Before Napoleon hit theaters in late 2023, director Ridley Scott promised a longer, more complete cut would follow on Apple TV+. The streaming service fulfilled that promise on Thursday.
The original lasts 2 hours and 38 minutes, while Napoleon: The Director’s Cut brings nearly an hour more of Joaquin Phoenix as the infamous French emperor and conqueror of much of Europe.
Napoleon: The Director’s Cut storms Apple TV+
For the benefit of those who came away from history class with only vague memories of a short, French guy with a funny hat, the film captures Napoleon’s “swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine (Vanessa Kirby),” according to Apple’s description.
“Napoleon: The Director’s Cut featuring 48 minutes of new, never-before-seen footage from the Academy Award-nominated historical action epic, is now available to stream globally on Apple TV+,” the streaming service said Thursday.
Watch a fresh trailer to take a first glimpse at the new cut:
More is better?
No specifics about the additions to the film were revealed today, but when Ridley Scott first began talking about his extended version last autumn, he said the director’s cut would show more of Josephine’s life before meeting Napoleon. At that time, he said the long version would last 4 hours and 10 minutes. The actual Napoleon: The Director’s Cut on Apple TV+ is 3 hours and 26 minutes.
Don’t automatically dismiss the longer version as a pointless ego trip by Scott. There’s room for improvement. The film was clearly created to be Oscar fodder but was mostly shut out. While it received nominations for production design, costume design and visual effects, there were no Oscars for the director or actors.
The Cult of Mac staffers who’ve seen the original agreed it could be improved with more scenes. “I actually felt it was rushed … like it was just going through major events,” said Lewis Wallace, our managing editor. “Didn’t feel like it revealed much about Napoleon the man … what drove him, etc.”
Watch it today
Streaming Napoleon: The Director’s Cut comes with a subscription to Apple TV+. The service is $9.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle.
Of course, Apple’s streaming video service also includes much more. There’s a library of drama, sci-fi, musicals, children’s shows, nature documentaries, etc.
