Warning: Spoliers
Ridley Scott's latest biopic on the controversial historical figure Napoleon I, emperor of France from 1804–1814/15, presents a unique commentary on the tragic states of certain individuals.
Joaquin Phoenix portrays Napoleon as someone deeply flooded with insecurity. Throughout the movie, we see how his political and private lives are often intertwined, barely able to stand as two separate pillars. Napoleon's love life, in particular, is influenced by the politics surrounding him. That is made most clear during the scene in which Napoleon confronts his wife Joséphine, portrayed by Vanessa Kirby, over her infidelities. Much of his anger derives from his fear of what others will think, including those involved in his political circle. It doesn't matter so much that he might feel heartbroken over her cheating (although let's not forget he also engaged in extramarital affairs); if he looks disrespected by his wife in public, that is something considered far worse. Marriage here is governed by the people. Napoleon and Joséphine's marriage primarily falls apart as a result of the latter's infertility issues. Napoleon divorces his wife after she fails to produce an heir, having her sign the papers in front of a whole audience and slapping her after she becomes emotional. I might argue that one of the most disturbing things that happens as a result of others' influence is Napoleon's actual mother having her son determine Joséphine's infertility through sleeping with a much younger woman in the hopes she gets pregnant. Which she does. Whether or not Scott's movie is historically accurate, it is clear to see how leadership ironically results in the appointed leader being led by others rather than the other way around.
From his wife's cheating to his eventual exile to the island of St. Helen in the South Atlantic Ocean, Napoleon's story is not one to be envied. Scott's cinematography does a fantastic job of painting Napoleon's life as very bleak. Much of the movie's lighting is rather gloomy, sitting with Napoleon throughout as if to foreshadow his eventual downfall. Indeed, we observe his marriage already starting to crumble as Joséphine, after her infidelities are made well known to the public, arrives at her home with the miserable rain pouring down and the sky painted grey, suggesting great doubt that the marriage will survive. The scenes at war, including the Battle of Austerlitz sequence, with their dismal lighting only seem to convey just how exhausting and draining war can be, and all for the sake of taking a political stance. And for what? Napoleon certainly doesn't meet his demise in the movie with a country full of adoring fans left devastated. He sits alone in his empty home during his exile, looking miserable, later falling out of the movie's final frame, presumably dying, with what feels like the lightest of pushes from someone behind.
Overall, Scott's Napoleon is not an attempt at depicting such a ruler as someone favourable and merely misunderstood, but instead one who is complicated. But no matter your stance on him, he is definitely not one to be envied.
Note: I do not own the photos in this post.
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