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Ridley Scott is a director known for making some of the most wonderful and visually captivating movies in the Hollywood industry. From science fiction to historical dramas, there is no card he leaves unturned when it comes to testing and portraying his directorial talent. Movies likeAlien, Gladiator, Blade Runner,andThe Martianare all born of his genius.
His latest attempt to bring the historical pages of France to life, Joaquin Phoenix’sNapoleonis yet to be released. However, it has already received a great many number of reviews both positive and negative. Although the movie is only two hours and thirty-eight minutes long, were it up to Scott, it would hold over two hours’ worth of extra footage just focusing on Vanessa Kirby’s Joséphine de Beauharnais.
Also Read:Quentin Tarantino Was Disappointed in Ridley Scott After the Director’s Failed Attempt At Regaining Former Glory With A Flop Alien Sequel
Ridley Scott Had More to Give with Napoleon
Ridley Scottrevealed in an interview with Empire (viaIndieWire), that there was a story left untold even after the entirety ofNapoleonhad been filmed.Joaquin Phoenix’sfilm had a lot more to it than what made it into the final cut. The cut that is set to make to everyone’s screens is only two hours and thirty-eight minutes long. However, there was more to the film than what meets the eye.
The director shared that there is an extended director’s cut of the film that is just waiting to be released someday. The film includes over two hours of extra footage that focuses primarily onVanessa Kirby‘s Joséphine de Beauharnais.
With a total runtime of 270 minutes, the film would expand more on her character alongside her relationship with Phoenix’s Napoleon Bonaparte. Not only that, this extra footage would have looked back into her life much before having met the most renowned ruler of France.
Also Read:Ridley Scott Wanted His 1979 Classic Sci-Fi Horror ‘Alien’ To Be Like Disney’s Beauty and the Beast According To Lead Star Sigourney Weaver
Ridley Scott Wanted to Show All Sides of Napoleon
Vanessa Kirby revealed via Empire (via IndieWire) that Joaquin Phoenix left no stone unturned when it came to playing the titular character. She added as to how different Napoleon was from other rulers. His entire way of thinking differs from what is usually portrayed in Ridley Scott’s films.
“Joaquin studies the psyche, and the psyche of Napoleon is so strange,”Kirby said. “The film feels like that. It’s kind of peculiar, and there’s an intensity in that. Napoleon wasn’t stoic and wonderful like Russell Crowe was in ‘Gladiator.’ He was a dictator, a war criminal, really. It couldn’t be rousing, because that man killed hundreds and hundreds of thousands of men, in my opinion needlessly. And for what? To get an empire, for what? In the end, it all disintegrated anyway. That psyche run wild is dangerous as hell, and very strange. And this is a portrait of that.”
She sees him as a dictator ready to commit one war crime after another in order to expand his empire. She finds Phoenix’s portrayal of the character to be enticing and exhilarating in a rather dangerous manner.
Also Read:Joaquin Phoenix’s Next Oscar-Contender At Risk of Being Boycott After Ridley Scott Replies “Get a life!” To Critics
Adya Godboley
Anime Content Manager
Articles Published :1879
Adya Godboley is the Anime Content Lead at FandomWire with over 1800 published articles. She is a Rotten Tomatoes-certified critic with a background in literature. From The Case Study of Vanitas to Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint, her anime knowledge is one she’s gathered with years of experience. She also enjoys Marvel, DC and Superhero media with her works having been recognized by prominent figures such as Dwayne Johnson, Abby Trott and the Blood of Zeus creators.
