Napoleon Trailer - Historian REACTS - Ridley Scott film Napoleon 

They could make a 10 season series of Napoleon's life, and they'd still miss a lot.

Here is my opinion on what this movie is going to be. I think that these battles and events are going to be told about in the past tense by Napoleon on St. Helena. He is going to be reminiscing about his life, that would explain why there is a what looks like a British Officer sitting there. Perhaps the defeated Napoleon is retelling his life to him. That would also explain why we will be getting so many events in a potentially 3 hour movie. *It would also be a good way for Scott to not be 100% accurate to History. This is Napoleon telling the story and it is Napoleon making himself more important to the events and why they are having a battle at the base of the Pyramids, etc.

I appreciate that you let the trailer play all the way through then replayed it and gave your thoughts. I wish more people who did reviews would do it that way.

One correction: Vanessa Kirby is Josephine. Jodie Comer was going to play the role originally, but she had to drop out for scheduling reasons.

Napoleon was much more interested in Josephine than she was with him in the beginning, so it makes sense that she is kind of superior. Im surprised they didnt make Phoenix look younger in the beginning of the story since the Paris uprising and his command when it happened, he was only in his early 20s I wonder if they will touch on all the "civilian" stuff he did, like Code Napoleon, one of the most influential text ever written. This is supposed to be said by him at St Helena, "My real glory is not the forty battles I won, for Waterloo’s defeat will destroy the memory of as many victories.…What nothing will destroy, what will live forever, is my Civil Code.”

josephine was 6 years older than napoleon, here she looks like his daughter

It would be interesting to know who was the historical consultant on this movie. I think it should have been you, Dr White! It’s great that directors like Ridley Scott & Chris Nolan are coming out with historical epics like this. It’s needed now more than ever.

The French troops at 2:10 have a "5" on their shakos, the 5th Line Infantry Regiment was supposed to arrest Napoleon when he escaped from Elba but instead joined him. This scene was from March 5th, 1815

Your balance of Hollywood and history is absolutely brilliant. Keep up the good commentary and I'll be following.

Interesting to see how they pace it. It’s 2 hours 38 minutes and the trailer shows Moscow burning and a few snippets of Waterloo, so looks like his rise and his fall will be covered

Jodie Comer is not on the cast list. Idk why her name came up. Vanessa Kirby plays Josaphine.

So when I saw the headline about a Napoleon movie, I shrugged with indifference. But the trailer made me excited. And you endorsing the movie so passionately has made me even more excited. Thanks for doing this.

So happy to see Ridley still 'busy as a bee'! Thanks for your breakdown. Can't wait for this one.

I do appreciate Ridley Scott (his last film "The Last Duel" also takes place in France in the XIV° century and it was a really great movie, underestimated) as I do like Phoenix. And it will be probably a good fictional movie, wonderfully shot and played. But I think Scott missed a really amazing and important point : that a very, very young man achieved to be the head of a country at 29 years old only. People should try to picture this. To imagine, say, Timothée Chalamet or Tom Holland (whoever the same age) playing the part (they are both 27). And when you picture this, the story seems even more incredible, I think 🙂 Especially the encounter between this young man of 26 years old and Joséphine who was 32. Napoleon is a story of the youth. And that is what is properly crazy.

For those unfamiliar with Napoleon Recommend watching: Waterloo(1970) starring Rod Steiger and Christopher Plummer before this film is released.

I'm mainly surprised that Napoleon spoke English, and with an American accent. Kind of throws me a bit since I always thought he spoke French with a Corsican accent. But then it's never too late to learn something new. Now I'm mainly looking forward to the synchronised German version, preferably with Swedish subtitles.

Great overview with some very expressive affirmations and even more expressive discontent, love it Zack. Very fair, and on the nail.

Napoleon infront of the Sphinx was based on a well know painting of the shot. The overhead crane shot of the British squares and the slow mo cavalry charge could be a homage to Bonderchuk's Waterloo?

Am so glad your chanel is still active.

I'm glad that I was finally able to see Dr. White's analysis of the trailer. It was blocked yesterday in the US by Sony Pictures. I am a big fan of Scott's work. I am looking forward to it, especially after seeing the analysis. Thank you!

This is NOT Jodie Comer. She was supposed to play Josephine but wasn't available, That is Vanessa Kirby.

"Chaos isn’t a pit. It's a ladder." -Napoleon

Anyone watched Scott's The Duelist?Scott's beautiful, psychological premeire film and one focusing on two soldiers in Napoleons army. Great to see him coming back to where he started!

Let's go! Can't wait for this movie! We need to support this genre, it was a miracle that Ridley Scott pull it off since Hollywood abandoned all kind of historic kolossals

Zack: makes a reaction video about Napoleon trailer and probably hope to get at least a few views RU-vid algorithm: *YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY GOD*

I am convinced the scene at @10:56 is Moscow burning. If you even look at the shape of the buildings you can easy figure it for an Orthodox Church for example. I also think the scene before at 10:55 is Waterloo given the square formation. I think we’re going to get the full Napoleon here and if it’s anything like the trailer bring it on!!

Best breakdown/reaction Ive seen. And i agree, the lines from Josephine are brilliant 👏

Ready Simon scarrows books about napoleon and wellington absolutely brilliant about the beginning to end of their life, best books I’ve read.

As an American, so little is really taught or is out there about Napoleon, I remember having to watch the older movies as a kid in the 80's when and if they ever came on. What really got me interested was my father and the old game of Risk, and it got me into that era, and of course, back in the 90's A & E used to show the Sharpe films, granted they didn't cover Napoleon, but they covered at least the era, dramatized as it was. This however looks amazing, and if it spurs on people to read about or discover especially here in the US, Napoleon, his life, etc. so much the better.

For those who are interested - a french lead researcher, at the national army museum in PAris, a national specialist on Napoleon, gives her evaluation on this trailer here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-U0P7JXH6EKs.html Noticeably, her appreciation is obvious, including on realism and accuracy, although some mistakes here or there, e.g. the french flag as it is now just appeared in 1830; the french artillery never shot on the pyramides nd although is was already general, his vest has a colonel sign.

So they gotta cram, what, maybe 15 years of history into 2 and a half hours? I'm super excited for this film; my only worry is that it will spread itself thin trying to cover every major event in Napoleon's rich career. But it's Ridley Scott, on the other hand. I trust the guy

"Nothing were seeing goes any later than Austerlitz in 1805.." after a just seeing a scene of a British square at Waterloo in 1815. ?

That's definitely Wellington wearing his orders/medals inspired by Goya's portrait of Wellington and there's a snapshot of the British squares at the battle of Waterloo.

I'm fairly excited about this movie and I do hope it is as good as the trailer. My big concern is that it seems to cover so much of the Napoleonic era. How do you cover 25 years in a 2 to 3 hour movie? You could literally make a whole movie about Toulon, or Austerlitz, or Leipzig, or the invasion of Russia, or any of the major battles and campaigns. We'll see how it turns out.

I didn't know he was in power when the Louisiana purchase was made.

Very excited to sub on to this channel before 1K subs Im super interested in ol' Nappo at the mo so am looking forward to checking out the back catalogue

it is great that your judging it on a film and not a documentary

I just think the problem many people have is that you can do this historically accurately and still make it look cool, but they like, " NAHHH!"

"The entertainment factor." *THIS!!* Movies often have to amp it up a bit. A great example is in Apollo XIII, the crew never actually yelled at each other, and Ken Maddingly (gary senice's character) wasn't a mopy jerk. He was in mission control for the launch.... in Houston. Not on the Florida coast. Also, he was not CapCom for the landing. Little things that add drama for drama's sake to make a good movie.

I can't wait until Ridley Scott releases the director's cut!

I bought my IMAX ticket to see it last night! I’m going to see it on November 21 at 6:45 in IMAX❤❤❤❤❤ I am beyond excited

This video introduced me to your channel. You gained a new subscriber!

I approach this topic based on five decades of interest in the period, including university study and teaching by the late David Chandler - author of the seminal work “Campaigns of Napoleon.” David was an adviser for Stanley Kubrick’s abortive 1960s Napoleon project, so in a sense I have been waiting for someone to pick up this baton for a long time. I intend to see Scott’s version at least twice, not least to understand what I like, and dislike, about it. I’ve now enjoyed several vlogs of “Historian reacts to the latest ‘Napoleon’ trailer”. Each has got me thinking about the role of the historian when interpreting historic movies for the general audience. It's not enough for us to say, “Its only entertainment people.” There are excellent movie critics, like Mark Kermode, who will comment on whether it works as entertainment, and why. Any such movie will be a blend of entertainment and the pursuit of historic accuracy. At times, the former must override the latter, not least because “complete” coverage of this 20-year saga would require days, not hours, of viewing. Parts of the story must be left out and such editorial choices are inherently subjective and distorting. Conversely, historians face the temptation to indulge in what 20th Century enthusiasts call “rivet-counting”. A Napoleonic enthusiast might dwell on detailed depiction of the tactics and equipment used between 1795 and 1815. The trailers already portend multiple irritations and quibbles in these areas - but most of them do not much matter. When we comment as Historians shouldn’t we focus on the big questions and whether the movie adds to or reduces the mythology around such key issues? Personally, I have five Big Questions, the “Hows” and “Whys”, that I will take into the screening. 1. I hope that the movie will shed light on the dark revolutionary period which gave Napoleon his opportunity, indicating why the French tolerated his succeeding authoritarian regime for so long. 2. Ideally Scott will indicate something of what was new about Napoleon’s style and pace of warfare, and why this produced such phenomenal success. 3. For me, the movie also needs to address the close relationship between Napoleon and his troops, to explain why they so adored him and followed him over Europe and beyond. 4. Much has been said about Joachim Phoenix being too old for the part. But will the movie still manage to convey the contrast between the young energetic General who enjoyed almost unbroken success from 1796 to 1806, and the increasingly tiring, ailing, autocrat who struggled to achieve decisive results in the next decade? 5. Finally, we need credible insights into what drove Napoleon, his soaring ambition, and his seeming inability to settle for a lasting peace. If the movie is a net positive across these five areas, then I shall be a happy Napoleonic buff.

Let's be honest, they could make some scenes bit more close to the truth, cavalry charge bird view looks like a fox hunting, british sqares not in checker layout, frozen lake and pyramide are for wow effect but rest could be a bit more logical

I wonder if they'll show his exile to my home island of St Helena but I doubt they shot scenes there.

I think you missed the Moscow "burnout" and also the british infantery squares and the french courassiers that strongly suggest "Waterloo"... so the picture will include his whole "career" until the very end in 1815...

What a great video. Thank you very much.

The one thing about these Historians is that they were never there 😂

The STRONG MAN always rises from the chaos.

Whats really exciting me is the historians being excited about this.

Didn't Napolean write to Josephine saying "don't wash", in anticipation of their reunification after a long absence.

Oh God, the noise. If the movie is as good as the trailer is noisy it will be (literally) smashing. But my feeling is it will just be...full of sound and fury.

I feel like most major biopic films are covertly biographies of underappreciated figures that could never get the attention they get without the film's headliner attracting public attention. • The film Lincoln (2012) was kind of a covert biopic of Thaddeus Stephens. • The film Oppenheimer (2023) was kind of a covert biopic of Lewis Strauss. • This film seems like a covert biopic of Josephine. It's not true of every big Hollywood biopic, though. The Imitation Game (2014) was definitely about Alan Turing. A Beautiful Mind (2001) was definitely about John Nash. But notice how in all of these examples, if the subject's name is the title of the film than it's not really about the title character, whereas if the title of the film is not the ostensible subject's name then it really is about that character. That, too, suggests that Napoleon is a covert biopic of Josephine (or possibly someone else underappreciated and adjacent to the Napoleon story).

I was excited for Oppenheimer until I saw this trailer today. Cant wait for the release date.

What books would you recommend for someone looking to get into learning about Napoleon's life?

i heard mention that the wellington figure is played by Rupert Everett, but i cant find any mention of him or even the name of wellington/wellesley in the IMDB cast, which is odd Perhaps the cast list is not complete also no mention of Murat - i would wish that all of Napoleon's great and colourful Marshals could have some presence - Murat, Mcdonald, Oudinot, Soult et al

Josephine is played by Vanessa Kirby not Jodie Comer.

All I had to type in to Google was "did Napoleon" and I got what we were all asking "Did Napoleon fire cannons at the pyramids?" - it seems there is no evidence of this as of yet though of course he did battle near them.

It is Marie-Antoinette (at 5:33 : played by Catherine Walker).

The actress is Vanessa Kirby, my friend, excellent reaction

Interesting fact I heard: Phoenix is 5ft 8in, so a bit on the short side by modern standards!

The facts he shot the pyramid is gnar

I just checked IMDB and there is no listing for Wellington (or more accurately Welesley) in the cast.

King of movies is ridley from the "duelists" to gladiator, no another gem to behold ey !

Phoenix looks like a robot, totally emotionless, while Napoleon was very emotional and passionate. Also, no idea how they're going to squeeze his life into one movie, 4 are not enough.

Can’t wait to see this - especially Waterloo!

I have seen the Abel Gance three-screen epic of Napoleon as screened at the NFT, so I look forward to this !

I believe it’s Vanessa Kirby who is playing Josephine

Nice work, Zack! Good overview.

One of the problems of this movie is that it contains many historical mistakes ( it was already the same with "Kingdom of Heaven" which was historicaly a series of lies) and also that Phoenix looks as much like Napoleon as myself I look like Mahatma Gandhi! Certainly we have known much worse here in France: Pierre Mondy, Daniel Gélin, or the grotesque Christian Clavier: it was a disaster! Why not Rowan Atkinson in the role ? Or Silvester Stallone ? Or John Wayne ? (ok he is dead). I found Rod Steiger one of the most convincing, physically speaking, because for the rest he often does tons of it by portraying us as an almost Shakespearian Napoleon, in Bondarchouk's "Waterloo", a film nonetheless full of historical blunders (ah those cannonballs that explode like shells!). It really appears that many drectors think that a cocked hat on an actor's head is enough to make him a Napoleon...!

You react so well. You let a full play through go, so when can see how you react. Then you watch a second time and break it down. More reactors need to take note, this is how it is done. Can't stand historical reactions where they pause every 5 seconds.

there are clearly scenes from waterloo there with the british in their squares and what looks like the waterloo battlefield - although things are a bit all mixed up with how the trailer is cut. Also Bluecher is in the cast list, so i am sure there are events are 1805 being covered

You don't even really have to exaggerate with Napoleon. Dude's life was a Hollywood movie.

Great review of the trailer Zack

I'm nervous about this film. Not out of any complaints about historical inaccuracies, for those background anachronisms are inevitable, but because this trailer gives an indication it'll be all spectacle, no heart and soul. Ridley Scott may have made made crackers, but they were some time ago. They're working with amazing material here, it deserves a character study with such a complex figure like Bonaparte and yet I fear it'll be an utter mess where Phoenix (an actor on fine form) is sidelined and/or calling in for a big paycheck.

Every man could use a Josephine

By far the Greatest thing Napoleon ever did was to preoccupy/damage the British Empire long enough for America to grow out of their infancy. As they were still were very much a fledgling Nation and would have been reacquired back into the Empire whether during the War of 1812 or some other date if not for him.

Not to mention that it is looking really odd that Napoleon is looking the same over 20 years is somehow strange. I see that the trailer is looking nice although I didn't saw one battle scene which is looking right. Here in the trailer Napoleon is a cavalry general (???), he managed to sink many ships (???). At least it's looking more interesting than "The last duel" although maybe even more far away from real history.

Napoleon never ordered to shoot the pyramids of Egypt ! Ridley Scott did himself a favor.

OMG!!! An historian reacts!!!

You mention this doesn’t go past 1805, but right before you say that their are 3 clips in the trailer that clearly look like the battle of Waterloo

So i m french and i m very very curious how successful the movie is gonna be in my country. Can’t wait though. I actually would love a sequel on Napoleon III actually because i d say there is a real mirroring that could be done between our two emperors

What worries me is that it seems we see the burning of Moscow and the British squares at Waterloo, which kinda matches the battle preparations at 2:55, except Austria didnt take part in that battle but we do see its flag, so i'm kind of confused. Just hope they dont use only one movie to show all of Napoleon's life, it would be such a waste. Three movies could do it, but one would be bound to be severely lacking. There are so much more beyond battles that could be explored, Napoleon was a fascinating man.

Jodie Comer had to withdraw from the film due to scheduling conflicts. Vanessa Kirby is now playing Josephine.

I've heard figures of a few hundred dead, when the French cannons opened fire on the men crossing the river at Austerlitz. This makes it look like an entire division! Ultimately though, who cares? Great commentary. Subscribed.

So I know almost nothing about him or his life. This is the first thing I’ve ever watched on him ( I know 💀 ) so you were saying some things about this aren’t necessarily true , accurate or maybe even myth kinda status about him so do u think they might be him embellishing his own story when he retells it to others so this might be like flashback / dreams and then we see the real way it happened?? I think that might be interesting to see coz the movies apparently like 3 and a half hours long!

This is Apple’s entry into the Academy Awards and may win for Best Actor and Actress, Custom/Production Design, and possibly Best Director and or Best Picture.

As it is just a trailer, some of these scenes will make MORE sense, as we see the whole thing... sometimes they can disorient you a bit with these fast paced clips taken out on context. I think the brother will stil pay a huge part in the scene of Napoleon taking power, but he will probably end up rushing in there with his troops and out of breath saying " SHALL WE VOTE " .. looks so good!!

Id really love to hear what Jean Tulard would say about this.... he is also into movies so its 2 birds with one stone

Can someone confirm if the guy talking about Napoleon near the end is the Duke of Wellington?

Loved to see why he treated Dumas so badly.

The battle on the ice, you said it was more myth. Wasn't that the battle of Austerlitz?

Basically the only problem I have with this trailer is how emotionless Napoleon is. I've never saw him as such "poker face" character. I've always saw him as fierce warrior, arrogant and maybe little flamboyant. He gives me Tommy Shelby vibes which I don't like. I just hope he will not be like this throughout entire movie.

10: 45. Actually, Josephine was against the coronation....and think it could curse Napoleon regarding the ending the end of the French Royal Dynasty....( She was a French aristocrat herself, her first husband was guillotined)....Moeover, being an aristocrat at core, she intimaly thaught that the coronation was illigitimatr, almost sacrilege. So the tendition and depiction in the picture Frame is perfect !!! Kudo's to the genius of Ridley Scott.

I hope that at the beginning of the movie they surprise us like they did with Dune, and this ends up being "Part 1". Doesn't look out of the realm of possibility, since they say "Witness the RISE". Not the life. The rise...

Vanessa Kirby is playing Josephine not Jodie Comer

Why Does Josephine look like she stepped off the set from the Craft?

After the dog's breakfast that was "Gladiator", I don't believe Ridley Scott should have been allowed to get within 100 miles of a history-based film again.

The music .... Yes please

visually perfect actor selection for Him.