Ben Shehadi is a historian and author of the new book “Napoleon: The Revolutionary Hero” (available NOW on Amazon). He currently runs the newsletter “Hot History” on Substack, where you can find many more articles about Napoleon.
Is Ridley Scott’s new Napoleon movie historically accurate? Does it capture the essence of France’s greatest military hero? No, not even close.
Here are five HUGE problems from a historian’s perspective.
1) Napoleon’s childhood
Nothing is said about Napoleon’s childhood. He came from Corsica, not France. To understand Napoleon, you need to look at his childhood. He was an outcast, an outsider, a loner. As an Italian educated in France, he was bullied by his French peers in school. Only after witnessing the French Revolution, did Napoleon finally embrace France as his homeland. Why did he do this? If you watched the Ridley Scott movie, you’d have no clue!
2) Austrians in Italy
Where are Napoleon’s two huge campaigns in Italy?
Following the French Revolution, France invaded Italy in order to kick out the Austrians. The campaign had been stalling for several years. But as soon as Napoleon showed up, the French were able to quickly reverse their stalemate into a triumph. He won six battles in just a couple of weeks, earning the nickname “the Little Corporeal” at the Battle of Lodi. When the Austrians reversed Napoleon’s gains, he came back and crushed them again—a second time!—at the Battle of Marengo.
None of this can be found in the movie.
Joaquin Phoenix stars as Napoleon Bonaparte and Vanessa Kirby stars as Empress Josephine in Apple Original Films and Columbia Pictures theatrical release of NAPOLEON. Photo by: Aidan Monaghan
“…five HUGE problems from a historian’s perspective.”
3) Egyptian Disaster
Just like the real Napoleon’s campaign in Egypt, Ridley Scott’s depiction is a disaster!
No, Napoleon did not fire cannonballs at the Pyramids of Egypt. He was an intellectual, who loved and respected Egyptian culture. His expedition included many French scientists, whose discovery of the Rosetta Stone literally launched the field of modern Egyptology! None of this is shown by Ridley Scott, a pro-British propagandist who fails to mention any of Napoleon’s intellectual or cultural achievements.
Instead, Ridley Scott gives us a fake Napoleon: a brutish low-life, who forces his wife to do doggy style and violates the rules of European etiquette. Nothing at all like the real Napoleon!
4) Missing Battles
Where’s Trafalgar? What about the Battle of the Nile? And what about the Battle of Leipzig, the largest battle in Europe until WWI? No invasion of Spain? Those aren’t minor battles. Each of them played a big role in the real Napoleon’s story.
5) Joaquin Garbage
Finally, the movie’s biggest sin: Joaquin Phoenix’s disappointing performance. He may be a great Joker, but he’s a terrible Napoleon.
Phoenix fails to capture any of Napoleon’s charisma, military genius, or leadership qualities. Instead, we get the Joker playing Napoleon: a spidery schizoid patient who lacks any charm, ambition, or cultural refinement whatsoever. If the real Napoleon were anything like Joaquin’s version, nobody would have followed him! The real Napoleon was a great man. He was powerful, intelligent, charismatic, and enlightened.
Unfortunately, to find Bonaparte’s brilliance, you’ll have to look somewhere other than Ridley Scott’s movie.
