Ridley Scott's Napoleon (2023)-Coronation Scene

Filmmaker Ridley Scott has made a film about Napoleon Bonaparte starring Joaquin Phoenix. Besides the trailers, the first clip from the film was released recently. And it is none other than the coronation scene, inspired by the famous painting by Jacques-Louis David. 

Here's the clip. Enjoy, folks!

So here are my thoughts about the video clip. First off, I love a well-executed coronation scene. A lot can be achieved in filmmaking with good execution and sometimes, good execution is more effective for me than a good screenplay. And this, minus one flaw (which I'll get to in a minute), is a well-executed coronation scene. 

So that one flaw...let me start off by saying that Joaquin Phoenix is a terrific actor. I've seen a couple clips of Gladiator, especially the part when Commodus murders his father. That scene alone should have earned Phoenix at least a nomination for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. 

But in the above clip, Phoenix has one line and his delivery of it was just way off. His character, the renowned Napoleon Bonaparte, is just about to crown himself Emperor and Phoenix delivers this famous remark from Napoleon about finding the French crown in the gutter and picking it up with the tip of his sword in a flat, emotionless tone. Seriously? I mean, come on, this moment is the pinnacle of Napoleon's life and you would have me believe he would say that in such a detached tone? 

Nope, I don't buy or accept that, sorry. 

Here are the things I love about this clip: 

-the presence of David at the ceremony, creating the above painting.

-Pope Pius' pause when he says, "And Christ permit you to rule with Him in His eternal...kingdom." It's like he's saying, "You may rule as Emperor of France for now, pal, but God is the one who rules for all eternity."

-The collective gasp when Napoleon takes his crown off the cushion

-Josephine's face when Napoleon takes his crown off the cushion. It's priceless. She's like, "What the heck are you doing?"