Original Title: Napoleon Complexity
Original Date Sent: September 20, 2015
Sent to: The participants in the annual summer history chain. This year's topic, of course, is Napoleon.
Context: This email came after several hundred messages sent by dozens of people - most of which were actually fairly serious.
Since the beginning of this chain I've wanted to do an analysis of Napoleon's portrayal in the landmark film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. This weekend, I finally had the time and inclination to do so. The film gets many things right but, perhaps not surprisingly, oversimplifies Napoleon's character. Rather than finding a man at a defined point in his life, we are treated to a caricature of Napoleon's (mostly negative) stereotypes.
I made sure to time stamp things along the way in case you want to follow along at home or throw in some additional commentary.
5:25 - Ted (Keanu Reeves) refers to Napoleon as a "short dead dude." As we've previously discussed Napoleon wasn't actually all that short (especially not for his time). Perhaps this is why his history teacher is so disgusted with Ted's answer. At least that's what I hope. I'd hate to think that the makers of the film hadn't done their proper historical due diligence.
18:15 - Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted are whisked back in time by Rufus (George Carlin). Rufus informs the boys that they are in "Austria, 1805. The French have just invaded." The weather appears to be warm so this is significantly before the Battle of Austerlitz in December. Not to mention the fact that the French had not "just invaded" at that point. It should also be noted, however, that a significant military action seems to be taking place. Therefore my best guess would be that this would likely be a part of the Ulm Campaign.
Other notes from this scene include Napoleon using aggressive tactics in ordering his men to fire at the mysterious telephone booth that appears behind his lines. Also, Napoleon getting blown into the air by a cannonball echoes an incident that occurred during Napoleon's second invasion of Austria in 1809 when he suffered a minor ankle injury due to cannon fire at the Battle of Ratisbon.
27:30 - We get our first mention of "Waterloo" during Bill & Ted's trip to the American West. This prompts a physical assault from the cowboys in attendance. Remember that even though Bill & Ted are in the past, Waterloo would have already occurred. So perhaps the mention of this victory of conformity over the successors of the French Revolution struck a chord with these individualists who gravitated toward the frontier.
45:00 - Napoleon, put in Ted's brother Deacon's care, eats the "Zygie Piggy" at the ice cream parlor. We again see his aggressive side as he insists upon eating the last bite.
50:00 - Napoleon cheats on his bowling score sheet.* It is most clear here that Napoleon is being portrayed in this film as a ruthless, win-at-all-costs buffoon. Without starting an argument, I'd concede that one could portray Napoleon in this light toward the end of his career. But in 1805? This seems incredibly unfair given how his career had not yet peaked. He still had his greatest days in front of him. His worst days were still almost a decade away.
*Another member of the chain chimed in here with a salient point: "Cheating on his bowling card is actually very factually accurate. He was not a good loser and, at least according to the biography I read, people playing him in chess or cards would just let him cheat because what were they going to do about it? This was true throughout his life, even to St. Helena."
58:50 - Ted refers to Napoleon as "one of Europe's greatest leaders." Shortly thereafter Bill refers to Napoleon as "one of Europe's greatest generals." The difference between these two statements is not insignificant. It also reflects a debate we've been having on this chain for months now. Was Napoleon a great leader for his country as Ted suggests? Or was he simply an accomplished general whose political leadership led France down a dark path as Bill suggests?
Also notable in this scene is that both Bill and Ted conclude that the place to find Napoleon is a water park named "Waterloo." This suggests that Napoleon was always destined for Waterloo. It is his inescapable fate. Again, this reflects something that we had previously discussed on this chain. Could Napoleon have ever ruled France in peace? Or did his bellicose nature combined with the conspiring of his neighbors ensure that he would come to an inglorious end? Bill and Ted seem to infer that it is the latter course.
1:00:00 - One of the film's many montages shows Napoleon rampaging through the water park. Especially notable here is his risk-taking nature as he dives down the water slides headfirst each time (a practice I'm sure the lifeguards among us would not recommend).
1:17:50 - During his portion of the presentation Napoleon seems to be mapping out his strategy for the invasion of Russia in 1812. Like many an armchair historian, Ted comments that he doesn't think it's going to work. Curious to think what David G. Chandler would have thought of the "Water Slide" strategy portrayed in the film.
