Most people will agree that this film is visually stunning. The sets, the wardrobe, the battle scenes. All of the imagery is amazingly beautiful.
But as a story it flopped on several fronts. On the one hand, it tries to cover 30 years... 30 YEARS... of history, making at least 6 time skips with almost 0 context as to what happens in between. It shows iconic, well known moments of Napoleon's career, but you can barely understand why he is there, what events led to that situation, and even the ramifications of his actions after the event. Most of the important figures that cross his path, are barely mentioned or explained. His generals are not even named. This makes every side character forgettable.
If it had been focused on a shorter time period, we would have been able to understand both the context and the character more and the story would have been better off for it. The French revolution and the napoleonic wars are fascinating subjects, but there is no need to cover ALL of it to tell a good Napoleon story.
In contrast, there is too much focus on his private life with Josephine. Don't get me wrong, that is a totally legitimate and interesting aspect to explore in a film, but if you are telling the story of Napoleon, you need to show the military side of his career as well. The movie does not ever show him planning a battle (as in coming up with the plans), does not convey his knowledge of military matters and logistics, does not show his cunning cultivation of his personality cult, nor his boldness in political matters. We are constantly shown his insecurities, his arrogance and his lack of vision in crucial moments, leaving you a very pathetic impression of him as a character. He feels emasculated by Josephine. I never once got the impresión that he was loved, feared or even respected.
It feels as though the rest of the characters tolerate him because they must. The point is not whether he was evil or heroic. The point is that he was a forced to be reckoned with.
Again we are talking about a history icon that faced the combined might of Europe and prevailed for 15 years. He should feel epic, he should invoke awe. But he does not. And that to me is the biggest sin of this film.
But as a story it flopped on several fronts. On the one hand, it tries to cover 30 years... 30 YEARS... of history, making at least 6 time skips with almost 0 context as to what happens in between. It shows iconic, well known moments of Napoleon's career, but you can barely understand why he is there, what events led to that situation, and even the ramifications of his actions after the event. Most of the important figures that cross his path, are barely mentioned or explained. His generals are not even named. This makes every side character forgettable.
If it had been focused on a shorter time period, we would have been able to understand both the context and the character more and the story would have been better off for it. The French revolution and the napoleonic wars are fascinating subjects, but there is no need to cover ALL of it to tell a good Napoleon story.
In contrast, there is too much focus on his private life with Josephine. Don't get me wrong, that is a totally legitimate and interesting aspect to explore in a film, but if you are telling the story of Napoleon, you need to show the military side of his career as well. The movie does not ever show him planning a battle (as in coming up with the plans), does not convey his knowledge of military matters and logistics, does not show his cunning cultivation of his personality cult, nor his boldness in political matters. We are constantly shown his insecurities, his arrogance and his lack of vision in crucial moments, leaving you a very pathetic impression of him as a character. He feels emasculated by Josephine. I never once got the impresión that he was loved, feared or even respected.
It feels as though the rest of the characters tolerate him because they must. The point is not whether he was evil or heroic. The point is that he was a forced to be reckoned with.
Again we are talking about a history icon that faced the combined might of Europe and prevailed for 15 years. He should feel epic, he should invoke awe. But he does not. And that to me is the biggest sin of this film.