Napoleon Footage Reaction: Ridley Scott And Joaquin Phoenix Go Epic [CinemaCon 2023]
Over 20 years ago, director Ridley Scott and star Joaquin Phoenix received Oscar nominations for their work on the historical epic "Gladiator." Now, the veteran filmmaker and increasingly fascinating actor have teamed up again for another war-driven costume drama, this one set in a different corner of the European continent and more than a few centuries later. "Napoleon" is exactly what it sounds like: the story of military commander and French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the most fascinating men in world history. Specifically, the film will explore his life and career via his relationship with Empress Joséphine, played by "The Crown" star Vanessa Kirby. And yes, it feels like the kind of project that could get nominated for a bunch of golden statuettes.
"Napoleon" represents the unlikely alliance between Sony and Apple, with the former releasing the film theatrically and the latter being the film's future streaming home. /Film's own Ben Pearson was in attendance at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, where the first footage from the film was unveiled during Sony's panel. Here's what went down.
Scott and Phoenix have their eyes on the awards season prize
Sony Chairman Tom Rothman personally set up the footage for Ridley Scott's latest. Russian and Austrian armies have joined forces against Napoleon. They've discovered a French camp at the edge of a field, and our titular character has hidden his cannons and invited the attack. Let the historical epic begin. We see dark gray skies and, beyond that, there is a blue tinge to the footage. Phoenix is (rather appropriately) wearing a tri-cornered hat. "Wait," he tells his army. "Let them think they have the higher ground." Fog rolls in as the armies approach — and it looks like it's snowing.
Armies on horseback and on foot roll in, and they're carrying muskets. They ride into a line of soldiers, slicing with swords atop their horses while the armies fire their guns. Napoleon is watching from a distance, barking orders and surveying the horrific action like a chess master. Our main man then sends in the infantry. At this point, it's clear that the movie looks very big in scope, with hundreds and hundreds of extras. "Pierce their flanks!" Napoleon shouts. Riders emerge from his side, bursting out of the tree line into a large field aimed square at the now-exposed enemy forces. They retreat.
Ridley Scott is about to do it again
We get a pretty nice hero shot of Napoleon witnessing the carnage. He drops his hand, signaling his people to fire the hidden cannons. The ground explodes as it's revealed that the battlefield is actually a frozen lake! The cannonballs blast through the ice, causing the enemies to fall into the freezing water below. It's utter chaos, and the enemy forces are getting, per Mr. Pearson's observations, "absolutely owned." We see some very red blood in the icy water mixed in with some really cool underwater shots of the cannonballs dropping under the ice. More chaos as a guy is crushed by his horse and people are scrambling to get out of the water — but they only slide in deeper.
"Cut off their retreat!" Napoleon yells. The cannons go nuts as we get more smoke, explosions, violence, and yes, more red blood in the water. An enemy flag sinks as a body drops to the bottom of the lake. And that's about it! Mr. Pearson also notes that the footage looks "awesome," though for much of it, the color is just a "blah" gray, though that is just about the only downside – and we did get some color once the blood hit the water. Also of note: it is tough to tell if Phoenix is doing a French accent or not as his lines were short but, so far as could be gleaned from this footage, it does not appear so.
"Napoleon" will hit theaters on November 22, 2023 before streaming on Apple TV+.