A Napoleon director’s cut is now streaming, but it’s not the four-hour cut director Ridley Scott previously teased. Based on the life of French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, Scott’s historical epic hit theaters last year with Joaquin Phoenix in the title role. Before the film even released, Scott teased that he had a four-hour director’s cut of the project, which would expand on key aspects of the figure’s life.
Apple TV+ has now released Napoleon: The Director’s Cut, which includes 48 minutes of extra footage. Check out a trailer for the new cut below:
The director’s cut features a runtime that clocks in at a whopping three hours and 24 minutes. As for what’s included in the extra footage, viewers can expect another battle, an assassination attempt, and lots more of the relationship between Napoleon and Josephine (Vanessa Kirby).
Will It Be An Improvement Over Ridley Scott’s Theatrical Cut?
The theatrical cut of Napoleon features a handful of key battles that Napoleon took part in, but the director’s cut is set to include one more. The Battle of Marengo is one of the many additions that comes with the extended cut, though it is relatively brief compared to some of the other battle sequences, such as the Battle of Austerlitz. Taking place in the year 1800, the Battle of Marengo sees Napoleon’s forces facing off against the Austrian army in Italy, with the battle ultimately representing a narrow victory for the French.
Also included in Napoleon: The Director’s Cut is a previously unseen assassination attempt known as the Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise, as well as a new look at Napoleon’s failed invasion of Russia. Another crucial addition to the director’s cut are multiple scenes of Napoleon and Josephine that further build out their tumultuous relationship, providing further context and fleshing out how she felt about the titular emperor behind closed doors.
Scott previously released a director’s cut of 2005’s Kingdom of Heaven, which is widely considered better than the theatrical release.
Napoleon‘s reviews were mixed from critics, with a key complaint being that the film paints an incomplete portrait of the leader’s life. Scott’s film attempts to capture both Bonaparte’s military exploits and his romantic life, arguably succeeding on neither front. With 48 minutes of extra footage that expands on both Bonaparte’s military career and his love life, the Napoleon director’s cut could end up being the superior version of the film.
Source: Apple TV+
