Napoleon Forms His Forces In The Battle of Austerlitz | Napoleon 

Still cannot believe that a Ridley Scott movie would be this hard to watch! If only he had focused more on the military aspects of Napolean like in this scene instead of magnifying solely his toxic relationship with his wife. What an epic missed opportunity on such an epic topic.

Napoleon at Austerlitz : Appears weak on his right flank to bait the Russian into concentrating their attack there, then sends his center to assault the Pratzen height to cut the enemy army in half, create confusion and shoot down the retreating soldiers from the hill. Ridley Scott: "No lol he just hid soldiers under white blankets"

Sources Ridley Scott used: Mount and blade Wikipedia World War I Battle of Hastings

5:46 "Send in the infantry, take their positions on the High ground!" Shows Troops charging downwards. God this scene felt like watching a carwreck.

Time to watch Kings and Generals or Epic History TV to cleanse my self!

This makes me want to re-watch Waterloo (1970) with Rod Steiger as Napoleon and Christopher Plummer as the Duke of Wellington.

you can give some leeway to ridley scott and say that no movie has to be 100% historically accurate. but whats truly regrettable isnt just the fact that this battle nowhere near resembles the actual battle of austerlitz, but also the fact that if scott had just told the story of austerlitz as it happened it would certainly have been more entertaining - where the austrians and russians werent just idiots who walked on ice. a crying shame.

While incredibly historically inaccurate, this is a beautifully shot battle scene. Something which is rare in big screen productions these days.

As bad as this scene is for its complete disregard for history I will praise the heck out of the music. It struck a chord in me. Really showed the hell that is war and honestly I struggle to come back to this video because of the music and the fact that men fell through the ice (which was historically accurate). Haunting. Made me want to pursue peace and no time like now to push for that.

I must admit, this scene shows great technical production quality and effects, although the historical inaccuracies just shine way too brightly

I heard this movie lacked, but as someone that lacked on History during school , watching this movie made me appreciate why Napoleon was important in History lessons during the time I grew up.

GOSH !!!! I have been a buff of Napoleonic history for 30+ years and until now I never realized all those books I carefully read and all those documentaries I watched were just fake. Thank you Riddley Scott for showing me the light!!!!!

I really wanted to love this movie.

Given the gross inaccuracies they may as well have added sharks in the lake. Or have orcas attack people through the ice. That would have been really cool!

By "higher ground" I think the term they were searching for was "element of surprise." They seriously should've talked to some Napoleonic war reenactors/historians and gotten some serious feedback

Scott took the most documented, well known battle, in military history, and this is how he filmed it?

Ridley Scott's new alternative history

Ridley Scott's Napoleon. Dumpster fire filled with radioactive material...

Napoleon IRL: one of the, if not, the greatest strategist of his time. Continues to be (imo) the best military commanders in human history. Napoleon movie: hyug hyug, me hide troop under da bwankets, hyug hyug. Hyug hyug, JosephinexNapoleon get biggest scween time, hyug hyug

Apparently Holywood doesn't have enough money to hire a historian or something.

How nice for Napoleon to prepare an ice bath for those soldiers... I hear the health benefits are incredible.

Pour mémoire, les étangs avaient 30 centimètres de profondeur…par contre le Kyrie en chant polyphonique corse est un coup de génie. ❤

Went and saw this with my family around thanksgiving 2023 and this epic score to this scene blew me away big time. Especially when it came to the three men on horseback treading water and one horse getting hit in the temple with a hail of gunfire, and a dying man who panics while he’s being slowly and painfully crushed to death by his dead horse.

Napoleonic Wars deserve a proper production. So far, De Laurentiis and Bondarchuk version is still the best. But it's only the one battle. There's also the French mini series with Christin Clavier as Napoleon. But that's about it. Supprisingly sparse filmography on one of the most extraordinary persons in world history. Scot's attempt may be good cinematography, but it is highly historically inaccurate. So I guess one thing balances the other

Very honestly, I think that this battle is pretty cool to watch, it has a small part of veracity, (very small one, because the battle was way more than this), but I think we must think of seeing this like a movie, a MOVIE, and not a historical movie ... Very sadly, but it's the way it is ...

Welp time for a well done Netflix series (if one doesn’t already exist) thanks to Ridley Scott we won’t trust Napoleon on the silver screen again anytime soon

The research into the history of napoleon for this film is hysterical.

That was awesome

Blood and iron POV me when I musket aim at me : 9:39

This just hurts. Its simply painfull..

Respect to Great Emperor Napoleon

My Napoleon Total War campaign is a lot more accurate than this movie, the only inaccuracy in my game is that i lost Marechal Ney, Davout, and Massena when invading Britain at 1806

Damn that is brutal but smart 😮

Ridley Scott has no idea what a skirmisher is but he really makes guys drown dramatically. Game over man, game over.

History will always remember commanders. And other commanders.

...I hope it's better than the Waterloo bit where the Emperor going riding in a cavalry charge. Laughed, I nearly shat....

While it sounds like it's not historically accurate, I've rewatched this scene a few times nontheless since it's epic.

Historical Accuracy apart... this scene was one of my favorite one in the movie. It's very well made.

Gutes video über die geschichte.

Even if it wasn't entirely historically accurate the movie was still a pretty impressive piece of cinematic brilliance and this scene definitely shows napoleon's strategical brilliance even if it wasn't the tactics the man had used in real life still the brilliance comes mainly from using the environment against his enemies tricking them into retreating onto the frozen lake and destroying the ice with cannons once they're on it is a sign of strategic brilliance as it uses a important factor by working it into your favor

Soldiers fighting in snow and sinking into the icy depths = vikings soundtrack :D

What makes no sense is that the Austrians are fighting on their home soil, so wouldn't they know that they are on a frozen lake?

The unique great scene

I haven't been so excited for a film and so let down ever. Literally none Austerlitz happened like this.

I loved the movie!!! I learned history thorough books. And I go to the movies for entertainment and I was entertained ❤

It was a beautiful depiction, tis better to exile twice as opposed to Martyr. Semper Fi!

I think it would have been better if just one battle was the focus. Waterloo is just such a movie.

Sorry David, you can't Alan Smithee this one...

How can one make a historic film and not add the historic accuracy part to it! i mean sure some lenience here and there but... holy..

i can't remember when i have been so disappointed by a movie i was so excited to see

Why Austrian Hussars are mixed with Cuirassier's? Film is so hard to watch if you love history.

Great human, respect him.

He did not have a radio but could still order the cavalry to attack at the right time. Intelligence reconnaissance activities have no place to act. This movie is showing the effectiveness of the silliest script rehearsals possible. The film breaks with historical documents.

If this scene was done to be historical it a monumental failure, if this scene was done to show the death of the Holy Roman Empire it is absolutely brillant. Sadly I think I might give too much credit to Rodley Scott here by saying that...

One gets the sense of a director who imagines he is creating an epic by impressing himself. None of this seems real beyond the sensibility of a movie.

Napoleon means he values people’s confirmation when they got saved by your help to move him to the right place and time to get his food etc. He believes only people are alive will be honest and be kind to others

It's always a scene like this that makes the average viewer wonder what was so great about these generals and conquerors. People are never shown the strategic brilliance they employed, they just send two sides running at each other until one side is killed off. And the general just shouts some redundant commands.

I think this movie might have been more focused in war scenes (like spartacus, game of thrones, 1917 or any biographic war movie) instead of focusing all movie on Josephine’s relationship (which scenes are really embarrasing to see), I wanted this movie to be more belic and talking about his military career and making more epic battles.

This was by all means sorta unrealistic...: _____________ - The Austrian & Russian army marching into the French camp is somewhat realistic. However, they put the entire attacking "army" into 1 column & wave in a relatively tiny area, and charged everyone in 1 very unrealistic attack. So imma write a long but unnecessary, more realistic way this fight would have happened...😂😂😂 With the fact that it somewhat started the way it did and ended, and in general happened the same way but just better and a bit more realistic... _____________ Let's say in this fight (in the film) the Austrian & Russian army consisted of around a whole Hungarian Regiment at that time, around 5500 men (3 battalions) split up with both Austrians-Hungarians and Russians and probably like 200 cavalrymen (Russians & Austrians, total of around 2 cavalry squadrons). The army would most likely be split up into 3 waves, the first attack wave, the second, and the third so-called reserve. With the first wave consisting of i guess 3000 soldiers, second of 1500 , and third (reserve) of 1000 soldiers all being very experienced soldiers (as often the reserve force are the best men in an army, to create a breakthrough). With the 200 cavalrymen spread out to support the infantry, flanks and if needed to lead a charge to break the enemy's forces. French Army: The French would have had 2 main infantry forces and all of their cav put up into 1 area as shown in the film. Let's say for this battle the numbers are even... so 5500 French soldiers in 2 main waves/columns, and as seen in the film a small guard force up on the hill probably consisting of let's say 100 Elite Guards (included in the 5500) to protect napoleon and the generals there. So with this there would be the main force in the camp of in this case 3000 soldiers and the flanking soldiers of 2400 soldiers, which by all means would NEVER stay in a trench and instead would hide in the hill's forest to then charge down into the fight later on. Let's say they also got the same amount of Cavalry as with the enemy (200), which are also hidden a bit further to the right in the forest, and would later charge out behind the enemy's army shown in the movie. _____________ The Battle starts (mostly Austrian & Russian army perspective): - The First wave would attack with 3 main columns, 1 center column, and 1 on each flank. With the center being the main attack of 2000 men, and the flanking columns of 500 each, to try and outflank the enemy forces (all in the end being in a massive even fight with the French inside their camp). They would march forward in this case a straight line (consisting of 2 lines in total, due to the battlefield not being that long to and due to the camp's position), to about 50-100 meters away, where they would either have a mass charge or line up and begin firing on the enemy. In this case, they would prob line up and fire off 1-2 volleys and then do a mass charge (bayonet and hand fighting). This would tie up the (visible) French infantry force in the camp. [ Quick thing: Before any of the infantry fighting would start then the Austrian and Russian artillery would have started bombarding the French camp, and prob stopped once the first wave advanced forward to prevent friendly fire. ] - The Second wave would march up behind the first wave, where they would line up and just watch, and in general just be supportive of the first wave. In this case, the second French Infantry force which had not been detected yet, began their charge down from the forest to both flank around the Austrian & Russian army's first wave but to also support the French infantry engaged in the camp. This would have forced the remaining second wave to either do 3 things. 1: Rush to the flank and meet the French infantry, to prevent heavy losses to the first wave. 2: Charge into the camp to even out the numbers. 3: Start a general retreat, which would result in Massive losses to the first wave, but would at the same time save the second & third wave. It really depends on when they saw the French infantry, etc. However, in this case since it would go how the movie would then they'd choose to engage. So let's say at this point there was a total of 1000 soldiers out of the 1500 remaining in the second wave, where they would have split their forces in two, 500 would charge into the camp and 500 to the flank. - The third and final wave would have already been set up behind the second wave, waiting for a decisive/desperate last-second moment, and in this case, they would immediately send up 200 men to the flank and 200 men to the center (which at this point is outnumbered by the French and is starting to be pushed back a bit), the remaining 600 men of the reserve would be held back for later. The cavalrymen in the meantime would have either never been engaged at all and would have just been split up around the army ready for orders. Or in this case, the 2 squadrons would be split up into 2, where 1 of them has already been engaged with the infantry, and the second waiting back with the remaining third wave. At this time the total losses on the French side would probably been around 500 mostly all inside the camp, and on the other side 1000, resulting in the French having around a total number of 4900 troops all engaged inside the camp and on the flank to the left (plus the 100 men up on the hill that would never see battle). While, the enemy army has at the time a total of 3900 troops engaged, with still 600 in reserve, so in total 4500. - At this time Napoleon seeing the start of his victory, would order his French cavalry to charge in and flank behind the Austrian & Russian army (seen in the movie. Where then the remaining 100 enemy Cavalry would charge in to meet them, and the remaining ~600 men of the third wave would try to form Square to prevent being crushed by the French cavalry. However, the French charge came by a surprise, and therefore 2 of the 3 squares didn't fully form, (a total of 400 men), which received heavy losses from the charge. - In the end after being engaged from 3 directions and with the rear almost fully broken through, the Austrian & Russian generals order a general retreat. Where then the majority of the army would retreat across their only available direction (across the ice trap), most realistically they would put i guess 500 soldiers to form a quick suicide rear guard to prevent the French from chasing after the retreating army. Which would all be gun downed very shortly after from the French infantry forming a line as you saw in the movie. At this time the French artillery would ofc begin to fire on the ice and yeah you know what would have happened, almost the entire enemy army would die on the ice... _____________ Quite long and i have no idea why i wrote this, I'm stupid as hell 😂well well whatever, either way, this fight would never have turned out the way it did, however, this would probably be the most realistic way it would have turned out, with regards to the fight that was set up in the movie (still not historically accurate at all, and irl would have most likely had scouts that would have seen the french cavalry and infantry in the forest, which would have totally changed the outcome... but well well...)

History enthusiasts, Austerlitz was Napoleon's tactical masterpieces, Napoleon abandoned Pratzen Heights to deceive Austro-Russian forces, he deliberately made his right flank look weak to lure them into a trap while his forces launched a total assault on allies center. Musket fire was so intense that visibility was limited and both sides were soon low on ammunition. So this is the best Ridley Scott could really come up with?

Sucks that this movie reduced one of the most fanatically driven, demonstrative men in history to being a simp. A man who sought the subjugation of the world. Who would not admit mistakes and had great vanity along with great skill. Napoleon’s life, without embellishment, is one of the craziest lives ever lived. There’s a handful of men like this. You need not twist the story of Genghis, the truth is wilder than anything most could imagine. Just the battle of Waterloo, told in actuality, could be a 3 hour long epic that blows the mind of any viewer. That’s what this should have been. Napoleon rose from chaos of a revolving door French Revolution and conquered Europe. He redrew the map, destroyed old institutions, weakened the church, and changed the course of world history, for better or worse. You had all the budget, you had a great actor, and the result is this story of a sad little man subject to the whims of a woman.

because this director is interested in depicting the war prowesses of great historical civilitzacions and characters

this is a great scene but oh my god the glaring historical inaccuracies just make it hard to sit through. this isn’t the **battle of austerlitz,** this is a battle that looks like austerlitz and takes place in the same place as austerlitz, but is entirely fictitious.

sexing up history is always a bad idea. Even when you're Ridley Scott.

Balas de cañón con alcance, potencia y cadencia ilimitados

poor horses

Obi read his history and he too had the higher ground in the end.

Strange, I didn't know that contact with cold icy water made you bleed profusely...

Damn, all this time I imagined him to have an accent!!! Thank you Hollywood for showing me the light.

It should have been oliver stone instead of ridley scott oliver knows the beauty of history like the film of alexander😊

OverSimplified managed to do what Ridley Scott couldn't do with less than a fraction of the budget: Make an entertaining piece about one of history's greatest generals.

Ridley could've atleast changed the weather? It was like somewhat a foggy day at the battle of Austerlitz

Source: A random battle at Mount & Blade made by a 15 y/o tryna have fun

watched War and Peace when it aired a few nights one week in '72 (?) on prime time. Was good, but the effects and CGI here way better.

Lol image no one heard him since there so far away there like 'how long do we go?" "dont know he just mouthing words"

The lake scene actually not the beginning of the battle, it was long after it especially when the Allied realise they're defeating and trying to flee and Napoleon seems not that particular part of battlefield

I’m seeing a ton of comments on that the movie isn’t realistic. Well, every movie you see about something historic like Titanic, The Alamo, and people in movies. Like Elvis, Priscilla, it will NEVER BE PERFECTLY ACCURATE! So just watch it! Plus, it was intense and VERY GOOD! (Yes, I’m a huge historian when it comes to Napoleon, Titanic, etc.)

I cared more about the battle scenes than anything else.

Everything was wrong, but it was filmed cool! Napoleon was in the center, the right flank of the French front is shown here

The problem with the movie is that it only had a limited amount of time and budget. To do justice to Napoleon, you would need a three part movie of 2.5 hours each. It would be on par with Lord of the Rings.

Napoleons masterstroke turned into whatever this is...

Historians and fans who understand napolionic wars watching the movie:😤🤦‍♂️ Fans who have no clue about napoleonic war watching the movie:😀🤪 Me who loves history and know atleast some things and historical moments about the napoleonic wars like a historian:🤦‍♂️😀😤🤨🤷‍♂️

This is a great fiction movie.

From the scenes it seems Napoleon was in the high ground which wasn't true at all. The Allied hold the higher ground but the send the army to wrong direction. They took the bait.

Um belo filme

I really wonder how they film the drowning scene. It look so damn real!!

" Napoleon " ‼️

Apparently Napoleon had a built in megaphone for a voice, he could shout orders to 70,000 men across miles of battlefield, who needs General Staff anyways.

So sad when a movie so beautiful is riddled with poor historical accuracy and regard to any semblance of strategy. Anybody with a brain knows that infantry probably shouldn't be charging downhill if ordered to "take positions on higher ground."

#1

La scena è una rilettura molto semplice e inaccurata della Battaglia del 1805 .. nonostante questo, le scene sono girate bene e la successiva raffigurazione dei laghi ghiacciati di Satschan è, visivamente parlando, impattante

This is how a kid who read Lord of the Rings thinks war is like. Bondarchuk did it best, tight infantry squares followed by Dunkirk style disorder and chaos.

Worlds and specially Europe history writen like that as you see. Politics and blood...

Art of war Be/aim where the enemy isnt.. Napolian already had the cannons set on the lake,but wanted all of the enemy to trap themselves on the ice

❤

Le sigh

Who’s the actor at 3:50 with the glasses? He looks familiar

It’s hilarious how fictional they portrayed this battle. Literally nothing about this entire scene at all resembled the real battle. What a shame. I was so excited for this movie and so incredibly let down

Nie wiedziałem że Napoleon pod Austerlitz mówił po angielsku !! (he, he ale kicha !!)

Hey at least the uniforms look good.