What you think about a historical figure often depends on where you were educated. Take Napoleon. Growing up in the US, Napoleon was described in my schools (if he was mentioned at all) as a kind of over-ambitious conquerer. People even say ‘Napoleon complex’ for a small man who tries to overcompensate for his size. But I recently learned from my partner, who is Italian, that in Italy he’s a more positive (if still complex) figure. He conquered Italy, yes, but Italy was sort of in shambles anyway at the time and he paved the way for future revolution and the democratic ideals that would unify Italy a century later. In France I understand him to be a divisive, complex figure too, especially considering his decision to reinstate slavery after it had been abolished in France.

I personally don’t claim to know a lot about Napoleon. He’s not a person I’ve ever studied, and, beyond Waterloo, I couldn’t name one of his famous battles. My main associations with Waterloo are the ABBA song and also that it features in Vanity Fair (brilliant book btw). So I went into Ridley Scott’s Napoleon with an open heart and an open mind. I wasn’t looking for historical inaccuracies (though I’ve heard there are many). I was looking for entertainment.

I did not get it.