Napoleon

Summary

Ridley Scott’sNapoleonwas an ambitious but flawed attack to examine the legendary French emperor , but one 21 - year - erstwhile movie reveals how the 2023 film could have better bring Bonaparte ’s storey to living . Made on an estimated budget of between $ 130 - 200 million , Napoleonmade just $ 220 million at the global box office . Although a streaming release on Apple TV+ mitigated some of the hurt , the moving-picture show nevertheless betray to come across with theatrical audiences . However , as one earlier project proves , there was a way for it to find greater critical success .

AlthoughNapoleonreceived mixed followup from critics , there is no doubting the film ’s scale or the earnestness of its effort . The tale cover a huge swathe of Bonaparte ’s living , begin with theexecution of Marie Antoinette in 1793and running all the path up until his death in St Helena 28 years later . This ambit was part of the problem , as Napoleon ’s incredible achievements were diminished by being cram into one 157 - arcminute pic . However , whileNapoleonproves that fitting three decades into one movie is a formula for failure , another pic shows that taking a more concentrated approach can grow expectant results .

Ridley Scott ’s Napoleon highlights the titulary subject ’s spirit . From military campaigns to personal titbit , we break dance down the biopic ’s end .

Napoleon 2023 Movie Poster

Master And Commander Proved Napoleon’s Approach Was All Wrong

Released in 2003 , Peter Weir’sMaster and Commander : The Far Side of the Worldisone of the best movies ever made about the Napoleonic era . Based on English generator Patrick O’Brian ’s celebrated novel , the film follows the gang of HMS Surprise as they assay to track and quail at the French ship Acheron in a nautical ballet that uses the ocean as its dancefloor . Starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany as Captain Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin , the celluloid delivers explosive naval fight while providing an intimate flavor at life in the Royal Navy during the early 19th Century .

On one level , abiopic about Napoleon and a fictional storyof naval combat are two very different projects . However , give the moving-picture show ’s shared setting , Master and Commanderprovides some valuable example about how to secernate a story ready during this epoch – including one about Napoleon himself . Compared to Scott ’s movie , Master and Commanderis a much more focused project – authentically bringing to life the crew of a undivided English vessel amidst a global difference . And yet , it ’s this focus that help the movie draw its characters fantastically vividly and reveal more about the era thanNapoleonmanages in its 28 - yr sweep .

Master and Commanderproves that , rather oftrying to tell Napoleon ’s tale in a single movie , the effective means to let out cryptic truth about his eccentric and make him a believable protagonist is to condense on a specific period . Scott ’s film could have emulated Weir ’s moving-picture show and followed Napoleon ’s journey during the French Revolution , or delved into the siege of Toulon , or his legendary Russian crusade . Ironically , in trying to comprehend everything , the film run out to explain almost anything about his motivation and nature . AsMaster and Commanderproved , the Napoleonic geological era demands specificity instead of generality .

Joaquin Phoenix in Napoleon looking concerned in a hat

Custom image by Yeider Chacon

Master And Commander’s Critical Success Proves How Great Napoleon Could Have Been

Although the film as a whole fail to offer a classical history of Bonaparte ’s tale , there were aspects ofNapoleonthat follow . As demonstrated by a deuce-ace of Academy Award nominations for Best Production Design , Best Costume Design , and Best Visual Effects , the moving-picture show is full of vivid period details and is an undeniably immersive viewing experience . However , the fact that the motion-picture show received such mixed reviews , even with the recognition that its excogitation was surpassing , establish that the big problem with the movie was with its history , and the smash - on effect that had on portrayal .

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

napoleon-movie-ending-explained

57 %

59 %

Master and Commander

Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon with a Rotten Tomatoes Splat behind him on a battlefield

85 %

80 %

By contrast , Master and Commander ’s critical acclaim , blend with its every bit immersive world - building , highlights that using specific narration to paint a wide picture of a particular point is a much better approach than rushing through three decades in two - and - a - half hr . LikeNapoleon , Master and Commanderwas also nominate for Best Costume Design and Best Visual effects at the Academy Awards . The movie ’s extra nominations in eight further categories , including Best Picture , prove that the Napoleonic era itself is no obstruction to decisive success – it just requires a more limited orbit .

Custom image of Napoleon and Josephine in the Ridley Scott movie

Ridley Scott ’s historical epic poem Napoleon will get the history of the Gallic emperor moth to life with a gifted cast led by Joaquin Phoenix .

Master And Commander Continued Ridley Scott’s Original Legacy

Perhaps what ’s most wry about the human relationship betweenNapoleonandMaster and Commanderis that Weir ’s movie very much trace in the footsteps of an early Ridley Scott diachronic hit . After win Best Picture in 2000 withGladiator , Scott helped rekindle interest in historical epics as a genre . As well asMaster and Commanderin 2003 , this led to several other standardised projects , such as Wolfgang Petersen’sTroy , Ridley Scott ’s ownKingdom of Heaven , and Oliver Stone’sAlexander . Although each of these movies has a different context , they share sure hallmarks that institute a well-defined connecter .

Each of these films was given a important budget to more accurately bring its earth to life . Just as inGladiator , a specific write up and timeframe was used to expose a wider Sojourner Truth about the film ’s place setting , alternatively of attempt to narrate too wide - ranging a story over an clumsy time period . The exception to this wasAlexander , which is wide regarded as one of the weakest of the other 2000s historical films and made many of the same mistakes asNapoleon . The fact that Scott had the example of not justMaster and Commanderbut movies from his own catalogue makesNapoleonfeel like even more of a miss chance .

Master And Commander’s Failure Proves The Sad Truth About Napoleon

Master and Commander ’s critical success compare toNapoleonsuggests that its tale approach to the flow was a better strategy . However , despite the plaudits , the fact that it too fail to make an impact at the boxful function paint a picture that , whatever story a Napoleonic flick tells , there may not be important audience sake . Similarly toNapoleon , Master and Commandermade around $ 200 million against an gauge $ 150 million budget – a fiscal failure , consider that most movies need to make around two - and - a - half time their budget to break up even . Considering its accolades and vital acclaim , this performance is double dissatisfactory .

Budget

Box Office

Russell Crowe in Gladiator and Master and Commander

$ 130 - 200 grand

$ 220 chiliad

$ 150 M

Headshot of Joaquin Phoenix

$ 200 M

The Napoleonic Wars constitute one of the most consequential periods in Early innovative account . Beyond being a solely European business organisation , the issue pretend the entire Earth and go away their mug on international political science for centuries to come . However , the fact that the stories are often so focus on on Europemay excuse whymovies likeNapoleonandMaster and Commanderhave failed to resonate with a globular audience . Master and Commandermay prove that there was a better fashion to tellNapoleon ’s tarradiddle . regrettably , the movie also suggests that almost any Napoleon pic was always likely to go , fall in its circumstance .

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Cast

Headshot Of Vanessa Kirby

Napoleon