Star director
For director legend Scott, Napoleon is not a war criminal
Ridley Scott (lr), film director from Great Britain, Vanessa Kirby, actress from Great Britain, and Joaquin Phoenix, actor from the USA, attend the Great Britain premiere of the film ‘Napoleon’ at the Odeon Luxe in London. photo
© Ian West/PA Wire/dpa
The world premiere of “Napoleon” took place just over a week ago. Was France’s most famous ruler a criminal? Star director Scott has his doubts about that.
For the British directing legend Ridley Scott Napoleon is not a criminal against humanity. He is a very controversial historical figure, but war criminal is too harsh a term, said the old master (“Blade Runner, “Alien”) in an interview with the German Press Agency in Paris. Napoleon was a leader, a general, he The 85-year-old explained that he had fought wars in which people died.
Scott has now shot the historical epic “Napoleon” about the Emperor of the French, which will be released in cinemas in Germany on November 23rd. For the title role, the director brought Joaquin Phoenix back in front of the camera 23 years after “Gladiator”. Scott’s new film celebrated its world premiere on November 14th in Paris.
Napoleon (1769-1821) is considered France’s most famous and controversial ruler. For some he was a brilliant warlord, for others he was a war criminal who fought over 60 battles.
“He embodied both the bad and the good,” Scott said. His reasoning: He had carried out significant domestic reforms that still shaped the country. The “Code civil”, which is still valid today and introduced in 1804, goes back to Napoleon and regulates French civil law. For Scott, Napoleon was an amazing person about whom there was much more to be said.
Film site