Ridley Scott made his best Napoleon film 47 years ago

Ridley Scott's Napoleon was an ambitious attempt by the director to tell the entire story of the French emperor's dramatic life, but the truth is that he had already made a much more coherent film almost five decades earlier, set in the same period. Across several decades, from Bonaparte's involvement in the French Revolution to his eventual death on the tiny Atlantic island of St. Helena, Napoleon was epic in scope – even by the standards of most biopics. Although the story failed to coalesce into a coherent narrative, a previous Scott project proves that things could have been different.

While it was by no means a disaster, Ridley Scott's historical epic wasn't the triumph many fans were hoping for. Made for a budget between $130 and $200 million. Napoleon made $221 million at the box office. Critical reactions were often as muted as audience reactions, with the film scoring 57% on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, according to 333 reviews. Although the film represents Scott's only attempt to tell Bonaparte's life story, another of his films set in the same period shows how he could have approached the subject better.

“The Duellists” is Ridley Scott’s original “Napoleon” film.

It takes place during the Napoleonic Wars

Even though it's not about the same character, Ridley Scott's 1977 directorial debut, The Duelistsis the director's first real Napoleon film. The film is set in France during the Napoleonic Wars and follows the fates of two opposing officers – the aristocratic Armand d'Hubert (Keith Carradine) and the uncouth Bonapartist Gabriel Feraud (Harvey Keitel). Initially the two clashed over a supposed sleight of hand, but over the next few decades the two come together again and again as their initial duel turns into a tale of obsession and violence.

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Although Napoleon himself is not present The Duelists, he is perhaps the dominant background figure in the story. Feraud's obsession with Bonaparte partly explains his dislike of d'Hubert – whose aristocratic background immediately marks him as an anti-revolutionary. Each meeting of the duo is also influenced by the major Napoleonic campaigns of the time. The story begins in 1800 and covers the Russian campaign of 1812, Bonaparte's exile in 1814, and the aftermath of the Hundred Days Campaign. While d'Hubert and Feraud are the main protagonists, The Duelists is undoubtedly a “Napoleon“Movie.

Ridley Scott's The Duellists is a better film than Napoleon.

Its characters and story make it more successful

Even though the two films take very different approaches to this period, The Duelists is more successful as a coherent narrative. The dynamic between d'Hubert and Feraud is an extremely compelling narrative device, with the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars, providing an evocative atmosphere of that period. Although the story features several time jumps, neither the relationship between the two men nor the story as a whole ever feels confused – the growth and development of both characters make perfect sense within the context of the story.

Both Napoleon And The Duelists highlights director Ridley Scott's ability to capture powerful and evocative images and give the action scenes an epic dimension. However, during Napoleon features huge fight scenes and has a budget of several hundred million euros. The Duelists More notable is the fact that it was produced for just $900,000 and the set pieces usually only revolve around two main actors. The fact that Scott did it anyway The Duelists Fight scenes feel just as epic as everything else in them Napoleon makes the 1977 film an even more impressive achievement.

The duelists solve Napoleon's biggest problems

The time frame is managed much more effectively

While Scott deals with it The DuelistSThe characters and fight scenes are impressive, which is why the film offers the most interesting comparison Napoleon lies in the approach to a decades-long story. In NapoleonScott takes a linear-chronological approach, attempting to fit all the major events of Napoleon's life into two and a half hours. As a result, while major events such as the Siege of Toulon, his coronation as Emperor and the Battle of Austerlitz are all ticked off, the history behind these seminal events is completely lost. This also applies to Napoleon's more nuanced motives – it is as if great events simply happened to him.

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In contrast, The Duelists is not afraid of big leaps in time. Although the story spans 16 years, this period is covered in seven separate vignettes which individually reveal everything the audience needs to know about the protagonists' motivations and backstories, and come together to give the audience a better sense of the highs and lows of Bonaparte's reign than Napoleon ever creates. This proves that the key to telling a successful Napoleon story is not just showing the key events themselves. It's about following characters whose growth can shape the bigger picture.

Both with d'Hubert and with Feraud The Duelists has a few main actors who Help the film explore themes of ambition, pride, obsession, arrogance and even romance. Each of these is a topic Napoleon also tries to address. However, in trying to simultaneously do justice to Bonaparte's entire life story and explore these complicated ideas, the film falls short in both areas. As The Duelists proves that the most compelling way to tell a story from the Napoleonic Wars – even one about Bonaparte himself – is to make sure the main characters are compelling before thinking about the plot.

The duelists prove that Napoleon had a missed opportunity

The 1977 film proves how great Napoleon could have been

The Duelists' Success relative to Napoleon is a frustrating reminder that the 2023 film really could have been something great. Both films make it clear that Ridley Scott has an uncanny ability to bring this particular part of history to life. The Duelists was almost universally praised upon its release for its authenticity and accurate depiction of contemporary costumes and customs. Also, Napoleon was nominated Best Production Design and Best Costume Design at the Academy Awards – although other aspects of its historical accuracy, such as Napoleon's personality, have been criticized.

Given that Scott had previously been so successful at restoring Napoleonic France on a comparatively microscopic budget, Napoleon could have conveyed an epic sense of scale The director could only have dreamed of this in 1977. If the film had been made The DuelistsThe end result could have been spectacular. Unfortunately, due to his wrong approach to the subject, Napoleon will always be considered Ridley Scott's second best Napoleonic film.

Napoleon

Release date

November 22, 2023

Duration

158 minutes