Monsieur N. (2003)

Director:

Antoine de Caunes

Writers:

René Manzor (scenario)
Pierre Kubel (original idea)

Release Date:

12 February 2003 (France)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

Le plus grand mystère de notre histoire tient en une seule lettre

Plot Keywords:

Love Quadrangle | Prison | Historical Event | Lieutenant | Prisoner

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Philippe Torreton	...	Napoléon Bonaparte
Richard E. Grant	...	Hudson Lowe
Jay Rodan	...	Basil Heathcote
Elsa Zylberstein	...	Albine de Montholon
Roschdy Zem	...	Marshal Bertrand
Bruno Putzulu	...	Cipriani
Stéphane Freiss	...	Gen. Montholon
Frédéric Pierrot	...	Gen. Gourgaud
Siobhan Hewlett	...	Betsy Balcombe
Peter Sullivan	...	Thomas Reade
Stanley Townsend	...	Dr. O'Meara
Igor Skreblin	...	Ali
Blanche de Saint-Phalle	...	Fanny Bertrand
Jake Nightingale	...	Carpenter
Bernard Bloch	...	Von Holgendorp
Christopher Bowen	...	Col. Bingham
Michael Culkin	...	Adm. Cockburn
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Georges de Caunes
Kate Duchêne	...	Madame Balcombe
James Gerard	...	Lieutenant Walker
Tessa Jubber	...	Prostitute
Jim Adhi Limas	...	Le vieux chinois
Chasa Pascual	...	Le jeune Bourgeois
Caroline Preller	...	La Femme du Bal
Matthew Dylan Roberts	...	British soldier (as Matthew Roberts)
Arnaud Marcon	...	Dancer (uncredited)
François Marthouret	...	Récitant (seul film annonce) (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Antoine de Caunes

Writing credits
René Manzor		(scenario)
Pierre Kubel		(original idea)

Produced by
Jeff Abberley	....	co-producer
Pierre Kubel	....	producer
Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar	....	producer
Joel Phiri	....	co-producer
Teri-Lin Robertson	....	line producer
Kara Walters	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Stephan Eicher

Cinematography by
Pierre Aïm

Film Editing by
Joële Van Effenterre

Production Design by
Patrick Durand

Art Direction by
Gerard Drolon

Set Decoration by
Gérard Marcireau

Costume Design by
Carine Sarfati

Makeup Department
Frédéric Balmer	....	assistant makeup artist
Frédéric Balmer	....	special makeup effects artist
Jean-Pierre Berroyer	....	key hair stylist
Dominique Colladant	....	special makeup effects artist
Sophie Landry	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Benoît Charrie	....	unit manager
Bruno Daniault	....	post-production manager
Martin Jaubert	....	unit manager
Maud Quiffet	....	assistant unit manager: Saint Malo
Pascal Ralite	....	production manager
Antoine Vierny	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Marianne Capian	....	location assistant director
Anne Gilles	....	second assistant director
François Guérin	....	first assistant director: second unit
Shaun O'Dell	....	second unit director
Valérie Othnin-Girard	....	first assistant director
Isabelle Terrissol	....	second assistant director: second unit

Art Department
John Leon Bennett	....	set dresser
Bertrand Clercq-Roques	....	assistant art director (as Bertrand Clerq-Roques)
Jean-René Coulon	....	props
Lathiem Groenmeyer	....	art department assistant
Cyril Mignot	....	set swing gang
Francois Poublan	....	set swing gang
Marius Pretorius	....	scenic artist
Patrick Schmitt	....	props buyer
Pierre Smit	....	scenic painter
Gilles Ségurel	....	property master
Elise Tulli	....	assistant decorator
Liz van den Berg	....	lead scenic
Etienne Janse van Rensburg	....	lead scenic

Sound Department
Steve Cook	....	sound supervisor: UK
Colin Cooper	....	adr recordist
Michel Filippi	....	adr supervisor
Frederic Gibert	....	assistant sound supervisor
Dominique Levert	....	sound
Didier Lozahic	....	sound re-recording mixer
Laurent Lévy	....	foley artist
Bridget O'Driscoll	....	sound editor
Kath Pollard	....	re-recording assistant
James Seddon	....	dolby consultant
Jérôme Wiciak	....	supervising sound editor

Special Effects by
Guy Monbillard	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
David Danesi	....	visual effects supervisor
Michel Kinfoussia	....	digital effects artist
Adrien Lepineau	....	digital compositor
Martin Lipmann	....	digital effects artist
Franck Malmin	....	visual effects supervisor
Pilon	....	digital compositor
Stephan Pilon Lectez	....	digital compositor
Stephan Pilon Lectez	....	digital effects artist
Gamiette Rémi	....	compositor
Bruno Sommier	....	motion control
Delphine VanBay	....	matte painter
Pènèlope Vandecave	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Joëlle Baland	....	horse stunt
Daniel Breton	....	stunts
Michel Carliez	....	stunt coordinator
Cecil Carter	....	stunt coordinator
Gaëlle Cohen	....	stunts
David Doucinot	....	horse stunt
Yves Girard	....	stunts
Albert Goldberg	....	stunts
Gary Green	....	stunt performer
Dan Hirst	....	stunts
Grant Kilian	....	horse wrangler
Mario Luraschi	....	horse stunt
Mick 'Stuntie' Milligan	....	stunts
John Smith	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Nicolas Beauchamp	....	assistant camera
Berto	....	camera operator
Franck-Norman Bihi	....	electrician
Steven Caddie	....	grip
Stéphane Cry	....	electrician
Guy Ferrandis	....	still photographer
Raphael Jourdan	....	key grip: second unit
Romain Lacourbas	....	second assistant camera: France
Antoine Laurens	....	assistant camera
Philip Lozano	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Shaun O'Dell	....	director of photography: second unit
Richard Rolf	....	Steadicam operator
Jean-Pierre Supe	....	first assistant camera

Casting Department
Sarah Beardsall	....	casting: UK
Catherine Deserbais	....	extras casting
Reg Poerscout-Edgerton	....	casting assistant: UK
Mito Skellern	....	extras casting coordinator: South Africa

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandrine Bernard	....	wardrobe
Nathalie Chesnais	....	costume supervisor
Laurence Nicolas	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Julie Clemencin	....	assistant editor
Nicolas Criqui	....	digital conformation
Yvan Lucas	....	colorist: Eclair
Philippe Reinaudo	....	digital intermediate technical director
Ludivine Saes	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Benjamin Caillaud	....	music editor
Amélie de Chassey	....	music supervisor
Didier Lozahic	....	music editor
Didier Lozahic	....	score mixer
Didier Lozahic	....	score recordist
Delphine Mathieu	....	music supervisor
Achim Meier	....	musician: piano solo

Other crew
Morag Cameron	....	script supervisor
Michel Carliez	....	fight choreographer
Christophe Chauveau	....	location scout
Dougal Cousins	....	location scout: Ireland
Corinne Devaux	....	choreographer
Valérie Dompnier	....	production secretary
Laetitia Galitzine	....	production coordinator
Joëlle Hersant	....	script supervisor
Sylvie Lalanne	....	production accountant
Catherine Palmer	....	extras coordinator
Elizabeth Palmer	....	extras coordinator
Arnaud Plé	....	assistant administrator
Bruce Wentzel	....	armorer

Production Companies

• Canal+
• France 3 Cinéma
• France Télévision Images 2
• Futur Film Group
• IMG Productions
• Loma Nasha
• Reeleyes Film
• Scion Films
• Studio Images 9
• StudioCanal

Distributors

• Cathay-Keris Films (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Empire Pictures (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Mars Distribution (France)
• Redbus Film Distribution (UK)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Def2shoot

Other Companies

• Gearbox Sound and Vision  additional ProTools systems supplied by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

France | UK

Language:

French | English | Corsican

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Brazil:12 | France:U | Singapore:NC-16 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:Unrated | Australia:M | Iceland:LH | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Canal+

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Napoleon is seen working on a crossword puzzle. The first such puzzle appeared in 1913, almost a century after the scene supposedly took place.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Monsieur N, l'aventure du tournage (2003) (V)

A Fascinating Story, Sifting through Legend and Fact about Napoleon's Last Days

Director Antoine de Caunes has adapted Rene Mansor's fine screenplay concerning the enigma that still exists as to the final resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte into a film that relates the period of history from 1816 to 1840 during which time the bifurcated responses of the British and French to the legend of Napoleon initiated the scandal that still piques our interest.

Opening in 1816 Napoleon (the brilliant Philippe Torreton) is imprisoned on the island of St. Helena along with his most trusted supporters and various citizens who elected to follow him into exile - with an eye on Napoleon's fortune when he dies. There is a new British Governor appointed, Hudson Lowe (Richard E. Grant), who is steely and determined to prevent Napoleon's escape and yes, even protect the British government from the costly extended prison expenditures a prolonged exile will produce. Lowe appoints Basil Heathcote (Jay Rodan) to sit in watch of the Emperor/General only to come under the spell of the mysterious Napoleon and the spell of a young girl Betsy Balcombe (Siobhan Hewlett) who is in love with Napoleon. Others among Napoleon's party include the Montholons (Stephane Freiss and Elsa Zylberstein) the latter of whom Napoleon keeps as his mistress and impregnates, Cipriani (Bruno Putzulu) his butler and half brother, Ali (Igor Skreblin) his bodyguard, Marshal Bertand (Roschdy Zem) his aide de camp, among others. Napoleon's self perception as the Emperor makes him unavailable to close scrutiny and rumors fly about his proposed escapes and about the British idea of poisoning him. There is great mystery surrounding Napoleon's ultimate death and burial and this mystery is what drives the story in flash forward sequences to the investigation of Napoleon's ultimate exhumation to see if the man buried in Les Invalides in Paris is actually Napoleon Bonaparte - and if not, where is the true Napoleon buried? The period atmosphere on St. Helena is scrupulously recreated, allowing a superb playing ground for the many fine performances by an excellent cast. We see Napoleon as we've never seen him, a multi-dimensional character with whom we, as viewers, tend to sympathize. This is not only due to the fine script but also to the unique portrayal by Philippe Torreton. The film is in both French and English, with English subtitles for the French only. And therein lies the fault of this otherwise superb film. The ambient sounds of the crashing sea and the annoyingly loud musical score by Stephan Eicher cover the English dialogue to such an extent that it cannot be heard most of the time. This is a film that would greatly benefit from re-mastering to add English subtitles for the entire film AND by making it available in full screen instead of the widescreen that reduces much of the action to miniaturization! Otherwise, this is a superb period piece that opens questions about historical accuracy that invite investigation. Grady Harp