Napoleon (#487)


I had a banner holiday weekend seeing three movies — one alone and two with my daughters.  My solo movie was NAPOLEON, and as usual, it was too long.  I admit that I never knew much about the emperor and what I did know I’ve long forgotten, so I cannot challenge the accuracy of events the movie depicted.  It had spectacular scenery, particularly the many battle scenes and traced his life from the battle at Toulon to his second exile by the British to St. Helena.  The central theme of the film is his tempestuous relationship with Josephine, and even though he divorced her because she was unable to bear him a son, he appears to have loved her his entire adult life.  Joachim Phoenix played him as an egocentric bully but a dedicated warrior who led his troops in all their engagements.  He never once put his hand in his jacket as I remember from all the artistic renderings of him.  Frankly, I liked him better as Johnny Cash or the Joker.  It was entertaining but dragged on at times. 61% of critics and 60% of audiences gave it thumbs up.


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