The soundtrack for Ridley Scott’s new movie Napoleon has been released – check it out below.
The new film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the historical military commander, Napoleon Bonaparte, and charts his rise to power, as well as his relationship with Empress Joséphine (Vanessa Kirby).
Described as a “spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor”, an official synopsis says the film “captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Joséphine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed”.
The film also stars the likes of Tahar Rahim, Ben Miles and Rupert Everett, while it was written by David Scarpa (The Man In The High Castle, The Day The Earth Stood Still).
The original score for Napoleon has also been released. It was composed by Martin Phipps, who has previously worked on scores for the likes of Brighton Rock, The Railway Children Return, Black Mirror, Peaky Blinders, and The Crown.
The score is comprised of 15 songs and runs for just under 48 minutes. Listen to it below now.
Speaking to Deadline about working on the Napoleon score, Phipps said: “[Scott wanted me] to understand that Napoleon was a character and that he was an outsider. He wasn’t a polished aristocrat like many of the officers were in the army, and that’s, in fact, why he escaped the guillotine because he was a low-ranking aristocrat. And he wanted me to represent that in music.”
Meanwhile, Scott has responded to French critics following negative reviews of the film. French GQ called it “deeply clumsy, unnatural and unintentionally funny”, while Le Figaro likened it to “Barbie and Ken under the Empire”.
“The French don’t even like themselves,” the director told the BBC. “The audience that I showed it to in Paris, they loved it.”