Ridley Scott’s director’s cut of Napoleon is very different and more expansive than the theatrical version of the 2023 historical film. Although the original release of the film divided critics and has an underwhelming box office, the common consensus is that Ridley Scott’s Napoleon Director’s Cut is better than the theatrical one. Scott’s film about one of the most prominent military leaders who ever lived marks his first reunion with actor Joaquin Phoenix since 2000’s Gladiator and was his final major directorial release before 2024’s Gladiator 2. Napoleon initially received a Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 58% and an audience score of 59% upon its November 22, 2023 wide release.
Ridley Scott famously snapped back at negative reviewers of Napoleon and other claims from expert historians that point to several noticeable inaccuracies in the film, to which he essentially told them to “Get a life.” Scott largely stood his ground on his status as a renowned filmmaker to take creative liberties for the sake of entertainment, reminding audiences that he did not make a documentary but a motion picture. Scott’s comments angered historians by generally disregarding the significance of historical accounts. However, he consulted several experts and Napoleonic biographers when making the film, indicating that he evidently was concerned about painting a fairly accurate picture but more focused on executing an entertaining product.
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Though Ridley Scott’s Napoleon was supposed to be an epic retelling of the Emperor’s life, it pales in comparison to similar films about this time.
Scott’s Napoleon Director’s Cut counterintuitively accomplished this feat by making the film better with nearly an hour of additional runtime. Despite the mixed critical reception of Napoleon, the film was still nominated for three Oscars, including visual effects, production design, and costume design. These aspects of Napoleon are certainly the highlights of both the theatrical version and the director’s cut, ultimately resulting in a new product that equally extends and enhances the original movie. Scott still has a version of Napoleon that has a 4-hour runtime, which may take a similar route as Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight Extended Cut and be released as an episodic limited series.
Napoleon: The Director’s Cut
is available to stream exclusively on Apple TV+.
12 Napoleon’s Director’s Cut Is 48 Minutes Longer
The most obvious difference between Ridley Scott’s Director’s Cut and the original theatrical release of Napoleon is the runtime. At 205 minutes long, the extended cut comes in at just under 3 and a half hours, which theoretically could have been split up into four 51-52 minute episodes as a limited series. While there was nothing that was notably added to the director’s cut of Napoleon, the additional runtime does more authentically convey Scott’s original vision in mind. This raises the question of why he was not able to release it as such, considering Killer of the Flower Moon’s almost identical runtime of 3 hours and 26 minutes.
11 Josephine Has A Much Richer Backstory & Character Development
Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby, is given a much bigger and more intimate spotlight in Ridley Scott’s Director’s Cut of Napoleon. From the beginning of the extended version, Josephine’s backstory is explored in much greater detail, particularly about where she was from and her relationship with her previous husband, Alexandre, who was executed at the end of the French Revolution. It also explored how she was influenced by her friend Thérésia and how she learned to navigate relationships with men who were in positions of power. The director’s cut provides more historical and personal context for Josephine which helps the audience understand her better than in the theatrical cut.
10 More Of Napoleon’s Insecurities & Complexities Are Explored
While it’s no secret that Napoleon had a psychological complex of sorts, the director’s cut of Scott’s movie spends more time dwelling on those darker and more infrequently portrayed aspects of his character than the theatrical version does. The original version of Napoleon refines the glimpses of the protagonist’s sensitivity, vulnerability, and deeply rooted insecurities but does not leave much space to explore these characteristics and flaws after presenting them. The result is a less emotionally developed Napoleon in the original version, while Scott’s director’s cut gets the most out of the versatile and masterful Joaquin Phoenix and offers more of a complete picture of the humanity of Napoleon.
9 Napoleon’s Director’s Cut Has Greater Balance Between Action & Character Scenes
The pace of the Napoleon director’s cut is better maintained than that of the original version, which results in a more balanced overall film that more eloquently ebbs and flows between character-oriented and action-based scenes. In this way more than others, Scott’s Director’s Cut is truly the most essential way to see Napoleon, especially for viewers who were unable to see the theatrical version. It’s a more complete and full-bodied film altogether due to the additional character scenes and dialogue, whereas the original version felt choppy and episodic, jumping from one key historical event to the next, many of which involved bloodshed and battlefields.
8 More Of Napoleon’s Masterful Preparation & Military Strategy Is On Display
While the theatrical version of Napoleon does well to include Napoleon’s greatest hits on the battlefield, Scott’s extended cut allows more of an inside look into how Napoleon prepared for some of his most famous battles before they happened. This also contributes to the earlier points about balance and pace and helps connect more dots of Napoleon’s historic war stories before they unfold. Including these scenes in the director’s cut aligns with Scott’s ambition to make his biopic more of a character study on the private and personal aspects of Napoleon’s character, as opposed to glorifying his military brilliance alone.
7 Additional & More Subtle Musical Score By Hans Zimmer Is Included
One of the greatest aspects of the Napoelon director’s cut is the additional musical score provided in the new scenes by legendary composer Hans Zimmer. While Zimmer is known for his magnificent and powerful scores as heard in The Dark Knight, Dune, Gladiator, and many more, he also has a beautiful knack for subtlety in his compositions, which is on full display in the director’s cut of Napoleon. The aforementioned scenes that explore more of the titular protagonist’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions are enhanced by Zimmer’s delicate and contemplative approach, making his versatility much more palpable in the extended version.
6 Napoleon’s Director’s Cut Offers More Insight Into France’s Political System
The Napoleon Director’s Cut dives more deeply into France’s Royal Court and larger political system, which shows at greater length the forces that Napoleon was working with and at times against. In just about every conceivable way, the Napoleon Director’s Cut paints with a wider stroke and a larger brush that provides more historical context, resulting in higher stakes and better emotional investment from the viewer. Rather than just being a backdrop and a constant force, the French Court is explored more intricately because the extended version of the film has more time to delve into more specific matters that provide additional and valuable context.
5 Additional Historical Framework Is Given To Napoleon’s Director’s Cut
Many historical events in the Napoleon Director’s Cut are given more context and supplementary information than in the original version. The part of the film that depicts Napoleon’s failed invasion of Russia is explored in greater detail and includes additional information about Napoleon’s state of mind and potential health problems. Certain characters are given more screen time and thus have a larger role than they were given before in the theatrical cut, particularly Alexander I of Russia. In this way, Napoleon can feel more like a sprawling series like Game of Thrones, which greatly adds to its overall entertainment value.
4 More Scenes Of Napoleon’s Early Life & Military Rise Add Motivation
Similarly to Josephine, who is nearly a co-protagonist in the extended cut of Napoleon, Napoleon’s backstory and military rise are depicted at greater length than in the original version. This adds a greater sense of motivation and perspective to Phoenix’s Napoleon character, which wasn’t necessarily missing from the theatrical release but was hardly directed or explored in the early part of the original film. With so much history to cover, and the theatrical version choosing to spend so much time looking at Napoleon through the lens of Josephine, the director’s cut fills in some of the blanks that Napoleonic scholars and history buffs would have already known but casual moviegoers would not.
3 Napoleon’s Coronation & Other Significant Scenes Are Richer & Longer
It feels like with Scott’s director’s cut, he was able to go down more of the narrative roads that he had originally set up, while the theatrical release cut many of those avenues short. With that being said, even the most memorable scenes of Napolon’s theatrical cut were enhanced and expanded on in the director’s cut, especially Napoleon’s coronation scene. If there were one scene to do a side-by-side comparison of between the theatrical version and the director’s cut, it would be the coronation, which was already one of the most profound and impactful scenes of the film but reaches new heights in Scott’s extended cut.
2 More Costume Designs & Landscape Shots Enhance The Story’s Immersion
With additional scenes come more costumes, set pieces, and glorious landscape shots that enhance the film’s overall sense of immersion. The visual aspects of Napoleon were already some of its most impressive qualities, which is massively reinforced by its 3 Academy Awards nominations, and the extended cut only offers more of the original’s elite and majestic aesthetic. Due to these increased sights, the story feels more capable of feeling lived in, creating a firmer sense of the story’s mise en scène, whereas the rapid pace of the original often breaks the sensation of full immersion.
1 Napoleon’s Director’s Cut Has Some (But Not Many) Additional Battle Scenes
Viewers looking for more battle scenes in Napoleon’s Director’s Cut will be able to spot some additional shots and expansive efforts, but not very much. Since the theatrical version of Napoleon made sure to include most of the impressive and expensive battle scenes, there’s not a lot of new material to catch in the extended version in that regard. Ultimately, Ridley Scott’s Director’s Cut of Napoleon features more backstory, greater historical context, and a sharper lens into the subtle notes and complexities of the protagonist, and is the best available way to see Scott’s 2023 epic.
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RBiopicDrama
From director Ridley Scott and writer David Scarpa comes Napoleon, a dramatic historical-epic film that follows the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte as he embarks on a lengthy French campaign of conquest. The film also focuses on his relationship with Josephine, his Empress and the love of his life, a relationship that was equal parts romantically intense and self-destructive.
Director Ridley Scott Release Date November 22, 2023 Studio(s) Apple , Scott Free Productions Distributor(s) Apple TV+ , Columbia Pictures Writers David Scarpa Cast Joaquin Phoenix , Vanessa Kirby , Ben Miles , Ludivine Sagnier Runtime 158 Minutes Main Genre Biopic Expand