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
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
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
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
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
Franck-Norman Bihi	....	electrician
Steven Caddie	....	grip
Guy Ferrandis	....	still photographer
Raphael Jourdan	....	key grip: second unit
Romain Lacourbas	....	second assistant camera: France
Antoine Laurens	....	assistant camera
Gilbert Lecluyse	....	camera operator (as Berto)
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 Canal
• Studio Images 9

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:

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

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)

Napoleon's last battle

At any given time there are always two films in pre-production about Napoleon's time in exile that never actually get made (last year it was an Al Pacino-Scarlett Johannson opus). Surprisingly a few years ago two got made at the same time – Alan Taylor's whimsical The Emperor's New Clothes and Antoine de Caunes' (yes, the Rapido guy) darker Monsieur N., a rather good but sometimes uncertain, albeit very handsomely shot, conspiracy drama about Napoleon's last days on St Helena and the mystery surrounding his death. At times it feels like two different movies as it moves between his parasitic court in exile and his eventual reburial in Paris decades later, but at least they're two different fairly interesting movies, and Philippe Torreton makes a convincingly bitter Napoleon. Richard E. Grant, a last minute replacement for Stephen Fry, is less successful as his jailer, particularly in his scenes as an older, broken man, and Jay Rodan's British accent leaves something to be desired, but they're minor problems compared to the irritatingly non-widescreen compatible subtitles on Lionsgate's UK DVD!