#Napoleon letters to Josephine

[microcosme11]

This is only part of a love letter Napoleon wrote

Je ne sais pas quel sort m’attend ; mais s’il m’éloigne plus longtemps de toi, il me [devient] insupportable ; mon courage ne va pas jusque-là. Il fut un temps où je m’enorgueillissais de mon courage, et quelquefois, en jetant les yeux sur le mal que pourraient me faire les hommes, sur le sort que pourrait me réserver le destin, je fixais les malheurs les plus inouïs sans froncer le sourcil, sans me sentir étonné. Mais aujourd’hui, l’idée que ma Joséphine pourrait être mal, l’idée qu’elle pourrait être malade, et surtout la cruelle, la funeste pensée qu’elle pourrait m’aimer moins, flétrit mon âme, arrête mon sang, me rend triste, abattu, ne me laisse pas même le courage de la fureur et du désespoir… Je me disais souvent jadis : les hommes ne peuvent rien à celui qui meurt sans regret ; mais aujourd’hui, mourir sans être aimé de toi, mourir sans cette certitude, c’est le tourment de l’enfer, c’est l’image vive et frappante de l’anéantissement absolu. Il me semble que je me sens étouffer. Mon unique compagne, toi que le sort a destinée pour faire avec moi le voyage pénible de la vie, le jour où je n’aurai plus ton cœur sera celui où la nature aride sera pour moi sans chaleur et sans végétation… Je m’arrête, ma douce amie ; mon âme est triste, mon corps est fatigué, mon esprit est étourdi. Les hommes m’ennuient. Je devrais bien les détester : ils m’éloignent de mon cœur.

Je suis à Port-Maurice, près Oneille ; demain, je suis à Albenga. Les deux armées se remuent ; nous cherchons à nous tromper. Au plus habile la victoire. Je suis assez content de Beaulieu ; s’il manœuvre bien, il est plus fort que son prédécesseur. Je le battrai, j’espère, de la belle manière. Sois sans inquiétude, aime-moi comme tes yeux ; mais ce n’est pas assez : comme toi ; plus que toi, que ta pensée, ton esprit, ta vie, ton tout. Douce amie, pardonne-moi, je délire ; la nature est faible pour qui sent vivement, pour celui que tu animes. [...]

Adieu, adieu, je me couche sans toi, je dormirai sans toi, je t’en prie, laisse-moi dormir. Voilà plusieurs jours où je te serre dans mes bras, songe heureux mais, mais, ce n’est pas toi…

--------

I don’t know what fate awaits me; but if it keeps me away from you any longer, it [becomes] unbearable to me; my courage only goes so far. There was a time when I prided myself on my courage, and sometimes, casting my eyes on the harm that men could do to me, on the fate that destiny could have in store for me, I stared at the most incredible misfortunes without frowning, without feeling surprised. But today, the idea that my Joséphine could be unwell, the idea that she could be ill, and above all the cruel, fatal thought that she could love me less, withers my soul, stops my blood, makes me sad, dejected, does not even leave me with the courage of fury and despair… I often used to say to myself: men can do nothing to those who die without regret; but today, to die without being loved by you, to die without this certainty, is the torment of hell, it is the vivid and striking image of absolute annihilation. I seem to be suffocating. My only companion, you whom fate has destined to make with me the painful journey of life, the day when I will no longer have your heart will be the day when arid nature will be for me without heat and without vegetation… I stop, my sweet friend; my soul is sad, my body is tired, my mind is dizzy. Men bore me. I should hate them: they take me away from my heart.

I am in Port-Maurice, near Oneille; tomorrow I'm in Albenga. The two armies move; we seek to deceive each other. The most skilful wins. I am quite happy with Beaulieu; if he maneuvers well, he is stronger than his predecessor. I will beat him, I hope, in a good way. Don't worry, love me like your eyes; but that’s not enough: like you; more than you, than your thought, your spirit, your life, your everything. Sweet friend, forgive me, I am delirious; nature is weak for those who feel keenly, for those whom you animate. [...]

Goodbye, goodbye, I'm going to bed without you, I'll sleep without you, please let me sleep. It's been several days since I held you in my arms, happy dream but, but, it's not you…

link to the entire letter on napoleonica

#Napoleon was the most ardent passionate lover #Josephine was wasted on him #Napoleon's correspondence #Napoleon letters to Josephine #it's so sad that this love wasn't reciprocated until it was too late and even then not the same way #while he was writing this he also wrote a bunch of orders to people where you would never know he had these feelings

[empirearchives]

Me: *feels guilty about reading the private love letters of historical figures which can get pretty intimate at times*

Also me:

#it’s about the drama #Napoleon and josephine #meme #Napoleon #Josephine #napoleonic era #19th century #first french empire #french empire #napoleonic #1800s #James gillray #cartoon #illustration #France #France memes #French memes #letter #historical #history #Napoleon Bonaparte #reading #reading meme #humor #humour #joke #funny #love #love letters #frev

[ic-napology]

So I am reading this novel about Naps and Josephine's story and his passion has already worn out in Italy, so his whole great love for here is also over by consequence. An idea is worth loving, not a human woman. He's already ogling Giuseppina Grassini. (Btw funny how his first serious mistress's name was the same he gave to his wife).

I'm bothered when they come to picture this as the ending of all Napoleon's love for Josephine. Mostly in fiction, but even non-fiction tends to give this interpretation of their dynamic, sometimes already during the Italian campaign.

(I should point that this is an old novel, though.)

Why should any feeling of love go away once most passion and enthusiasm is over? The "mio dolce amor" period seems to me as just one phase of a much more complex relationship. I'd rather see it like Napoleon matured out of an excessive enthusiasm, stopped idealising her wife and gave her a more balanced vision and sentiment. He certainly had to do this after facing her faults, maybe also suffering while doing so, but should that not be love too?

He must have stopped worshipping a divinity and begun comprehending a woman, and that should be framed more as a positive thing, not as a delusion.

#Oh hey that's me rambling about Napoleon and Josephine #How new #Well that's the reason I called myself napology down here #Hashtags beginning with Capital letters #napoleon bonaparte #Napoleon Bonaparte #Josephine Bonaparte #Napoleon and Josephine #Passion is not the only face of love #It should be normal but it's not stretched out enough #End of the rant bye #Love #Passion #In the end I use them and their story to think about problems and topics in real life #i like translating topics like that #For me it's the final sense to give to everything

[saulwexler]

small insignificant thing but love that logan told connor this funny mausoleum story. he’s the least favorite but they had their own thing going on.

#bailed on the wedding but got him napoleon/josephine letters idk if he can name one of his other kid’s personal interests #maybe bc connor was no threat logan could just be a shitty dad rather than a shitty adad AND manipulative business rival #succession

[evildilf2]

[I’m not projecting voice] If there’s evidence for Connor being autistic I think it would be his interest in Napoleon

#all my little words #said in a way that leads you to believe I’m not jealous this fictional billionaire got napoleon & Josephine letters as a wedding gift

[clarabow-mp3]

ARE THEY GETTING MARRIED AT ELLIS ISLAND???????????????

#napoleon and josephine letters...............what a nerd god i love him #ignoring the dickens reference<3 anyway connor is for the humanities girlies in some respects #succession spoilers #succession

[napoleondidthat]

[On Joaquin Phoenix’s performance] “Joaquin studies the psyche, and the psyche of Napoleon is so strange 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.”

—Vanessa Kirby

[Phoenix’s visit to Napoleon’s tomb, and to the military hotspots] ” I went to all the museums and, yes, it’s very interesting but, yeah, you’re looking at swords and blah, blah, blah, who gives a fuck. I mean, honestly, I want to make it a great thing to talk about for your piece, but yeah, you walk around and you look at the things and you go, ‘Oh yeah, that is a very small jacket.'”

—Joaquin Phoenix

[On Napoleon and Josephine’s divorce scene where Phoenix slaps Kirby in agreement] “My biggest compliment for any take or scene, is, ‘Christ almighty, where did that come from?’ That wasn’t planned. He just fuckin’ slapped her. She didn’t know it was coming either. The whole room went [sharp intake of breath]. And you know, what could’ve been a boring scene suddenly had magic.”

—Ridley Scott

Trivia: Scott has a super cut that goes into Josephine’s life before Napoleon. So you fans of Josephine, don’t give up hope!

This is such a mess. You have English actors being typical English and hate Napoleon but for some reason want to do a movie about him anyway even though he is a Hitler and Stalin and according to Kirby a war criminal. Fantastic. Nothing like approaching a subject neutrally.

Joaquin isn’t impressed with museums much I see.

Okay Scott, wants us to know that the film isn’t a love letter to Napoleon and he’s a bad dude, they aren’t showing just good things Napoleon did. So instead they will show things Napoleon NEVER did like SLAPPING JOSEPHINE AT THE DIVORCE CEREMONY. It’s not as if Napoleon didn’t do shitty things to Josephine that, if you want to show their dynamic you could go to. Yes, Napoleon did shoot at her swans at Malmaison. Yes, Napoleon did force her into carriage rides when she was suffering migraines. But making stuff up out of whole cloth is infuriating.

So on top of the already inaccurate information out there: Napoleon was racist and shot the nose off the syphinx and shot at the pyramids proves it, Napoleon was short and therefore he had to conquer the world, we can now also get Napoleon was a wife beater. And surprise, the misinformation still comes out of England.

#joaquin phoenix napoleon #napoleon bonaparte #bonaparte #napoleon #empress josephine #josephine #josephine de beauharnais #josephine bonaparte #Napoleon the movie #Napoleon movie #glorious mess #Vanessa Kirby #ridley scott #quotes #empire magazine

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

I LOVE YOUR WORKS SO MUCH ITS INSANE RAHHH… where does one find your ‘a wolf in chase’ fic??

aww thank you! that's so kind of you to say!

I took Wolf in Chase and Pale Before the Fall down because for a time there was an iteration of them (very, very different I will say) being shopped to publishers but that is now on the back burner.

Please find the Woodford Series PDFs below (I also included the few on AO3 so you have a sense of the proper order of things):

Pale Before the Fall

Pairing: Napoleon/Wellington; Historical pairings (e.g., Wellesley/Kitty, past Napoleon/Josephine etc.) Rating: T to M(ish) Summary: After Waterloo, through a cunning lawyer and some finagling, Bonaparte manages to end up in England instead of St Helena for his final exile. Of course things don't stay quiet. There's an old murder. A stodgy Duke newly returned from France. A disintegrating marriage. And a couple of ghosts to top it all off. (and full of pretentious chapter titles and what not) Published: 2013-09-27

A Wolf in Chase

Pairing: Napoleon/Wellington; Historical pairings Rating: T to M(ish) Summary: Sequel to "Pale Before the Fall" though I don't think it's too much a necessity to have read the first one. A continuation of something like a friendship. If one may be so liberal as to call it that. Mostly, there are mysteries and a bored (former) emperor who has nothing better to do than drag a certain duke along on his adventures. Published: 2015-07-07

An argument for the wise use of blankets, or, Napoleon dislikes Canova's interpretation of him as Peacemaker (AO3)

Pairing: Napoleon/Wellington; Historical pairings Rating: G Summary: For an anon on tumblr who requested the following: I have only one Napollington suggestion and it is anything including Napoleon being ridiculously angry about Arthur having that naked Napoleon statue in his house. Published: 2019

Unsent Letters**

Pairing: Napoleon/Wellington; Historical pairings Rating: T(ish) Summary A child has gone missing out in the countryside. Wellington investigates. Napoleon is pissed that he's not invited along for the ride. It is a series of letters between them as shit gets weird. Published: 2018? I think?

**Note: Takes place ostensibly in the same universe as Pale and Wolf except that I also borrowed heavily from the rewrite that was being shopped around. So some characters who died in the OG are alive in this version. Treat it as an au of an au. I'll note that this is probably my favourite of the lot. Key differences: Georgiana Preston is alive, it's someone from her past who was murdered. Napoleon ended up half-dead on a river bank due to a fairy king trying to alive him open. Mary did some weird fucked up magic to heal him. Is he now like...weirdly sewn into the land? Maybe. Don't worry about it.

Wrack and Ruin (on AO3)

Pairing: Napoleon/Wellington; Historical pairings Rating: T(ish) Summary A letter from Joseph Bonaparte relating to the oft' cited and mysterious Jersey Devil brings Napoleon and an always less-than-amused Wellesley to New Jersey. Published: 2017

Usual disclaimer that these are quite old and absolutely not up to snuff compared to my current writing (I cannot emphasize this enough). But if you're interested, feel free to dive in.

#napolington #napoleon bonaparte #arthur wellesley #duke of wellington #writing #pale before the fall #a wolf in chase #ask #reply #anon

[microcosme11]

It's impossible to be more weak and more degraded

Two weeks before their marriage, Josephine apparently accused Napoleon of being in a relationship with her for utilitarian reasons, and he took umbrage. At first, he addresses her as "vous" but switches to "tu."

Je vous ai quittée emportant avec moi un sentiment pénible. Je me suis couché bien fâché. Il me semblait que l’estime qui est due à mon caractère devait éloigner de votre pensée la dernière qui vous agitait hier au soir. Si elle prédominait dans votre esprit, vous seriez bien injuste, Madame, et moi bien malheureux !

Vous avez donc pensé que je ne vous aimais pas pour vous ! ! ! Pour qui donc ? Ah ! Madame, y avez-vous bien songé ! Un sentiment si bas a-t-il pu être conçu dans une âme si pure ? J’en suis encore étonné, moins encore cependant que du sentiment qui, à mon réveil, m’a ramené sans rancune et sans volonté à vos pieds. Certes, il est impossible d’être plus faible et plus dégradé. Quel est donc ton étrange pouvoir, incomparable Joséphine ? Une de tes pensées empoisonne ma vie, déchire mon âme par les résolutions les plus opposées, mais un sentiment plus fort, une humeur moins sensible me rattache, me ramène et me conduit encore comme un coupable. Je le sens bien, si nous avons des disputes ensemble, je devrais récuser mon cœur, ma conscience : tu les as séduits, ils sont toujours pour toi.

Toi cependant, mio dolce amor, tu as bien reposé ? As-tu seulement pensé deux fois à moi !!! Je te donne trois baisers : un sur ton cœur, un sur ta bouche, un sur tes yeux.

---

I left you with a painful feeling. I went to bed very angry. It seemed to me that the esteem which is due to my character ought to remove from your thought the last which agitated you yesterday evening. If it prevailed in your mind, you would be very unfair, Madam, and I very unhappy!

So you thought that I did not love you for you!!! For whom, then? Ah! Madam, have you really thought this! Could such a low feeling be conceived in such a pure soul? I am still astonished, however, less so than the feeling which, when I woke up, brought me back to your feet without rancor and without will. Certainly, it is impossible to be weaker and more degraded. What is your strange power, incomparable Josephine? One of your thoughts poisons my life, tears my soul with the most opposing resolutions, but a stronger feeling, a less sensitive mood binds me, brings me back, and leads me again like a guilty one. I really feel that if we have arguments, I should challenge my heart, my conscience: you seduced them, they are always for you.

However, you, mio dolce amor, have you rested well? Have you even thought of me twice!! I give you three kisses: one on your heart, one on your mouth, one on your eyes.

napoleonica correspondence of Napoleon

#I don't know whether other letters in this era were so blunt about going to bed very angry #Napoleon letters #Letters to Josephine #Napoleon's love letters

[empirearchives]

Beautiful unpublished letter from Josephine praying to Berthier to protect Napoleon

“Above all, take good care of the emperor. Make sure he doesn't expose himself too much. You are one of his oldest friends and it is on your attachment that I rely.”

Lettre de Joséphine à Berthier. Mayence, 15 octobre (1806). Une page 1/2 sur bifolio, papier doré à frise gaufrée de palmes, urnes et lauriers, in-8. "(...) ayés surtout bien soin de l'empereur. faites qu'il ne s'expose pas trop. vous êtes un de ses plus anciens amis et c'est sur votre attachement que je me repose.(...)"

Source: Sotheby’s — Une famille et Napoléon, Collections du Maréchal Berthier, Prince de Wagram

#Josephine #Berthier #louis alexandre berthier #josephine bonaparte #napoleon bonaparte #Napoleon #letter #josephine de beauharnais #napoleonic era #napoleonic #first french empire #french empire #correspondence #history

[saifkaafihai]

I am the type of guy who will write you letter the way,

Frank wrote to Milena, Jaun wrote to Fariha, Amrita wrote to Sahir, Faiz wrote to Alys, Galib wrote to Umrao Jaan, Elizabeth to Mr.Darcy, Napoleon wrote to Josephine, Heathcliff wrote to Katherine, Robert wrote to Elizabeth Barrett, Romeo wrote to Juliet, Manto wrote to Safia, Josh wrote to Jamila, Wentworth wrote to Anne, Augustus wrote to Hazel, Noah wrote to Allie, Hardin wrote to Tessa, Lily wrote to Ellen...

And still it won't be enough to express it all sweetheart..

#beautiful words #spilled ink #lost love #urdu shayari #quotes #poem #love #words #books & libraries #poetry

[josefavomjaaga]

Hii, I have heard Eugene initially disliked his stepfather. It sounds interesting since I love the beautiful father-son bond of napoleon and his stepson. Is it true that Eugene initially didn't like his stepfather? Was it just a part of grieving for his own father, Alexander, or was it because Napoleon initially acted a certain way that hurt Eugene.

Hi and thank you for the Ask! As I’m feeling particularly lazy today, I thought it would be easiest to let Eugène answer himself. This is translated from his memoirs:

I must say that, a few months later, we realised that General Bonaparte might want to unite his destiny with that of our mother, and all the splendour that has since surrounded Napoleon, then General Bonaparte, has not made me forget the pain I felt when I saw my mother resolved to form new ties. It seemed to me that a second marriage, whatever it was, was a profanation, an attack on the memory of my father. General Bonaparte, who was already a regular visitor to the house, took an interest in everything that went on there, and did not disdain to devote himself, with particular care, to the education of two children whose mother he soon hoped to marry; but they were aware of the reluctance we had already shown, my sister and I, for my mother to marry again, and they used the need for both of us to complete our education as an excuse to place us in two boarding schools in Saint-Germain. It was not long before we learnt at once of my mother's marriage to General Bonaparte, of his appointment as commander of the army of Italy, and finally of my mother's imminent departure to follow her husband. All this news would have pleased me very little if General Bonaparte, on leaving for Italy, had not given me a glimpse of a very flattering consolation: he promised to call me to his side as soon as, through assiduous and successful work, I had made up for the time that circumstances had caused me to lose.

So, apparently Eugène and Hortense had shown their dislike for this second marriage openly enough for Napoleon and Josephine not wanting to have them around for the wedding. Which is … yeah. Not particularly considerate. Presumably, this had hurt Eugène more than he lets show in his memoirs. I surely would not want to learn about my mother having married from my school principal (according to Hortense, she was called to Madame Campan’s office, and Madame Campan then carefully broke the news). I’d argue this was not the best start.

But let’s not forget that this is Eugène’s own POV. As he admits himself in the next paragraph, his education had indeed been much neglected (he had already been pushed from pillar to post even before the Revolution after his parents’ separation). The kids being sent back to school may have been more than just an excuse to have them out of the way for Napoleon and Josephine’s marriage.

As to the reasons why the kids were set against their mother remarrying, Eugène cites the memory of his father, in whose care he had grown up and whom he probably had a much closer personal relationship with than his sister. He also may have understood much more than Hortense about the ugly scenes that had happened when his parents had separated, so his mother remarrying may have felt to him as if Rose-Josephine now completely gave up on Alexandre, as if she ultimately declared that her first marriage had been a mistake.

But most of all, I think the children felt abandonned. After all, not even two years earlier, they had woken up one morning to learn that their mother had been taken to prison during the night. Françoise de Bernardy thinks that the letters the kids wrote home from their boarding schools often feel as if they were very protective of their mother, almost as if they had been the adults and Josephine the child. All their childhood had been turmoil. Their mother was the only thing left they could cling to.

But both children were, as a rule, docile and well-behaved, and especially Eugène had this innate desire to please, to be loved, and to win the appreciation of whatever father figure was available in his life at any given time. So it would not take long for Napoleon to win them over. We do not have any letters from Eugène to Napoleon from this time, afaik, we only know he wrote because Napoleon mentions it. We do have a letter from Napoleon to Hortense, in reply to a somewhat defiant letter she had sent. Presumably, Hortense, being younger and closer to her mother, had been more hostile than her brother. But I doubt she would have expressed her feelings too openly; Madame Campan would have taken care of that.

I also always feel like I have to add a bit of a caveat with regards to Eugène’s and Napoleon’s relationship. Yes, I would argue this was most likely the closest thing to a father-son-relationship Napoleon ever experienced during his life. But it always remained at a certain distance. Napoleon called Eugène tu in private, obviously, but in letters and later at court it’s always vous. And while we have multiple remarks of "paternal love" and "filial devotion" etc in their correspondence, I yet have to find a single instance of Eugène referring to Napoleon as a father. Even in letters to his mother and sister he speaks of either "Bonaparte" or later "the emperor". Napoleon does of course call Eugène his son in every letter since the adoption. But this is first and foremost a formality; prince Karl von Baden who had married Napoleon’s adopted daughter Stéphanie de Beauharnais is adressed as "mon fils" just like Eugène.

Aaaand considering that I only wanted to quote Eugène, this has gotten unbearably long once again. Sorry for that 😚. I always get so excited whenever somebody shows an interest in the boy.

Thanks for the Ask, I hope this was helpful!

#napoleon's family #eugene de beauharnais #le fils #paris 1796 #rose de beauharnais

[an-au-blog]

Around a week ago I watched "Napoleon" the movie and not gonna lie, the Josephine and Napoleon gave me a bit of a Shuggy vibe.

SO NOW I PRESENT YO YOU: that one part where we find out how horribly codependent they are. (But it's the royalty au)... plus i changed it up because they're way too toxic in the movie

On important business, Shanks has to travel. Buggy insisted on going with him, but this time, the king listened to his advisers and decided that bringing his, as they called him, "harlot", was a bad idea. And so Shanks did. He left his lover in the castle with a promise of swift returning.

Many months pass. Shanks keeps sending letters to Buggy, but at this point, Buggy is so angry at him for not keeping his promise, that he stopped responding. He decided to take it a step further. He started spreading a rumor that he had taken a lover.

Shanks, in his fury, dropped his business as soon as he could and took the fastest way home. Upon his arrival, all the nation welcomed him. All but Buggy.

The king ordered to find him and bring him to dinner.

Shanks: The whole nation knew I was coming home.

Silence.

Shanks: The whole nation, only the king's lover didn't know. How does that happen?

Buggy snarled. He didn't even look at the king.

Shanks, in his anger, hit the table: Look at me!

Buggy, in defiance turned his head even more, stood up and started walking out. The king ran after him and grabbed his hand: You're mine, you were no one before me.Tell me you love me. Tell me you love me!

Buggy, on the verge of tears, pulls Shanks by the collar and kisses him passionately. All grace and status - forgotten, clothes start getting less and less as their passion takes over.

As they sat in the afterglow, Shanks lays on Buggy's lap, ogling at what he's been deprived of for all this time.

Buggy stopped stroking his hair in favor of grabbing his face: You're so pathetic without me. You need me.

Shanks: I need you.

Buggy: And you'll never leave me...

Shanks: I'll never leave you...

Buggy's tears weren't ones of sadness anymore.

#royalty au #shuggy #shanks x buggy #buggy x shanks #op

[nicollekidman]

we really flew past logan and kerry getting connor napoleon and josephine letters for their wedding.... how many.... did they get originals... 

#like thats an insane gift im crying #succession

[cherry-blossomtea]

Why are you blorbo tagging Napoleon on my posts. Please explain to me the Alexander I and Napoleon forbidden yaoi

Oh my god you’re one of today’s lucky 10,000 because after Napoleon and Alexander signed the treaty of tilsit Napoleon is quoted in a letter to Josephine “If Alexander were a woman I would make him my mistress.” There’s apparently old art/linocuts or whatever of them making out which is great. World leader yaoi unfortunately real in the hearts of the people.

#asked and answered

[diocletianscabbagefarm]

@bundifranco (I can't seem to tag you automatically so I hope you'll see this)

The only coherent explanation of this movie is Ridley Scott trying to create a character assassination on purpose. And I mean that quite earnestly. It is the only way in which a myriad of choices make any kind of thematic sense.

From the way Phoenix plays Napoleon as a tired horny guy with a negative charisma stat and his dysfunctional relationship with Josephine - dramatized to be extra dysfunctional, such as him slapping her in the face during divorce proceedings - is employed to inform several of his military/political decisions (like abandoning Egypt or returning from Elba), to leaving out or hugely downplaying Napoleon's most brilliant campaigns ("Italy surrendered without a fight" 1796-97 and "Error 404 France" 1814), creating incomprehensible muddles with little finesse beyond 'charge!' from the battles he couldn't avoid to show, and odd text cards inconsistently applied to show the casualties of the Wars of the Coalition in the most unfavorable light, including one at the end that seems more fitting as a solemn reminder at the end of a WW2 movie, all I've learned from this movie is that Ridley Scott just * shakes fist * really hates old Boney.

In this light the only decision that makes no sense is that he left out a scene to show the British intercepting some of his letters to Josephine, which they then published to embarrass him. Of course there's still the 4+ hour cut that'll be released on Apple tv, so if there's actually a scene of that in there, you heard it here first.

I feel like there are perfectly valid ways in which you can make a movie with a negative characterization of Napoleon, there's plenty to draw from, but this one was just so uncharitable you'd think they recently rediscovered the will of a British satirist from 1800 along with a bag of 400 million dollars, requesting this movie be made.

#napoleon 2023 #Or wait was there a scene about the letters being published I don't even remember anymore it must've been forgettable