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Napoleon
Movie

Napoleon

2023 • Action, Adventure, Biography

Woke Score
5.8
out of 10

Plot

An epic that details the chequered rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine.

Overall Series Review

Ridley Scott's historical epic attempts to chart the meteoric rise and fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, placing his obsessive, volatile relationship with Joséphine at the center of the narrative. The film features visually grand battle sequences and lavish cinematography. However, it takes significant and well-publicized liberties with historical fact, often streamlining complex events to focus on the personal drama. The central portrayal of Napoleon is not a traditional heroic epic but a psychological deconstruction, showing him as a socially awkward, emotionally dependent figure driven by ego and ambition. Joséphine is presented as a sophisticated woman navigating the patriarchal structures of the era. The narrative gives considerable weight to their marital struggles, their respective sexual politics, and the issue of their childlessness, which becomes a key driver of the political plot. While the film avoids overt political lecturing, it applies a noticeable contemporary lens to deconstruct a major Western figure and his marriage, resulting in a historically loose but visually compelling spectacle.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics2/10

The film does not focus its plot on race or vilification of whiteness, instead focusing on Napoleon's rise based on ambition, ego, and military meritocracy, reflecting the shift to individual-centric society. The presence of General Dumas, a Black officer, is historically authentic, not a case of forced race-swapping. Casting across the board remains consistent with the historical period without any noticeable political diversity lecturing.

Oikophobia7/10

The movie heavily deconstructs a pivotal Western historical figure, presenting Napoleon with a 'caricatured portrayal of imperialistic masculinity,' challenging traditional heroic depictions. Historical inaccuracies are used to cast his military actions in a specifically negative light, such as gratuitously depicting his army firing cannonballs at the ancient Egyptian pyramids, a widely disputed event. This portrays the ambition of the Western empire as destructive and disrespectful toward other cultures.

Feminism8/10

The core of the film's narrative revolves around the complex relationship and power dynamic between Napoleon and Joséphine, who is explicitly framed as an 'emergence of the modern woman' successfully navigating a patriarchal world. The man's sexuality is simplified, with Napoleon viewing the sex act as a 'service' driven by the need for a son, while Joséphine is portrayed as 'more liberated in her sexual relationships' and seeking outside emotional/sexual fulfillment, contrasting her agency with his procreative-focused masculinity. Childlessness is a central dramatic and political force in the film, giving significant screen time to an anti-natal issue.

LGBTQ+1/10

The narrative is singularly focused on the heterosexual relationship and marital politics of Napoleon and Joséphine. The film does not feature any significant LGBTQ+ characters, themes, or attempts to deconstruct the nuclear family structure, which is maintained as the central dramatic unit, even in its broken state.

Anti-Theism5/10

The movie depicts the transition from the Ancien Régime and the divine right of kings to a new order based on individuality and merit. While this is a historical fact, the film uses this societal shift to contrast the 'old world' of destiny and providence with the 'new world' of individual agency. There is no explicit attack or vilification of Christianity, but the overall context frames religious authority as a waning force being replaced by secular ego and ambition.