Ridley Scott's Napoleon: The Differences in the Director's Cut

More blood, more Vanessa Kirby, more Ludivine Sagnier, more politics… The long version of the epic with Joaquin Phoenix is ​​available on VOD.

So, this Director's Cut of Napoleonwhat does it look like? Appearing in France this week on VOD on Apple TV+, ten days after the USA, the extended version of the latest film by Ridley Scott has an additional 48 minutes… A big chunk whose differences are very visible compared to the theatrical version. Are you going to dedicate 3 hours and 24 minutes of your weekend to give this anti-biopic another chance, a year after its theatrical release? Here is the list of the main differences between the theatrical version and the Director's Cut to give you an idea.

Ridley Scott's Napoleon: The Director's Cut is finally available in France

More from Josephine

Even before the release of the theatrical cut, Ridley Scott promised a “Josephine Cut” of his Napoleon which developed the character of the empress (Vanessa Kirby). The promise is partially kept: the first part of the film actually includes more scenes devoted to the future empress (Vanessa Kirby), explaining in particular how she ends up in prison, and her troubled relations with Barras (Tahar Rahim). We are far from a “Josephine Cut” which would transform Napoleon in a film dedicated to Joséphine, but that said, these scenes are essential and it is difficult to imagine the film without them now.

More from Ludivine

One of the mysteries of film editing is finally solved by the Director's Cut: the presence of Ludivine Sagnierlisted in the credits but missing from the theatrical version… So here she is, in the role of Thérésa Cabarrus, an intriguer of the time who finds herself in prison at the same time as Joséphine and who teaches her the perverse rules of detention during the Revolution.

No more hemorrhoids

In an interview with Empire last year, Ridley Scott revealed that he dreamed of starting his film with a scene where Napoleon contemplates – just before Waterloo – the bowl of his toilet, full of blood because of his hemorrhoids caused by his life on horseback. If the Director's Cut does not begin with this scene, hemorrhoids do appear in the montage – and several times, even, justifying a little the bizarre and sickly acting of Phoenix…

No more blood

Nuns are guillotined one after the other, the severed head of a soldier by Napo flies through the air in slow motion… The Director's Cut is full of little scenes, not necessarily crucial, but which give more passion, more madness to the film, truly making it a blockbuster heir to twisted British historical films like The Devils by Ken Russell or Cromwell by Ken Hughes, played by the strong characters Oliver Reed and Richard Harris – both of whom will be found in Gladiator.

No more coup d'état

Two crucial scenes were added: the preparation of the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire and a bombing attack against Napoleon. The second scene is not really essential – given that the film, even in the extended version, never explores the reputation of the Emperor among the French, nor his popularity nor his hatred. On the other hand, the scenes of preparation of the coup d'état which establishes the Consulate (and therefore the Empire) are really essential, from a dramatic point of view, to solidify the film. Bonus: we realize better that Joseph, Napoleon's brother, is played by Matthew Needhamaka fetish plotter Larys Strong in House of the Dragon. But one of the best additional scenes is when Napoleon watches one of his subjects painting a large map of Europe on cloth for the Emperor to use in planning his conquests: “Sire, the paint is still fresh! March on Italy – Italy is dry.” Not bad, right?