Linda Dehn

I think the director’s problem was taking a life as huge as Napoleon’s and squeezing it into a 153-minute film. The result is a film that should be titled “Highlights of Napoleon’s Career.” I love biographies and am currently watching the streaming series “Julia.” Julia Chlid’s comparatively small life is drawn out into a multi-season series which allows for the complexities, motivations, and relationships of multiple characters to be explored and appreciated. Ridley Scott does draw attention to the difficult relationship between Napoleon and Josephine, but the more important difficult relationships never explored are those between Napoleon and his family, his generals and political supporters, and the people of France themselves who, after overthrowing a monarchy, opened their hearts to a self-crowned emperor. The only way to encompass Napoleon Bonaparte’s magnificent life will be in a multi-episode (perhaps multi-season) series. Here’s hoping that happens!