Two years after The Last Duel, Ridley Scott once again tackles the historical film. And not with just any subject since it brings to the screen the journey of Napoleon Bonaparte. Here are 5 things to know about this ambitious fresco to see in theaters.
What is it about ? Spectacular fresco, Napoleon focuses on the rise and fall of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. The film traces Bonaparte’s relentless conquest of power through the prism of his passionate and tormented relationship with Joséphine, the great love of his life.
Agenda conflict
After The Last Duel, Jodie Comer and Ridley Scott were to reunite for Napoleon. But the actress, chosen to play Josephine, had to abandon the project due to scheduling conflicts, before being replaced by Vanessa Kirby.
The director declares about the latter: “If you have in mind a slender, dark-haired actress and a shorter, blonde young woman walks into the room and you find her interesting, you have to keep an open mind. Vanessa [Kirby] played the role with sensuality and great confidence, but above all I was sensitive to his humor. She has a wonderful sense of humor and a totally intuitive sense of rhythm which sets her apart from the others and makes her a unique and interesting personality opposite Joaquin.
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From Apple TV+ to movie theaters
Napoleon was originally intended for an exclusive release on Apple TV+. The film finally benefits from a theatrical release, before being available at a later date on the streaming platform.
A long version of 4h30?
If Napoleon is a significant length of 2h38, Ridley Scott has announced that a long version could well see the light of day. Indeed, the director has many hours of rushes; with all this material, he has enough time to edit it in 4 hours and 30 minutes! According to him, this long version would be “fantastic” and would contain “many more scenes with Joséphine de Beauharnais before she met Napoleon.” The filmmaker did not specify how this director’s cut would be visible.
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Filming
For the most part, the production sought to film around London so as not to have to move the crew all over Europe – with a few exceptions. The team notably filmed at Boughton Manor, located in Northamptonshire, approximately three hours’ drive from London. “It was built in the 18th century by a Francophile – an Englishman with a passion for French architecture. It really looks like a French-style château, nestled in a magnificent estate of several hundred hectares, with sheep, horses and sumptuous century-old oaks. It was therefore a special site and we chose to make it Napoleon’s castle.”explains production designer Arthur Max.
The team also filmed at Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire, for the state rooms of the Château de Fontainebleau and the Palais des Tuileries and some exteriors. “It is a neo-classical building in the Palladian style. Whether it is its scale or the richness of its materials, it is sublime. We also realized that we could use the exteriors, in various angles, for scenes taking place in several countries – when, for example, Napoleon approaches Paris or returns from Moscow”continues Max.
Ridley Scott and his collaborators also found sites that they had already invested in for Gladiator, like Bourne Wood in Surrey and Fort Ricasoli in Malta.
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Military training
To recreate the great battles fought by Napoleon, it was not enough to bring together extras in costume: they also had to be trained in the maneuvers of the Napoleonic era. Military advisor Paul Biddiss — who served for 24 years with the Parachute Regiment before becoming a military consultant on film sets — set up a training camp for the infantry and artillery. Since the scenes were filmed on multiple cameras, it was impossible to simulate the action or hide it in the background.
“As a military advisor, I spend 60% of my time on research and the rest comes from my experience in the army”, said Biddiss. It turns out that this is not the first time that he has been a consultant on the staging of major battles of the Napoleonic Wars: “I faced Napoleon three times at Waterloo. I beat him each time.”
(Re)see our interview with Ridley Scott: