Ridley Scott, the director who brought us game-changing blockbusters like Alien, Bladerunner, and Gladiator, takes on one of history’s most notorious figures in his new film, Napoleon. The 2-hour and 38-minute historical epic follows not only his military career but his relationship with his wife and empress, Josephine. The film stars Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix (Joker, The Master) as Napoleon and Academy Award nominee Vanessa Kirby (Mission: Impossible — Fallout, The Crown) as Josephine. It’s playing in theaters now, but Sir Ridley himself has said that there will be a 4-hour director’s cut on AppleTV+ at a later date.
On this episode of The Long Take Review, P.T., Greg, and I discuss what worked and didn’t work about this film, what it’s trying to say about Napoleon, and how to place the film in the context of Scott’s staggering career.
You can listen to The Long Take Review on Substack, Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Movie News Check-In: Gotham and NYFCC awards. Furiosa trailer 5:09
The Short Take: Our general impressions of Napoleon. (Spoiler-free.) 28:08
The Recommendation Algorithm: Who should see Napoleon? How history dad friendly is it? (Spoiler-free.) 40:37
SPOILER MODE What surprised us about the film? How does the film portray Napoleon and Josephine’s relationship? 51:43
The Rhetorical Situation: What is the thesis of this film? And what notes would we give it were it a student paper? 57:40
Oscars Watch: In which categories could Napoleon garner nominations? An extended conversation about visual effects. Will Ridley Scott ever get an Oscar? 1:30:00
Image Credit: Deadline
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Napoleon Review