FRANCE 24 (November 21, 2023) – After “Alien”, “Gladiator” & “Thelma and Louise”, director Ridley Scott presents Napoleon to the French, with Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix in the title role and Vanessa Kirby as his Josephine.
The filmmaker talks about his fascination with the brilliant and destructive emperor of France. From the final resting place of Napoleon, Paris’s Military Museum, Eve Jackson tells us more about the film which, as well as a good few battle scenes, focuses on the big love of his life.
Vanessa Kirby talks about the challenges of playing his wife. Plus, French cinema darling Tahar Rahim, who plays Paul Barras – a general who helped Napoleon’s ascent – discusses the historic significance of the film.
The New Yorker – November 13, 2023 issue: The new issue‘s cover features Kadir Nelson’s “Dumbo” – The artist discusses the seasonal energy of the city, and his sources of inspiration.
On the morning of the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte was full of catastrophic confidence. His seventy-three thousand troops were camped on a ridge near a tavern called La Belle Alliance. His nemesis, the Duke of Wellington, occupied a slope across the fields, with a mere sixty-seven thousand troops. Over breakfast, Napoleon predicted, “If my orders are well executed, we will sleep in Brussels this evening.” When his chief of staff offered a word of caution, Napoleon snapped, “Wellington is a bad general and the English are bad troops. The whole affair will not be more serious than swallowing one’s breakfast.”
Some people think that we can’t be held responsible for what we do, given that our actions are the inevitable consequence of the laws of nature. They’re only half right.
Boomers Daily 