Ridley Scott’s magnum opus has been dragged through the dirt for the various historical inaccuracies seen in the film. Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix was supposed to be a new venture into the historical leaders but it turned out completely differently.
With reports that Scott didn’t read a single book on the history of Napoleon Bonaparte and various comparisons, Ridley Scott has stirred quite a controversy. In recent reports, there have been accusations that Joaquin Phoenix compared Napoleon to Adolf Hitler while Scott defended the accusation by saying that it was his statement and the line was taken out of context!
When Ridley Scott Compared Napoleon To Hitler
In his defense, the director stated that the line was essentially taken out of context. Diving deeper into the history of leaders and dictators, Scott only meant that “any great leader is going to be involved in killing”.
The ruckus around the statements was created due to the fact that there were no records of Napoleon Bonaparte committing an act of genocide (mass killing) in history. With the tag of “historical inaccuracy” on the head of Ridley Scott, the director talked about the issue in an interview with Deadline.
“I think I compared him, and it was a quote taken out of context about who one would compare Napoleon to over history. I started with Charlemagne, and Alexander the Great, and Marcus Aurelius.”
He further continued,
“Marcus Aurelius became very philosophical in his later years because I think as a human being, it probably came from guilt from the devastation he’d created around Europe to take it over and make the Roman Empire what it was. If you don’t think there was mass killing, you’re naive. So any great leader is going to be involved in killing.”
Having worked with the iconic director before in Gladiator, Ridley Scott was quick to correct the interviewer when they stated that Phoenix’s character of Commodus was a villain. Scott, on the other hand, stated that Commodus was the most sympathetic character of all time in his movie!
Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus Was The Most Sympathetic Character!
Related: Ridley Scott Compares Terrible Cameron Diaz Film To Blade Runner For Failing To Take Off Among Fans
Fans might remember the iconic portrayal of Joaquin Phoenix as Commodus against Russel Crowe in the 2000 movie Gladiator. Winning worldwide fame for his portrayal, Commodus is generally considered as a villain but not according to the veteran director himself!
“I’m going to correct you. I saw him as the most sympathetic character of all, in Gladiator. He was a product of neglect, total neglect of a father that he adored. He [Commodus’ father] kneels before the boy asking for forgiveness.”
The Martian director further stated how that scene changed the movie.
“That was fatal because the boy has never seen his father ask for that kind of close discussion. So he suffocates him. So from that moment on, I thought Joaquin was the most sympathetic person during the movie.
With historical inaccuracies and people criticizing the movie for being disloyal, Ridley Scott’s Napoleon turned out differently than what it was supposed to be. The film received a rating of 6.7/10 on IMDB and an average of 60% on Rotten Tomatoes and is currently screening in theaters across the world for people to see.
