The Emperor's New Clothes (2001)

During Napoleon's exile on St. Helena, some loyalists hire a look-alike to swap places with the deposed emperor: while the impostor lives in luxury on the island, the real Napoleon returns to Paris in order to retake the throne.

Director:

Alan Taylor

Writers:

Simon Leys (novel), Kevin Molony (screenplay),

Stars:

Ian Holm, Iben Hjejle, Tim McInnerny

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ian Holm	...	Napoleon Bonaparte / Sergeant Eugene Lenormand
Iben Hjejle	...	Nicole 'Pumpkin' Truchaut
Tim McInnerny	...	Dr. Lambert
Tom Watson	...	Gerard
Nigel Terry	...	Montholon
Hugh Bonneville	...	Bertrand
Murray Melvin	...	Antommarchi
Eddie Marsan	...	Louis Marchand
Clive Russell	...	Sergeant Justin Bommel
Bob Mason	...	Captain Nicholls
Trevor Cooper	...	Leaud
Chris Langham	...	Maurice
Russell Dixon	...	Dr. Quinton
George Harris	...	Papa Nicholas
Niall O'Brien	...	Bosun

Storyline

Napoleon, exiled, devises a plan to retake the throne. He'll swap places with commoner Eugene Lenormand, sneak into Paris, then Lenormand will reveal himself and Napoleon will regain his throne. Things don't go at all well; first, the journey proves more difficult than expected, but more disastrously, Lenormand enjoys himself too much to reveal the deception. Napoleon adjusts somewhat uneasily to the life of a commoner while waiting, while Lenormand gorges on rich food.

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Plot Keywords:

emperor | st. helena | impostor | disguise | ship | 

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Taglines:

The world's most powerful man is about to fight his greatest battle... between love and glory.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief language

Details

Country:

Italy UK Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 2001 (Italy)

Also Known As:

A király új ruhája

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$7,474 (USA) (14 June 2002)

Gross:

$569,435 (USA) (4 October 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

FilmFour, Mikado Film, Panorama Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While the historical Napoléon Bonaparte never had the opportunity to say "They have changed my battlefield". It is reported that the Duke of Wellington said exactly that when he revisited the place after the huge Belgian memorial mound was erected there.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Napoleon Bonaparte: No, that's not it. That's not right. Let me tell you what really happened...

User Reviews

Run to see this film

I had the pleasure of seeing The Emperor's New Clothes. What a treat. The story was delightful, the cast sublime, the cinematography glorious, and the soundtrack one I would like to purchase...so, you can tell I loved everything about the film. The story is a lovely fairy tale and the best I've seen since the "Princess Bride."

Ian Holm plays Napoleon and is perfect, as are all his co-stars. There is so much I'd like to say about the film, but I don't want to give anything away since the film won't be out until later this Spring.

Run out to see this film if you crave a feel good movie that's intelligent, not sappy, and simply fun to watch. I have not been this satisfied with the ending of a film in ages. We talked about the film all the way home. By the way, the entire audience gave it a solid round of applause as the lights came up. That should say it all.

I sense some Oscar nods for this film in 2003. It's a hit.