Anyone who knows anything about Marshal Michel Ney, the ill-fated French military leader whom Napoleon called “the bravest of the brave,” knows that he had bright blue eyes and fiery red hair. He even had a nickname: Le Rougeau, which roughly translates to “carrot” or “fox.” But when you’re starring in a Ridley Scott film, things don’t always go according to plan.
When I went to my first makeup and costume rehearsal for the role of Ney in Scott’s historical epic NapoleonAn Italian makeup artist shyly approached me and said, “I showed Ridley a photo of you on his iPad and he… um… he just drew the most incredible beard on your face and said, ‘Give him this.’ “I laughed when I saw it, but Ridley wanted so many military characters in the film and we were all visually different.
After I finished filming, one of Ney’s relatives contacted me – he was hoping to come to the London premiere. I had to tell him, “Look, I just have to warn you that the Ney you see on screen may look a little different than the one you undoubtedly hold sacred in the family.” very red hair, but now he has a scruffy beard instead.
I didn’t know much about Her before I was cast in his role, so it was quite a journey for me. I was vaguely aware that he had fought at the Battle of Waterloo, but had no idea that after losing the battle the restored monarchy accused him of treason and subsequently shot him in Paris.
Other than an old biography printed on demand, I couldn’t find many resources on Her. He came from a border town in what is now Germany. His father was a cooper who fought in the Seven Years’ War. The family did not have a “name” as such. Ney could not have achieved the rank he would have achieved in another era, when promotion was determined more by family history than by talent. But he was a very good horseman and an excellent leader, who actually earned his rewards from campaign to campaign. He participated in suicide missions on horseback. His horse was shot several times – I think he had four horses shot at Waterloo.
He was born a year after Napoleon in 1769. They were good friends. Ney’s wife became a lady-in-waiting to the Empress Josephine, and he even named his children after Napoleon. They lived side by side for long periods of time during the various campaigns they waged. Ney was not a particularly political person, so he avoided trial. He was at home on horseback, away from Parisian politics, which he found somewhat toxic. And I think that’s what Napoleon liked about him: he was even more reliable because he didn’t seem to fight for his position.
It’s easy to romanticize the Napoleonic Wars these days. But that sounds like a pretty bleak existence to me. At that time, rearguard action formed a significant part of military warfare; The rest of the army will retreat, but the rearguard will remain. It was a thankless task. The death toll and risk of death were enormous, and Ney became something of an expert in rearguard tactics, continuing to risk the lives of himself and his men so that those in front of him could retreat.
It is said that it was his fault that the French lost Waterloo, since the cavalry charges he led were ineffective. He was in charge of the left flank and mistook the evacuation of British wounded for the withdrawal of the British. His subsequent cavalry charges were destroyed by the enemy, who he believed was retreating. Wave after wave was repulsed by the square of British infantry.
Ney called on Napoleon to help him, and when they finally arrived, he succeeded in achieving his goal and capturing this important farm called La Haye Sainte. However, because Napoleon’s forces were stationed elsewhere, Ney was denied the troops needed to continue the battle. And I think Ney felt betrayed too.
When he realized that he would not receive reinforcements, he had two options, one of which was to retreat. An diesem Punkt schickte Napoleon seinen letzten Angriff, und so sagte Ney, wie ich es sehe, dann: “Nun, das ist mein letzter Kampf auf Leben und Tod.” Dies wäre eine Möglichkeit, die Schande zu vermeiden, einen so eklatanten Fehler begangen have.”
It is stated that he was arrogant and overly supportive of himself when he should have listened to what he was told. But I just found him to be very loyal. He was definitely dashing, but after reading about all the battles he overcame against all odds, it was impossible not to root for him.
I think he has lost the ability to believe that he can make mistakes, which is dangerous for any leader. But I tried to portray him as a man who tried to the end to do the right thing.
My last line in the film: “Come and watch the Marshal of France meet his death.” What a gift for an actor! I think he hoped he would die at that moment and come out with a bang during the Battle of Waterloo because he knew history would be against him. That, almost unbelievably, they ended up on the losing side. So he went away happy, I think, hoping that he would be killed in his prime and not have to suffer the inevitable shame and surrender after the battle. But he survived.
I guess he gained some dignity when he was shot in France and told the soldiers that they had done nothing wrong. His last words were: “I have fought a hundred battles for France and not one against her.” He told me: “I thought I did the right thing.” I thought I would give everything and risk everything for a famous person. achieve victory. I did everything I could.”
Today, a statue of Ney stands outside the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, just a few blocks from where he was executed. Coincidentally, the next job I did was after filming Napoleon in Paris. It was a beautiful fall, and one day I decided to walk home from the set instead of driving. I came across a tall bronze statue of Ney that looked like it was protecting the terrace café behind it. (And it’s even worse because you don’t have a nice beard.)
I felt unexpected excitement. The sun has just set, and he is standing in a rather heroic pose, raising his saber high above his head. I was impressed by the hard-won titles on his pedestal: Marshal of France, Duke of Elchingen, Prince of Moscow. Not bad for the son of a cooper from a little-known border town.
It’s incredible to think about what this man went through and what he saw, the huge change in the fortunes of Europe and what it was like to stand next to Napoleon, this all-conquering, complex, otherworldly man.
Source: I News
I am Mario Pickle and I work in the news website industry as an author. I have been with 24 News Reporters for over 3 years, where I specialize in entertainment-related topics such as books, films, and other media. My background is in film studies and journalism, giving me the knowledge to write engaging pieces that appeal to a wide variety of readers.