Napoleon Movie: A Historian's Review (Part Two)

Part Two: Scene-By-Scene Analysis

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Last November, Ridley Scott released his movie Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix. 

I just published a book about Napoleon myself, so here are my own thoughts on the film—from a historian’s perspective. 

In part two of my review, I will provide a detailed breakdown of the film’s story—giving my opinions about the historical accuracy and cinematic value. 

For convenience’s sake, I’ll discuss the events in chronological order, as they occur (or fail to occur) within the film.

Napoleon’s early life (not shown in the movie)

The movie skips right over Napoleon’s childhood which, in my opinion, is a big mistake. We miss all of Bonaparte’s formative years at Autun, Brienne, the Royal Military School, as well as his early military deployments at Valence and Auxunne. 

This is a very glaring omission. Napoleon’s unhappy childhood is essential to understanding his personality. An Italian living on foreign French soil, young Bonaparte hated his new homeland. Nothing is said about Napoleon’s parents or their political connections to Pasquale Paoli’s struggle for Corsica’s independence.

Siege of Toulon

The movie jumps right into the Siege of Toulon, Napoleon’s first major military victory. Given command by Paul Barras, the Commissioner of the French Army, Napoleon helps the Revolutionary government recapture the strategic port of Toulon from royalists and the British Navy. 

After the Fall of Robespierre, the French Revolutionary government is weak. So Barras again turns to Napoleon for help. Napoleon then delivers his famous “whiff of grapeshot,” defending the French government at the Tuileries Palace from royalist insurrectionists in October of 1795. 

Generally speaking, this part of the film—Toulon, Robespierre, and the “whiff of grapeshot”—is done pretty well. 

Italian Campaign (not shown)

The movie briefly alludes to Napoleon’s Italian Campaign, with Phoenix merely saying, “The Italians gave up without a fight.” 

But the Italian Campaign of 1796-97 is very important to Napoleon’s story. There, he won the Battle of Lodi, earning the nickname “The Little Corporal.” After conquering Arcole and Rivoli, Napoleon almost singlehandedly won France’s stalled campaign in Italy. Securing the Treaty of Campo Formio with the defeated Austrians, General Bonaparte returned to Paris as a hero. 

Egypt

The movie skips right to Napoleon’s invasion into Egypt. But the film should have gone much deeper into this very important campaign. 

There is only a brief allusion to the Battle of the Pyramids. Unlike the film’s depiction, the real-life Napoleon certainly did not fire directly at the pyramids. Almost nothing is said about Napoleon’s reign in Cairo, the Ottoman Turks, or how Bonaparte’s expedition gave birth to modern Egyptology. All of these interesting details are completely glossed over by Scott’s film. 

The Egypt arc is mixed in with Josephine’s extramarital affair with a young officer named Hippolyte Charles. The movie misleadingly suggests that Napoleon abandoned his troops in Egypt just to chastise his wife! 

But the film left out crucial details: the real-life Napoleon’s fleet was destroyed by British Admiral Horatio Nelson at the Battle of the Nile—an essential battle not shown in the movie! This left Napoleon and his troops stranded in Egypt. 

As the government in Paris collapsed, Bonaparte raced home to stabilize it. In Egypt, he left his troops under the command of General Jean-Baptiste Kléber. Nothing is said about Kléber, apart from a single line of exposition. 

Emperor

The movie shows Napoleon’s coup d’état, when he becomes First Consul and later Emperor of France. 

But once again, the movie skips over Napoleon’s Second Campaign in Italy, when he won the ultra-important Battle of Marengo against the Austrians in 1800. 

Numerous events are skipped: the assassination plot, the Concordat of 1801, the invasion of Haiti, the Louisiana Purchase. 

None of Napoleon’s legal or social reforms are discussed in any meaningful detail. This misses a crucial aspect of Napoleon’s influence and legacy on modern Europe. 

Trafalgar

The ultra-famous Battle of Trafalgar (October 21, 1805) is not shown in the movie—a very bad omission! 

Austerlitz

The next major moment of Scott’s movie is the legendary Battle of Austerlitz. Also known as the Battle of Three Emperors—Tsar Alexander, Francis of Austria, and Napoleon himself—it saw a colossal clash between General Bonaparte and the combined Russo-Austrian army. 

The movie shows Napoleon’s enemies drowning on the ice, under fire from French cannonballs. This is a famous legend about Napoleon’s Battle of Austerlitz. 

Here is the real-life story: After the French beat the Russians, the Russians fled south toward Vienna through the frozen Satschan ponds. French artillery opened fire on the ice, drowning the Russians in the cold ponds. The real-life Napoleon may have exaggerated the number of Russians who actually died like this. 

Spain (not shown)

The movie completely skips over a critical moment in Napoleon’s career: the invasion of Spain. Bonaparte famously called his failed invasion the “Spanish Ulcer,” because the French occupation was fiercely resisted by Spanish guerrilla fighters. Napoleon’s campaign in Spain drained France’s resources, tying up many of his best troops. But the French were unable to pacify the country. The British, under Arthur Wellesley (the famous “Duke of Wellington”), eventually kicked out the French from Spain. 

Russia

Under the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807, Napoleon becomes allies with Russia. 

Napoleon tries to befriend Austria by marrying Marie Louise, the oldest daughter of Emperor Francis II. She produces an heir to the Bonaparte throne: Napoleon II. 

But Russia is a fickle ally. When the Russians do business with the British—in violation of France’s Continental System (a Europe-wide boycott of British goods—Napoleon prepares to march on Moscow. 

It shows the Battle of Borodino, the bloodiest single day of the Napoleonic Wars. 

Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in 1812 ends in total disaster, and the movie clearly expresses this. 

Battle of Leipzig (not shown)

The movie fails to show the Battle of Leipzig, the largest battle in Europe until the First World War. It is also famous for being Napoleon’s first true defeat. 

Waterloo 

After Napoleon’s failed invasion of Russia, the movie cuts straight to his abdication. But this inaccurately suggests that invading Russia led to Napoleon’s abdication. This is not true. 

The final part of the film shows Napoleon’s downfall. But it doesn’t cover the Six Days Campaign, a string of last-ditch victories by Napoleon in February of 1814. 

In April of 1814, Napoleon was forced to abdicate from the French throne. He was then sent off into exile on the island of Elba. 

But in February of 1815, Napoleon made a daring escape from Elba, and seized power back in Paris. This is known as the “Hundred Days.” Unlike what the film shows, the real-life Napoleon learned of his wife Josephine’s death while he was still in Elba, not after he escaped back to Paris. 

The movie shows the famous Battle of Waterloo, fought in what is now Belgium on June 18, 1815. Napoleon makes a fatal mistake: he waits until midday to order the assault. Aided by Prussian reinforcements, the British under the Duke of Wellington defeated Napoleon’s forces. Unlike what the film shows, Napoleon would not have lead a cavalry charge himself. The real-life Napoleon never actually met the Duke of Wellington in person. 

Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena in October of 1815. After several years of exile, he died in 1821.