone who almost everyone in the room is rooting against? Scarpa’s screenplay and Scott’s directorial choices will raise Napoleon to a god-like pedestal, and they are going to leave it up to the audience as to whether or not they want to see this ideal of personal success fail.
Below are all the lines that Napoleon says in this trailer.
- “I Promise Brilliant Success.”
- “This is my uniform, I led the French victory at Toulon.”
- “Napoleon.”
- “I am destined for Greatness. But those in power only see me as a sword.”
- “Shall we vote?”
- “All of Europe is uniting forces against me.”
- “Good.”
- “I am the first to admit when I make a mistake. I simply never do.”
You think Napoleon was high on himself? The only two lines that don’t reflect upon himself directly are “Napoleon” when he introduces himself to Josephine, and “Good” where he sneers unveiling a trap where he knows he has the upperhand.
The one person Napoleon may not be able to get the upper hand on is Josephine. She says in the trailer that Napoleon would be nothing without her, and who are we to disagree with her? The most exciting thing about Josephine is that she is played by Vanessa Kirby who has the opportunity to give an award worthy performance like Jodie Cromer did in The Last Duel (2021). Scott’s past two projects have had a strong female character at its center; Cromer and Lady Gaga in House Of Gucci (2021). Neither broke through the barrier of the Academy Awards, but neither performance was lambasted. Perhaps it is Kirby who will break through.
We have talked Scott, Phoenix and Kirby. Now is the time for the writer, David Scarpa.
Scarpa has his name attached to plenty of big projects on the horizon. Napoleon comes out in November, and his next scheduled release is Scott’s sequel chance Gladiator 2 (2024), which will follow Lucious, the son of Maximus’ love Lucilla, following Maximus’ death. And Scarpa isn’t done with historical epics. He is the screenplay writer for the confirmed but still in development Cleopatra movie starring Gal Gadot. Scarpa is in the midst of the most important part of his career thus far, and he is up to his neck in potential.
Napoleon is expected to be released on November 22, 2023. Napoleon is an Apple production.
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