Scarlett Johansson's movie about the relationship between historic French leader Napoleon Bonaparte and a 14-year-old girl has infuriated historians who insist Hollywood is putting a salacious spin on an innocent friendship.

Bonaparte was befriended by English teen Betsy Balcombe, to be played by Johansson, when he was exiled to the South Atlantic island St. Helena in 1815. Although he was supposedly a kindly uncle figure to Balcombe, who lived there with her merchant father and siblings, director Benjamin Ross is keen to give their story a saucier slant.

Historian Peter Hicks fumes, "It was a platonic relationship. It would be ridiculous to suggest anything else."

But Ross has hit back, saying, "The facts are very interpretable. I'd be delighted to get historians jumping and down."

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(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)