The biopic on the French emperor directed by Ridley Scott was released in cinemas this Wednesday, November 22, 2023. In France, the press is very critical of the film “Napoleon”.
One of the most anticipated films of the year is finally released in theaters. Napoleon, a historical fresco by Ridley Scott, can be seen in cinemas from this Wednesday, November 22, 2023. The 85-year-old British director tackles the abundant life of the former emperor of France, from his spectacular rise to his fall, through the prism of his romantic relationship with his wife, Joséphine.
If American critics were generally seduced by the filmmaker’s proposal, in France, the press was torn apart. Historians have not failed to criticize the liberties taken with reality, while the media are divided on the final result. Ridley Scott himself reacted to the sometimes negative criticism, saying that “the French don’t love themselves.”
But ultimately, should we see Napoleon at the cinema? Critics are very divided on the result, to the point that the film received a press rating of 2.7/5 on Allociné. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 68% positive rating, not bad but not great either.
The conquered praise the “historical fresco which excites” (Le Figaro) and “often colossal moments” in terms of staging” (Première). The performance of Joaquin Phoenix, “which subtly embodies the ambiguity of the subjugated political monster to his feelings”, is praised in this “great show with flamboyant aesthetics” (Elle).
But many critics are surprised by the cuts and ellipses made in Napoleon (which already lasts 2h38) and are waiting for the 4-hour director’s cut promised by Ridley Scott for streaming. This is why this biopic “leaves a mixed feeling, between impressive staging and historical shortcuts. The feature film, in theaters this Wednesday, November 22, is not bad for all that, offering large pieces of bravery in terms of staging as well as interpretation”, judges Le Parisien.
For others, Napoleon is a huge disappointment. Télérama deplores “a clumsy biopic” that the magazine even describes as “an aberration”, when Libération criticizes a film that is “stupid and deliberately unworthy of its subject” which “offers no point of view, either on the man or on the myth”.
