The new trailer for Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” takes us into the middle of the Battle of Austerlitz, as soldiers and horses sneak across the frozen lakes in what is now the Czech Republic and crash into the water with the French army’s cannonballs. The “Joker” star is in charge Joaquin Phoenix in the role of the calculating French ruler who trapped the Allied troops here in December 1805, about a year after his coronation as Emperor.
After this visually stunning war carnage, the trailer jumps back to the beginning of Napoleon Bonaparte’s history – or as his opponents liked to call him: an underestimated libertine who wouldn’t make it to the top. This short excerpt from the almost three-hour historical epic already shows what Ridley Scott is about in his story about the infamous French military leader:
About the rise of a so-called underdog to a tyrant who succumbs to delusions of grandeur. The emphasis should always be on Napoleon’s wife Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby, “Pieces of a Woman”) and the struggle for her recognition, to which Napoleon seems to succumb as much as to the greed for power.
Ridley Scott has more “Napoleon” in store
While it was Stanley Kubrick’s lifelong dream to bring the story of Napoleon to the cinema, Ridley Scott has now taken on the task of immortalizing the historical figure on the big screen. In doing so, he is also ahead of Steven Spielberg, who is currently developing a seven-part miniseries based on Kubrick’s schedule.
Scott has already proven that he is familiar with historical material with films such as ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Kingdom of Heaven’. He also released a three-hour director’s cut of the latter, which is considered an absolute highlight among film fans. It is not surprising that the legendary director also made an extended version of “Napoleon”.
While the theatrical version, which will premiere in cinemas in this country on November 23, 2023 and be released shortly later as a subscription on AppleTV+, is 158 minutes long. he must Direcor’s version of ‘Napoleon’ The master director said it contained a whopping four hours of footage and that it was “fantastic.” According to current plans, the long version should do the same appear on AppleTV+.
If you’d rather watch the trailer in its original English version, you can do so here: