Paula Coleman

Here is my perspective of the movie Napoleon. I had anticipated this movie for awhile since first seeing the previews, as I am a huge Francophile. I know some French history, but not a lot about Napoleon, the man. I am sure purists will find errors to the history portrayed here. I’m also sure some French citizens may not like this version of events. All that said, I really liked the movie. I loved the costumes, which I believe are historically correct. I loved the cinematography too. Some people have said that Napoleon should have been played by a more dashingly handsome actor, but I believe if they would’ve done that, it would’ve made the movie too “Hollywood”, and not believable (although I’m sure Napoleon was quite handsome in his youth). The portrayal of Josephine in my opinion, stole the show. She was excellent throughout and I felt an empathy for her. I have no doubt that this movie was a monumental task to tell such grand story of one of the most intriguing and fascinating men ever to have lived. I’m sure they could have made this movie 5 hours long, or even a miniseries! To pack all this in a 2.5 hour long movie, I give them kudos for that! After watching the movie, the two most extraordinary things that stood out to me, which I now believe are the entire intent of this movie, were Napoleon’s undying love for Josephine and his unwavering and undying love for his country. 🇫🇷