Napoleon: why is France deprived of the long version?
After its theatrical release, Ridley Scott's Napoleon is getting denser with a “director's cut”. The film starring Joaquin Phoenix already clocks in at 158 minutes in its original version, adding another 48 minutes could have discouraged potential viewers. The father of Gladiator And Alien found the perfect solution: reserving a long version for Apple TV+ subscribers.
After all, this is one of the main advantages of working with a subscription streaming giant, a film's journey does not stop at simple cinematic and VOD releases. For a few days now, American consumers have been able to enjoy privileged access to this montage that is closer to the filmmaker's desires.
Why not in France?
France is a special case in the global film industry. While exclusivity windows for cinemas do not exceed two months in Uncle Sam's country, France wants to be stricter. Since the revision of the media timelinestudios must wait 17 months (15 for Netflix) before offering their films on subscription streaming platforms. This regulation aims to protect cinemas, but also the various players in the cultural sector, who benefit from primacy with regard to their investment in French creation. This is why Canal+, which invests massively, benefits from a more advantageous window than Netflix and its ilk.
Despite its novel appearance, this extended version might conflict with the first film. On platforms and on VOD or DVD, it was only released a few months earlier. Napoleon, in its short version, having benefited from a cinema release, its long version is also affected by these restrictions. The only films that can benefit from an exception are those whose exploitation was too short or which were not screened in many theaters. To be subject to the media chronology, a film must have achieved at least 100,000 admissions in its first four weeks of exploitation and Napoleon has largely exceeded this milestone.
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Napoleon is less the story of the rise to power of the political figure than the exploration of his tumultuous relationship with Joséphine. Through the interactions between the two characters, Scott wanted to tell how his meeting with the woman who would become his wife changed the course of his life. The extended version thus adds a number of sequences, particularly concerning the past of the heroine played by Vanessa Kirby. In a previous interview, Scott promised to shed light on this couple. A montage “fantastic” which will therefore not be visible to the French public for a few more months.
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