CINEMA
Ridley Scott lashes back against French after ‘Napoleon’ criticism
The Hollywood director faced attacks from critics in the European country over false history, with haters of the film making their feelings known.
Criticism continues to mount against ‘Napoleon,’ Ridley Scott’s latest movie. Scott is probably best known for blockbusters like ‘Alien,’ ‘Blade Runner,’ and ‘Gladiator’, and the director’s patience is now wearing thin. The home country’s media, once the emperor’s domain, has been the harshest in its assessment of this biopic. Le Figaro, for example, contends that it could have been titled “Barbie and Ken under the Empire.”
GQ describes it as “profoundly clumsy, unnatural, and inadvertently amusing.” Even Patrice Gueniffey, the author of the biography ‘Bonaparte,’ has penned a piece in Le Point, characterizing the film as “anti-French and pro-British.”
Napoleon takes a battering
Last week, ‘Napoleon’ showcased the Austerlitz battle sequence, drawing widespread criticism on social media for its numerous historical inaccuracies. “Get a life,” retorted Scott to his detractors at the time. Now, witnessing the reception from the French audience, the director has exploded in frustration, sparing no one: “The French don’t even like themselves.” That’ll help!
“There have been 10,400 books written about Napoleon, averaging one per week since he died. My question to the critics who claim it’s historically inaccurate is this: Were you there? No? Then how do you know what happened? Shut the **** up.
“For instance, people complain that Napoleon fires a cannon shot at the Egyptian Sphinx, and I don’t know if he did, but it’s a great way to show he has conquered Egypt.”
When will Scott’s Napoleon be released in the US?
In a bold nod to the daring James Cameron, Scott’s press conferences are proving to be the most effective advertising campaign.
Napoleon premiered in Paris on 14 November and is scheduled to be released in the US on Wednesday 22 November, as the nation gears up for Thanksgiving celebrations.