FT News Briefing Culture chat: ‘Napoleon’ with historian Simon Schama
Dec 27, 2023
Historian Simon Schama, renowned for his captivating storytelling on history, joins Raph Abraham, a film expert from the Financial Times, to dissect Ridley Scott's epic portrayal of Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix. They delve into the film's historical accuracy, discussing its depiction of Napoleon’s complex character and relationship with Josephine. The conversation also touches on the ongoing cultural fascination with historical epics and the balance of artistic expression versus historical truth, reflecting on both cinema and personal insights.
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Missing the Mark
- Ridley Scott's Napoleon includes Marie Antoinette's execution, but Napoleon wasn't actually present.
- The film also missed a poignant detail: Antoinette's shaved head, a powerful image documented in a Jacques-Louis David cartoon.
Leadership and Focus
- Napoleon lacked focus, jumping between battles and personal scenes without fully exploring the dangers of charismatic military leadership.
- Spielberg's Lincoln, focusing on a specific period and theme, provides a good example of a successful historical drama.
Balancing Public and Private
- The film attempts to portray both Napoleon's public and private life but struggles to marry the two.
- Successful biopics like Maestro and Jackie demonstrate the effectiveness of a tight focus on a specific aspect of a subject's life.
