The famous French emperor Napoleon, who lived in the 19th century and is still widely discussed for his actions, will be portrayed in detail in the film "Napoleon," which will be released on Nov. 24 and is the subject of numerous historical analyses.

The team behind bringing the epic life of such a legendary general as Napoleon to the big screen is as legendary as he was. Directed by BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winning Ridley Scott, the film stars Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon and talented actor Vanessa Kirby as Josephine de Beauharnais, with whom Napoleon had a tumultuous relationship.

Working comfortably even in crowded battle scenes created in vast acres of land with numerous cameras and successfully overcoming challenging scenes, the renowned director Scott is accompanied by production designer Arthur Max, who has been nominated for the Oscar three times and has collaborated with Scott in the previous 15 films, and cinematographer Dariusz Wolski, who has created memorable visuals for various masterpieces.

Scott, who believes that portraying a military commander like Napoleon requires acting like a general, said: "Just like a military commander gathers with his army to plan a battle, we worked together as a team. We received support from a military expert for the battle scenes and recreated that era with stunning military costumes that left a lasting impression."

Filming with 11 cameras

Joaquin Phoenix, who expressed his delight at having the opportunity to work on a Ridley Scott set again after winning an Oscar for "Gladiator" in 2000, considers it a great fortune for an actor that Scott works with 11 cameras simultaneously. He said: "If we stumble upon something and discover something unexpected, and if it becomes a special moment, Ridley's ability to capture it is almost guaranteed. As an actor, having such an opportunity is truly rare. Chasing after something and trying to recreate it is almost impossible."

Historical bed

In the film, Boughton House, a mansion built by a British admirer of French architecture in the 18th century in the county of Northamptonshire, U.K., is used as Napoleon's palace. The film also features a bed borrowed from the Victoria & Albert Museum, which was "not allowed to be approached even a meter." In addition to the rooms of Napoleon as an emperor in the Fontainebleau and Tuileries Palaces, scenes were also shot at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. Other filming locations for the movie include Bourne Wood in Surrey, previously used in Scott's film "Gladiator," and Ricasoli Castle in Malta.

Corsican singers

The music for the film, which promises extraordinary action with its epic scenes, is prepared to portray both Napoleon and his love, Josephine, separately. British composer Martin Phipps, who created pieces that were not traditionally composed but reflected the era with its tones, expressed that he wanted to convey the feeling of Napoleon being a foreigner.

"A Corsican vagabond always ready for a fight, a man with something to prove ... We wanted to add this sense of being a foreigner to the music," he said. "For this, we added Corsican singers, professionals who only sing Corsican songs, not well-known outside Corsica. We also used themes played with somewhat harsher instruments, not very classical or instrumental music, but a bit tougher. One of these harsh instruments was a piano belonging to Napoleon, borrowed from a museum in London; it was accompanied by accordion, early string instruments and even folk instruments like laterna. Napoleon's music starts very simply on the piano, then it transitions to solo trumpet; at the end of the film, it turns into an instrumental and vocal version," he added.

Phipps mentioned that they worked on much more emotional music for Napoleon's only true love, Josephine. He said: "It's a 3/4 tempo, like a waltz," and continued, "Josephine's theme includes an accordion and a softly murmuring large vocal chorus. This music is heard three or four times because she went through quite challenging times."

Phoenix as Napoleon

The director recalled watching Joaquin's Oscar-winning performance in "Joker" and remembered how they worked together on "Gladiator." He understood that Joaquin would be perfect for this role and said, "When I saw him, I remembered the journey we took together in 'Gladiator' with the character of Commodus, and I thought, 'This is Napoleon.'"