Unfortunately, the most expected production of the year by me proved to be a complete disappointment, on almost all levels. I usually don't compose about cultural phenomena that I don't like, but due to how much the movie was expected and how much the "promotion bubble inflated" I thought I couldn't leave it like that.
Poor announcements, many interviews and statements of the creators, “press leaks”, and yet announcements that make rather an impression. All of this warmed up the atmosphere among manufacture media and cinematiacs around the world, especially since the names behind production should be a warrant of quality! In the meantime, after the pre-premale screenings for journalists, opinions emerged, which were at best far from delight, but more frequently simply very critical.
The pre-prime screenings were besides accompanied by a scandal by the manager himself – Ridley Scott. After the presentation of the movie in France and the first critical opinions concerning not only the presentation of historical facts, but besides the production itself the manager asked about these voices replied: “The French don't even like themselves.’ I will admit that at that time the nonchalant gag even made me laugh, due to the fact that I thought that behind it was a movie work at least at the level of another costume manager productions. Unfortunately, the gag lost all its power erstwhile I watched the movie, and this 1 turned out to be a complete grim joke...
Where's the story?
Ridley Scott is known for his spectacular productions of "historical", in which movie fiction is skillfully embedded in the background of the authentic events of this era. For this, the audience loved “Gladiator’s, “The Kingdom of Heaven” and “Robin Hood”. Of course, the approach to past in these films was very loose, and the real events and facts were firmly bent to the needs of the plot. No 1 resented the manager due to the fact that they were completely imaginary stories, and the historical figures appearing in them were secondary and were backgrounds – essential to tie the plot, but inactive background!
This time the manager went on to make a film, whose main characters are historical figures – Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine! I don't know if that's what turned out to be the key "brake" for the creators, but this image is completely unsuccessful!
First of all, it's due to the fact that she's throwing herself between romance and history. The viewer does not know if it is simply a communicative of a turbulent relationship, which in any moments was presented here interestingly due to Vassessy Kirby (Josephine)), or about Napoleon's subsequent campaigns, which in turn were shown fatally!? We practically have no political background here, and if we get it in shreds, which is hard to put together even individual who is curious in this historical period.
The movie is assembled so that it conducts the viewer after the timeline by hand showing further events, but as if between them he were wearing a blindfold. We are in barracks – cut – we are in Egypt – cut – Paris. That's what makes the painting chaotic. Of course, it besides comes out that the creators wanted to show over 20 years of Napoleon's career, which in itself is simply a neck-to-head task, and here an extended romance thread was put in. We get the communicative of a man who is simply a “god of war” who was castrated from politics, strategies and longer conflict scenes.
On top of that, it's an English painting! In this context, the director's gag from the French becomes only a complement to the film, which in itself is simply a mockery from France and Napoleon. All actors talk here with an American accent but English and Russian, who talk with their own accents (they are besides portrayed more seriously than the French). Looking at it, I had the impression that Ridley Scott simply disliked the French, which he gave in the film, which was announced as historical and proved chaotic. The question should so be asked – where is this story, Mr Director?
Joaquin Phoenix
It was on him that the movie was to be “built” and it was him – 1 of the most prominent Hollywood actors turned out to be the weakest link in this already weak chain. In my opinion, the first thing he failed was casting – Phoenix is nothing like a French emperor.. Even on specified a basic issue as the tallness of the actor does not fit here – he does not deviate from another male characters! Next case – age. The movie starts erstwhile Napoleon is simply a small over 20 years old and ends up erstwhile he is over 40 and all the time the actor changes only his hair. After learning the love of his life Josephine, the legendary leader was 27 years old, and she 33, while in the movie he looks much older! Even after the makeup of Joaquin Phoenix does not match Napoleon from any image we know... Although the actor is outstanding, his choice here was completely unsuccessful.
If we add a bad script to that, we have a recipe for failure.. Phoenix almost the full movie plays 1 face and seems bored. We get to know him during the execution scene and the same look will stay with us throughout the film. His issues seem like they were arranged by artificial intelligence, and the way he speaks them is intrusively associated with 2 characters previously played by an actor. For most of the film, he is simply a Kommodus from the “Gladiator” and in moments of lift the Joker! Both roles were thrilling and even perfect, but so what? Watching Phoenix playing Napoleon Bonaparte constantly accompanied me with the impression that I had already seen it in the mentioned films – I could virtually compose a plot, dividing it into parts where the actor is Kommodus or Joker. I expected more.
Knowing that Phoenix is not physically akin to Napolen, and yet Scott was betting on him, I was hoping that it would be a “Spacer on the Line” creation, where the actor was phenomenally incarnated into Johnny Cash. It's not physically similar! Similarly, it was in the movie "Don't worry, it won't get far". Phoenix not physically resembling John Callahan played the iconic cartoonist absolutely brilliantly! Both paintings were biographical, and the creations of the actor were poignant, unique and making us begin to see the character, not the actor! Here it is the other – from the beginning to the end of the movie we want to see Napoleon, and we inactive see Joaquin Phoenix, and from earlier creations (well, well?). It's not like the perfect costumes or the large scenery are helping.
As if all this was scarce Ridley Scott seems to neglect to announcement that the movie art has gone forward powerfully and uses a dark-gray filter in the full image characteristic of costume films from 2-3 decades ago. any scenes are so dark, it's hard to see anything.
God of boredom!
Several well-done conflict scenes specified as the conflict of Austerlitz and the 1812 expedition do not help. Dariusz Wolski he did a truly large occupation with the camera (as always) and in these scenes you can see quite a few drama, as well as the immense commitment of the remainder of the cast. large music doesn't aid either Martina Phippswhich in these well-executed scenes creates a beautiful background.
Vanessa Kirby as Josephine is hypnotizing! Only again – so what if the script written by David Scarp He's just weak. We get just a fewer scenes where we can get the impression that between the characters truly sparks (Phoenix is then more of a Joker), but they last virtually a minute and are incapable to compensate for our boredom. Additionally, the manager presented any of the relation between the couple to us in letters that Napoleon writes to Josephine from his expeditions and this is simply annoying.
Ridley Scott has already announced that a directorial version has besides been created, which lasts almost 4 hours and complements all the "missing elements" that could not be shown in a more than two-hour film. For I dare uncertainty the component that is most lacking here is simply a full-blooded, main character – Napoleon! He's not gonna make up for anything else!
If we had the creation to match this character, I would have forgiven the dark filter, chaotic editing, besides short conflict scenes, and even the romance convention (the more so that Josephine was great). possibly I would even forgive the fact that Napoleon is portrayed here as a “big baby” covering his ears with all cannon shot! Unfortunately, Phoenix's game in comparison with a somewhat pastige way of portraying Napoleon in the script creates an absolutely fatal effect.
I truly do not know who is more guilty of defeat here – Ridley Scott or Joaquin Phoenix, but the effect is that the most anticipated historical movie of the year has become the biggest disappointment. The painting was expected to show us Napoleon – emperor, conqueror, lover and god of war, and proved to be a failed production that gave us Napoleon as a god of boredom.
But there is hope! On the occasion of the confusion around the unsuccessful “Napoleon” by Ridley Scott, the media revealed that a fresh production was being created which was the biography of the Emperor of France, who fascinated another manager Stanley Kubrick. The dream he failed to realize was to movie the biography of Napoleon Bonaparte. There was even an thought of a script to be utilized in a series created with large momentum for HBO. The production will have 7 episodes and the full liable as manager will be alone Steven Spielberg. It remains to wait again in the hope that we will not be disappointed this time.
Bartosz Iwicki
photo of filmweb
Think Poland, No. 51-52 (17-24.12.2023)
