HORSES CARRY ‘NAPOLEON’ TO GLORY

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Acclaimed more for its epic battle scenes than an accurate historical portrayal, Ridley Scott’s Napoleon elevates the horses to heroic effect and equal stardom alongside the reluctant lead, Joaquin Phoenix.

Joaquin Phoenix had been a vegan since he was three, even before his family changed its surname from Bottom to Phoenix, and he wasn’t happy about riding horses. They weren’t meant to be sat on and made to do things – “it’s a gross abuse of power”.

Offered $20 million to play the Corsican who became Emperor of France, Joaquin put his beliefs to one side – as he begrudgingly had done in 2018’s The Sisters Brothers. “I regretted having to ride in that picture,” he said. “I was clueless ’cause I didn’t think about it much until I arrived and realised, ‘oh it’s a western and we’re on horses a lot’. I felt bad about riding them. I felt they really didn’t want me on their backs.”

The film poster for Ridley Scott’s Napoleon. (2023, Columbia Pictures and Apple TV+). Image supplied.

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“Any horse you see
flying through the air
in this film is a dummy.”

And he refused to wear woollen hats in Ridley Scott’s Napoleon. (2023, Columbia Pictures and Apple TV+) David Crossman, costume designer on this $200 million movie, needed to produce a variety of headgear which didn’t contain animal products such as wool.

He discovered a plant-based fabric made from tree bark originating in Uganda, which provided the perfect texture. “We were out of trouble,” he recalls. “I worried it was going to have to be some polyester synthetic thing; what it actually gave us was a lot of lovely surface texture on the hats.”

Joaquin Phoenix stars in 'Napoleon'. Image supplied.

The movie’s horses were for real, except for those dying on the battlefields. Although roughly 150 are thought to have perished at the actual Battle of Austerlitz, none were harmed on set. “Any horse you see flying through the air in this film is a dummy,” assured the director who went to extreme lengths to make the battle look authentic. And neither humans nor horses came to harm in the underwater scenes which were filmed in a tank on a soundstage at Pinewood Studios.

These action sequences depicted a frozen lake where mounted soldiers met their deaths on the cracking ice. “You could only put two horses in the tank at a time, but we had men in there as well who were trying to avoid getting clobbered by hooves,” explained Scott. “They were all stunt guys who seemed to love doing these dangerous sequences, which I find really baffling.”

One of the battle scenes in the film. Image supplied.

“There’s no question
that the combat
sequences are impressive.”

Before going into the tank, the horses’ swimming abilities were assessed at a nearby animal-friendly aquatic facility to ensure they would be safe in the water. This was overseen by riders from the UK’s Devils Horsemen, an equestrian film and TV company headed by siblings Camilla and Daniel Naprous, which has been referred to many times in EQL’s Horses and Movies series.

This company, which was started up in the early ’70s by their father, Gerard, played a role in every equine element of this massive production which was filmed in England, Malta, France and Morocco. It involved ensuring the harnesses and saddles used were period-appropriate, supplying gear, training horses and actors and choreographing scenes. “Our collection is enormous; for example, we have over a thousand horse-drawn carriages,” says Camilla. “And on Napoleon we collaborated with a saddler and with the art department to create the tack that was required.”

Camilla echoed Ridley Scott when assuring viewers that special effects were used to show dead or maimed horses. “But the vast majority of what we see on screen is done in camera, featuring 100 horses with little digital duplication.” The last time Camilla worked with so many was on an episode of Game of Thrones.

TRIVIA

“Phoenix plays Napoleon as a military genius and lounge lizard peacock who is, incidentally, no slouch on horseback.” – Peter Bradshaw, film critic

The field for recreating the Battle of Waterloo was in the heart of Surrey in 2022, not Belgium in 1815. “It was gigantic,” says Daniel Naprous. “And before shooting started the ground was completely re-turfed to prevent injuries to the animals from natural hazards like rabbit holes.”

“There’s no question that the combat sequences are impressive,” Guardian reviewer Wendy Ide wrote. “Using numerous cameras, thunderous, enveloping sound and intricate action choreography, Scott manages to convey both the overwhelming tumult of being in the thick of battle and the meticulous efficiency of Napoleon’s strategic planning. It is, not surprisingly, a rather battle-heavy movie.”

Apart from the top-billed actors, the Devil’s Horsemen provided all the riders seen on screen. “We used about 150 extras who are all our regulars,” explains Camilla. “We’re very proud that when horses or people work for us, they stay with us and we learn and grow together. We know the individuals, the character of the animals and of the people.”

Presently they have 108 horses sourced from all over the world such as Hungary, Spain and all the continents where they work. Once purchased they stay for life with the Naprouses who tend to gravitate towards Lusitanos, Friesians and Hungarian breeds as they lend themselves to the training required for filmmaking.

Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon on Jon Snow's horse from 'Game of Thrones'. Image supplied.

Phoenix rode several horses in the picture. “The black horse he’s on was Jon Snow’s in Game of Thrones,” says Daniel, “and Adam Driver had been on our grey, Eclipse, in Scott’s The Last Duel.” (See the March 2022 issue of Equestrian Life). Eclipse represents Marengo, the grey that Napoleon is pictured riding in all those famous paintings.

Joaquin Phoenix (Napoleon) on Eclipse (Marengo). Image supplied.

This 14.1hh Arabian was described as a reliable, steady mount who carried the emperor on all his famous campaigns to the final battle at Waterloo. The horse reputedly was captured after that and taken to Britain where it was put on exhibition. Even now its skeleton is on display in the National Army Museum. However, it was recently discovered no horse with the name Marengo appears in the registers of Napoleon’s stables or in any primary source. Historian Jean-François Lemaire has stated: “The French archives are silent about Marengo.” It is possible it was the nickname of another horse.

Researchers also found it unlikely that Napoleon actively participated in the fighting at Waterloo – he had been suffering from seriously painful haemorrhoids and couldn’t sit on his horse. Not surprisingly his condition is not referred to in the film.

A famous painting of Napoleon on horseback. Image supplied.

Napoleon did, however, ride from a young age, albeit on mules and donkeys. “In his childhood on Corsica, Napoleon never owned a horse and, unschooled in formal equestrian skills (he probably had only a little more than a year of formal training while in military school), he first learned a casual, practical style of riding on this rocky island where a mule or donkey was as practical as a horse,” writes Jill Hamilton in her book The Myth of Napoleon’s Horse (Fourth Estate, 2000). “Used to using a primitive bridle without an iron bit, Napoleon held his reins loose, controlling the animal by shifts in his body weight. He sat slouched forward on his horse; his toes lower than his heels in the stirrups. Napoleon had a poor seat. He slid forward and back and from side to side as he rode, wearing holes in his breeches.”

TRIVIA

In 2020 Phoenix received multiple awards for his role in ‘Joker’. Behind the scenes he and others convinced the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which runs the Golden Globes, to make its entire menu plant-based.

Since it began universally screening in cinemas a few months ago, the film has been playing to mixed reviews. Phoenix walked out of the premiere although Variety hailed his performance and highly praised Scott’s direction and visual storytelling. On the other hand, Rex Reed from The Observer wrote: “The acting remains muted and forgettable, except for the eye-rolling over-emoting of Vanessa Kirby, a Josephine who is always on the verge of hysterics.”

Some French critics called the movie very anti-French and pro-British. Eighty-six-year-old Scott responded: “The French don’t even like themselves.” To make up your own minds, Napoleon is now streaming on Apple TV.

Next time in Horses and Movies, Ride On (2023), starring Jackie Chan, and a little story about a horse truck’s role on a fashion shoot. EQ

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