Sussex: Petworth House backdrop to Ridley Scott’s Napoleon film

Petworth House's architecture is inspired by the Baroque palaces of Europe

Pivotal scenes in Ridley Scott's latest film, Napoleon, were filmed at a 17th century National Trust house in West Sussex.

Petworth House formed the backdrop to key scenes in the film, which stars Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix and was released on Wednesday.

The National Trust said it was "by far the biggest production ever to take place at Petworth".

It took a week to prepare the house for two days of filming in March 2022.

Sue Rhodes, visitor operations and experience manager at Petworth, told BBC Radio Sussex that the film was "one of Ridley Scott's epic masterpieces".

The production team thought Petworth was "the perfect backdrop", she said.

'Fascinating experience'

Ms Rhodes said Mr Scott's team "fell in love" with Petworth House because its features are more French in style than English.

According to the National Trust, the production team opted for real locations over CGI wherever possible.

Production designer for the film Arthur Max explained: "There is enough neo-classical architecture in England to make it possible".

Petworth House was the setting for pivotal parts of the movie, including the Victim's Ball scene where Napoleon meets his future wife Joséphine, played by Vanessa Kirby, for the first time.

Victim's Balls were hosted in France following the Reign of Terror.

Ms Rhodes said it was "astonishing" to see the scene being filmed.

"The house looked gorgeous, much as it would have when it hosted balls and events like this hundreds of years ago," she said.

The marble hall provided the backdrop for a meeting between Napoleon and his generals, featured in the film's trailer.

The square dining room doubled as the studio where Napoleon's coronation portrait was painted.

Ms Rhodes said: "Despite the challenges of such a huge production, it was a fascinating experience, and the cast and crew were incredible."

"Ridley Scott was particularly impressed with our art collection," she added.

According to the trust, the income generated from the production will help care for Petworth House and enable conservation projects in the future.

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