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 Sergeant 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 to be 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:

st. helena | emperor | impostor | alternate history | 19th century | 

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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:

Las nuevas ropas del emperador

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,474, 16 June 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$569,435, 6 October 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

FilmFour, Mikado Film, Panorama Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Ian Holm also played Napoléon Bonaparte in Time Bandits (1981) and Napoleon and Love (1974); in the 1970s, Stanley Kubrick approached him to star in his aborted biopic.

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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...

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Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

User Reviews

The true story of Napoleon Bonaparte's final days

"The Emporer's New Clothes" is a revisionist historical romantic comedy which tells of Napoleon Bonaparte's escape from exile on St. Helena and return to France to reclaim his throne. Traveling incognito, Bonaparte (Holm) hooks up with a comely widow Pumpkin (Hjejle) who takes some of the starch out of the "Little Corporal's" skivvies while setting his crusty old heart aglow. A charming period piece with exotic locations, this film pairs a tour de force by Holm with an all too rare performance by versatile beauty (Hjejle) in a happy mix of drama, subtle comedy, and light hearted romance. (B)