Apple Original Films and Sony Pictures’ Action Epic “Napoleon” brings Blenheim Palace back to the big screen

Moviegoers will once again be able to spot Blenheim Palace on the big screen, in the action epic Napoleon film due for release on 22nd November 2023, by Apple Original Films and Sony Pictures. Directed by Ridley Scott, who also serves as one of the producers, and written by David Scarpa, the spectacle-filled film is based on the true story of Napoleon Bonaparte, focusing on the French leader’s rise to prominence and power.

From intense battle scenes in the Blenheim Estate and external grounds as well as romantic ones within the Palace’s Great Hall and Library, Main Saloon and the State Rooms, The UNESCO World Heritage Site, was used as a location for many of the key scenes in the film.

Heather Carter, Managing Director at Blenheim Palace said: “We were delighted to have welcomed Sir Ridley Scott and his team and are honoured that Blenheim Palace is featured as a backdrop for what we know will be a hugely popular film. Not only is it a great opportunity for people to see the beautiful Palace and its grounds, which the whole team work so hard to preserve in such a unique setting, but filming like this helps provide vital income for our charity which is dedicated to funding important ongoing restoration projects and community initiatives such as our ongoing apprenticeship scheme.

“We cannot wait to see the end result when we watch the take on the classic story and such an important piece of history.”

Visitors to Britain’s Greatest Palace can walk in the footsteps of movie and television stars and experience the silver screen on the Lights, Camera, Action! Trail, which goes behind the scenes of some of the most famous blockbusters in cinematic history which have used Blenheim Palace as a location – from Harry Potter and James Bond, to The BFG and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. Experience the original filming locations at Blenheim Palace.

For more information and to book tickets to Blenheim Palace visit, www.blenheimpalace.com/tickets-booking/

ENDS

Issued on behalf of Blenheim Palace. For more information please contact Cab Campaign blenheim@cabcampaign.co.uk

About Napoleon

Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the checkered rise and fall of the iconic French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, played by Oscar®-winner Joaquin Phoenix. Against a stunning backdrop of large-scale filmmaking orchestrated by legendary director Ridley Scott, the film captures Bonaparte’s relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his one true love, Josephine, showcasing his visionary military and political tactics against some of the most dynamic practical battle sequences ever filmed.

Directed by Ridley Scott. Written by David Scarpa. Produced by Ridley Scott, Kevin J. Walsh, Mark Huffam and Joaquin Phoenix. Executive Producers are Raymond Kirk, Aidan Elliott and Michael Pruss.

The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon, Vanessa Kirby as Empress Joséphine, and Tahar Rahim as Paul Barras, the commissioner of the revolutionary army.

About Blenheim Palace

Home to the Dukes of Marlborough since 1705, the Oxfordshire Estate was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
Set in over 2,000 acres of ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped parkland and designed by
Vanbrugh in the Baroque style, Blenheim Palace is also the birthplace of one of Britain’s most famous leaders, Sir Winston Churchill and it was his father who described the vista, on entering the Estate from the village of Woodstock, as the ‘finest view in England’.