French Historians Slam Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Inaccuracies: ‘Like Spitting in the Face of French People’

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent French broadcaster France Televisions has been blamed by supporters of Gerard Depardieu, the Oscar-nominated actor of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” for contributing to the downfall of one of country’s most iconic actors with a bombshell documentary about his history of sexual abuse allegations which aired on Dec. 7.

Josephine Bonaparte was a woman with strength, elegance, and an unknowable nature that proved an irresistible combination for the French emperor Napoleon. In researching the role for Ridley Scott’s historical epic Napoleon, Vanessa Kirby discovered that behind this allure lay an unrelenting drive to survive, and, using that as a basis, she found a foothold: a way to show how this “internally mysterious” woman weathered a tempestuous relationship and its constantly shifting power dynamic. Although Josephine would ultimately fall from favor, due to her inability to produce an heir, Kirby notes that her integrity prevailed, in spite of the unbearable pressures she faced.

At 24, Edouard Philipponnat has already worked with powerhouse director Ridley Scott twice and his latest project Napoleon has him going toe to toe with the likes of Joaquin Phoenix and Vanessa Kirby.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Justine Triet‘s “Anatomy of a Fall” missed out on being chosen as France’s Oscar entry, but the movie has been a critical and commercial hit — including in the U.S., where it’s become the highest-grossing specialized foreign-language release post-pandemic, according to distributor Neon. Released in the States on Oct. 13, “Anatomy of a Fall” has pulled in $3.5 million so far, putting it ahead of Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World” and on track to match last year’s Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness,” another Neon movie.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “The Summer With Carmen,” Zacharias Mavroeidis’ queer comedy, has been acquired in major territories since world premiering at the Venice Film Festival. The movie, which is represented by Be For Films and had its North American premiere at AFI, recently won three prizes at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. It will be released next year by Cinobo in Greece, Epicentre in France and Xenix Filmdistribution in Switzerland.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Former French President François Hollande is part of the voice cast for “Silex & the City – The Movie,” a big-screen spinoff of the popular short-format animated series set in the Stone Age. “Silex & the City” is adapted from the comic book series by the same name created by French cartoonist Jul, which has sold over a million copies.

Napoleon’s screenwriter, David Scarpa, has revealed that the opening scene of the movie was originally very “different”.In a recent interview with IndieWire, Scarpa has shared the creative process surrounding Ridley Scott’s new biopic, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte.In the interview, Scarpa revealed details of Scott’s creative mind, nuances behind the film’s script and some of the challenges that faced the filmmakers.One detail upon which Scarpa opened up was regarding the film’s opening scene, which shows the execution of Marie Antoinette in 1793. In a four-star review, NME wrote that this “vivid and dramatic start sets the tone of a film that is never less than full-blooded”.However, when asked about this scene, Scarpa shared: “That’s not how we originally started it.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Ridley Scott’s historical epic “Napoleon” was cruelly defeated at the mainland Chinese box office, where it opened in only fifth place on its opening weekend. Chinese crime thriller “Across the Furious Sea” headed the mainland China charts for a second weekend, earning $20.0 million (RMB142 million), according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway. “Napoleon” earned just $2.8 million ($19.6 million) in China, according to the firm whose figures are generally considered as final, not estimates. The film earned generally mixed to positive reviews, but only a middling score of 6.6 out of 10 from users of the Douban movie fan site. But it appears that Chinese audiences found the travails of an ancient French emperor to be too much of a specialist topic.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Following in the footsteps of U.S. guilds, French TV crew members are poised to go on strike amid a battle with producers over minimum wages. Labor union CGT-SPIAC has sought a 20% increase on basic salaries for crew members working in production and post-production of TV shows, documentaries and unscripted content in France.

Ridley Scott returned to comfortably epic territory with Napoleon starring Joaquin Phoenix.The director’s latest film depicts the French leader’s rise to power, along with his turbulent relationship with Empress Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby) amid the French revolution.Napoleon was released in cinemas on November 22, 2023. An extended four-hour director’s cut is set to arrive on Apple TV+ at a later date.It marks Scott’s 28th feature film, following the likes of The Martian, Gladiator, Black Hawk Down, Alien and Blade Runner.Gladiator 2 will be Scott’s next film and his 29th feature as director.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Somewhat mysterious and fearless, Oscar-winning British actor Jeremy Irons has played a host of different characters during his decades-long career, from Adrian Veidt in Damon Lindelof’s TV series “Watchmen,” to Rodolfo Gucci in Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci,” British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain in “Munich: The Edge of War” and Alfred Pennyworth in the DC Extended Universe films, including the latest “Justice League.” Reteaming with Palme d’Or winning Bille August for the third time, Irons will next play Abbé Faria, a noble and wise character, in the prestige limited series “The Count of Monte Cristo,” starring opposite fellow British actor Sam Claflin as Edmond Dantès. The premum limited series is distributed worldwide by Mediawan Rights, in cooperation with CAA (for North America).

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent “Frenchie Shore,” the local adaptation of the popular American reality show “Jersey Shore,” rivaled Ridley Scott’s historical epic “Napoleon” as November’s most polarizing entertainment topic in France. Since launching on Paramount+ and MTV France on Nov. 11, the reality show has inundated social media, especially TikTok where users have been posting sexually explicit, yet blurred, clips from the show illegally.

Napoleon has made a strong start at the French box office despite some scathing reviews from French critics.The film – which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the famed French emperor – has received largely positive reviews internationally, though some French critics have slated the film.French GQ called it “deeply clumsy, unnatural and unintentionally funny”, while Le Figaro compared it to “Barbie and Ken under the Empire”.Nevertheless, it took $1.019million (£810,000) during its opening day in France last week (via Variety) – accounting for nearly a third of international takings – before making a total $5.6million (£4.44million) over its first five days.Its weekend takings also make France one of the biggest international markets for Napoleon, second behind the UK with $6.6million (£5.23million), according to ScreenDaily.Last week, director Ridley Scott hit back at French critics of the film, telling the BBC: “The French don’t even like themselves”.He added: “The audience that I showed it to in Paris, they loved it.”Scott also previously hit back at historian Dan Snow’s criticism of the film, after the latter broke down Napoleon‘s historical inaccuracies.“Get a life,” the director said. “I tend to be visual above all things, before the written word.”Napoleon focuses on the emperor’s rise to power and his relationship with Empress Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby).

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Ridley Scott’s historical epic “Napoleon” may not have conquered the top spot in North America, but it emerged victorious at the worldwide box office. The film, starring Joaquin Phoenix as the infamous French ruler, debuted to $78.8 million, including $46.3 million internationally — enough to stave off the competition on global charts.

Ridley Scott’s Napoleon through Thursday has grossed an estimated $21M worldwide. The Apple Original Films and Sony Pictures action epic is now eyeing a $70M-$73M five-day global opening, including $40M from the international box office. Should those numbers hold, this will be well ahead of pre-weekend projections.

Napoleon was released in cinemas in the US and UK yesterday (November 22), ahead of an eventual digital release.The new movie stars Joaquin Phoenix as the historical military commander, Napoleon Bonaparte, and charts his rise to power, as well as his relationship with Empress Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby).According to an official synopsis, Napoleon “is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor”. It continued: “Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed”.The film also stars the likes of Tahar Rahim, Ben Miles and Rupert Everett.No streaming release date has been announced for Napoleon at the time of writing.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Despite being plagued by harsh reviews from French critics and a derisive retaliation by director Ridley Scott, “Napoleon” had a strong opening in France on Wednesday, grossing an estimated €868,000 ($946,000) from approximately 120,000 admissions. The figure, unveiled by Comscore France, includes about 8,000 tickets sold at preview screenings across France, notably in Paris where Sony Pictures held a lavish world premiere of the historical epic on Nov.

Jordan Moreau Disney is wishing upon a box office star this Thanksgiving, as its latest animated movie “Wish” takes on Apple’s historical drama “Napoleon.” “Wish” is expected to come out on top this weekend, but “Napoleon” won the first box office battle in previews. “Napoleon” made $3 million in previews, which began on Tuesday due to the Thanksgiving holiday, and “Wish” made $2.3 million. The family friendly animated movie about Disney’s iconic wishing star is expected to make $35 million over the typical weekend.

Joaquin Phoenix‘s new epic movie Napoleon, directed by Ridley Scott, is now playing in theaters and you might be wondering if there’s a post-credits scene.

Ridley Scott has fired back at French film critics after they published a series of negative reviews of his new biopic, Napoleon.Despite receiving generally positive reviews by UK critics, several high-profile French publications have been less kind, with French GQ saying it was “deeply clumsy, unnatural and unintentionally funny”, while Le Figaro likened it to “Barbie and Ken under the Empire”.In an interview with the BBC, Scott retorted: “The French don’t even like themselves”.“The audience that I showed it to in Paris, they loved it.”Joaquin Phoenix plays Napoleon Bonaparte in the film, which hits UK cinemas on Wednesday (November 22). It follows the French leader’s rise to power and his relationship with Empress Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby). Other cast members include Tahar Rahim, Ben Miles and Rupert Everett.It is not the first time that Scott has made headlines during the promotion for Napoleon.