Being French speaking and having an interest in everything about history. We grew up with quite an extensive knowledge about Napoleon and his life.
Ridley Scott certainly earned his stripes in the movie business and i was really looking forward to this movie, but I ended up being quite dissapointed.
Shrugging off criticism about historical accuracy not only is insulting your viewers by taking them for totally illiterate people looking for a cheap thrill.
Although I don't expect Hollywood to educate us, these kind of movies can plant totally wrong ideas about history in peoples heads.
Just like the ideas that all the people in the middle ages were living their lives filthy and dressed in rags and knights often wearing the wrong period armor. Which isn't right cause up until at least the 15 century people washed themselves using soap on a regular basis in public bathhouses, did their laundry and even seemed o have a change of clothes.
On the other hand they always depict the court of Louis the XIV as some kind of magical lala land with beautiful people. While they actually were filthy with Louis XIV and other courtiers missing alot of teeth at a relatively young age, having lots of scars and bad skin on their face because of whitening it using white lead which is toxic and also dries out the skin, only dry washing themselves and smelling so bad they had to douse themselves in perfumes and so on.
The real history of Napoleon, The Plantagenets and many others can be interesting and exciting enough in an on itself without having to take liberties and reinventing the whole thing. Otherwise just make a complete fiction movie.
Sorry Ridley but for me it matters so I will not give you a standing ovation for this one.
Ridley Scott certainly earned his stripes in the movie business and i was really looking forward to this movie, but I ended up being quite dissapointed.
Shrugging off criticism about historical accuracy not only is insulting your viewers by taking them for totally illiterate people looking for a cheap thrill.
Although I don't expect Hollywood to educate us, these kind of movies can plant totally wrong ideas about history in peoples heads.
Just like the ideas that all the people in the middle ages were living their lives filthy and dressed in rags and knights often wearing the wrong period armor. Which isn't right cause up until at least the 15 century people washed themselves using soap on a regular basis in public bathhouses, did their laundry and even seemed o have a change of clothes.
On the other hand they always depict the court of Louis the XIV as some kind of magical lala land with beautiful people. While they actually were filthy with Louis XIV and other courtiers missing alot of teeth at a relatively young age, having lots of scars and bad skin on their face because of whitening it using white lead which is toxic and also dries out the skin, only dry washing themselves and smelling so bad they had to douse themselves in perfumes and so on.
The real history of Napoleon, The Plantagenets and many others can be interesting and exciting enough in an on itself without having to take liberties and reinventing the whole thing. Otherwise just make a complete fiction movie.
Sorry Ridley but for me it matters so I will not give you a standing ovation for this one.
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