Im not a chick flick guy, but that Napoleon-Josephine relationship was very odd indeed, on many levels, and Josephine was a truly complex character. And it was pretty fundamental in explaining Napoleon, who was even more complex.
His mind was, in many ways, superhuman. We normals struggle to get our minds around what was in his.
If Scott wanted to stress Josephine in his biopic then its his legitimate call.
There is just so much that could have gone into 2.5 hours that its hard to quibble.
He’s in hell so what does it matter? The end is far more important than the beginning. And for that matter, he slaughtered millions on all sides.
It was the reason she had so many truly personal and long standing relationships with politicians and others throughout the pre and post revolutionary era. She was accepted and appreciated by people on both sides of French politics ... even until the end. It's the reason too, that after Napoleon's abdication, the leader of Russia, and other enemies of France, made it a point to visit her and to show her the respect due an empress. She represented both the old regime and the Empire.
I think that her status and connection to so many old regime personalities is the main reason that he married her. It's how he got his ticket punched ... so to speak. After the revolution, French politics remained unsettled and confused but her friends still held enough power and influence to help to him along. She validated his position and made it easier for him to gain their interest and support. Many people who disliked him, tolerated him out of respect for her.