Ridley Scott hit back at criticism of his upcoming film Napoleon.
In an interview with The New Yorker, the director, 85, responded to TikTok history experts like television historian Dan Snow, who took to the social media platform to point out historical inaccuracies in the film's trailer. After Snow posted a 5-minute dissection of the clip, Scott fired back through the publication: "Get a life," he said.
In his TikTok, Snow noted that “Napoleon didn’t shoot at the pyramids” during the Battle of the Pyramids in July 1798, and that Marie-Antoinette “famously had very cropped hair for the execution, and, hey, Napoleon wasn’t there.” In the trailer, Marie-Antoinette, played by Catherine Walker, has long, frizzy hair.
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While Scott didn't entertain Snow's TikTok, historical inaccuracies in film isn't new in biopics. “If you want to really understand Napoleon, then you should probably do your own studying and reading. Because if you see this film, it’s this experience told through Ridley’s eyes," said Joaquin Phoenix, who portrays the film's titular character, in an interview with Empire Magazine in August.
Despite Snow's call-out, Scott attempted to get as close to the real events as possible for the historical drama, even spending five days of filming to replicate the Battle of Waterloo. The Napoleon research team also studied the differences between how the French soldiers and British soldiers loaded their bayonets for battle.
Based on the true story of French military commander and political leader, Napoleon Bonaparte, the historical epic drama hits theaters on Nov. 22, and will later stream on Apple TV+.
