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DVD Description
On the remote Atlantic island of St Helena, the great Napoleon Bonaparte has been in exile for the past six years… but that is about to change. A secret network of loyal Bonapartists are poised to return the Emperor to Paris, the double on St Helena will reveal himself as an imposter, and Napoleon will reclaim his throne. Disguised as able-bodied seaman Eugene Lenormand, Napoleon sets off for Paris while his doppelganger, the real Eugene Lenormand, wakes up in his Emperor’s bed. But things don’t work out as planned. Napoleon’s ship changes course and he misses a crucial link in his network of supporters. Arriving, eventually, in Paris, alone and friendless, he meets a widowed melon-seller and the two forge an unlikely but life changing relationship while Napoleon waits impatiently for his moment. When his return to glory is thwarted by an unexpected turn of events on St Helena, Napoleon has to find another way to confirm his true identity while finally letting go of imperial dreams.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital Stereo ), English ( Subtitles ), WIDESCREEN (1.78:1), SPECIAL FEATURES: Behind the scenes, Cast/Crew Interview(s), Featurette, Interactive Menu, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: Napoleon is in exile on St. Helena after the battle of Waterloo, and his followers smuggle a look-alike to the island, and smuggle Napoleon to a ship headed back to Europe. The plan is for the imposter to masquerade as Napoleon until the Emperor has time to reach Paris, and then for the imposter to declare his role as imposter, so that the real Napoleon can announce his return to Paris. The people of France will then flock to their leader and rise in glory under Napoleon once again.The trouble is, the imposter quickly warms to the role, privileges, and fine life of an exiled Emperor. He refuses to reveal his true identity, and when one of Napoleon's generals in exile with him tries to turn the imposter in, the imposter has the general sent away, as having lost his mind in the isolation of St. Helena. Meanwhile, the real Napoleon can't just stand in the square in Paris and announce his return, because the people all believe he is on St. Helena. Almost none of the citizenry has ever seen Napoleon up close, and in any case he's older and seedier looking now. In fact, we learn that whole groups of inhabitants of the Paris insane asylum walk around in Napoleon costumes, claiming to be the emperor! So the real Napoleon is stuck. And then the imposter dies on St. Helena. The death of Napoleon is announced to the world, and all hope of the real Napoleon being recognized as such disappears. Happily, in the meantime he has developed a wholesome common-law marriage with the widow of one of his soldiers of the Grand Army. Even she believes his claim to be Napoleon is an illusion of grandeur, but she s...The Emperor's New Clothes (2001) ( I vestiti nuovi dell'imperatore )
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
The Emperor's New Clothes got lost in the shuffle when FilmFour went to the wall, sitting on the shelf for a couple of years before a negligible release. Like the film itself, the premise had been around for years - Winston Churchill once pitched a variation to Charlie Chaplin - although it took decades to reach the screen: Napoleon never actually died on St Helena but escaped, leaving a double behind. Unfortunately the Emperor's plans to return to power were rather cut short by the double being unwilling to give up his cushy life on the island and own up to his true identity, and then compounding his sin by keeling over and dying, leaving the real Napoleon adrift in a Paris where nobody believes him and the asylums are full of people who think they're Napoleon.
Alan Taylor's film never quite makes enough of its premise and the last act is a little scruffy around the edges as Ian Holm's little Emperor finds himself settling down with Iben Hjejle's widowed fruit seller, planning her street sales campaign with military precision, but it's a pleasing little number that gets by on wistful charm rather than biting satire. It never quite comes to grips with France's divided attitude to Napoleon's legacy - part dictator, part liberator - although it takes some nice digs at the post-Napoleonic tourist trade as Waterloo becomes a tourist trap filled with souvenir sellers and inns where Napoleon slept ("I've never set foot in this place in my life," notes Napoleon before dozing off on a bed under a `Napoleon slept here' sign). Extremely likeable, with a rather splendid score by Rachel Portman the icing on the cake.
Extras are fairly perfunctory - brief featurette, trailer, cast interviews and raw behind the scenes footage.
Alan Taylor's film never quite makes enough of its premise and the last act is a little scruffy around the edges as Ian Holm's little Emperor finds himself settling down with Iben Hjejle's widowed fruit seller, planning her street sales campaign with military precision, but it's a pleasing little number that gets by on wistful charm rather than biting satire. It never quite comes to grips with France's divided attitude to Napoleon's legacy - part dictator, part liberator - although it takes some nice digs at the post-Napoleonic tourist trade as Waterloo becomes a tourist trap filled with souvenir sellers and inns where Napoleon slept ("I've never set foot in this place in my life," notes Napoleon before dozing off on a bed under a `Napoleon slept here' sign). Extremely likeable, with a rather splendid score by Rachel Portman the icing on the cake.
Extras are fairly perfunctory - brief featurette, trailer, cast interviews and raw behind the scenes footage.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Best of British film making. Ian Holm at his best. Loved it! Recommend to anyone with a romantic historical streak! Great Sunday afternoon film!!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I had seen the end of this film on TV and went looking for the DVD to see what had led to the ending I saw. The film is well worth watching, with great settings and excellent acting.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wonderful and poignant film
Ian Holm reprises his role as Napoleon - previously the only good scene in Time Bandits - in a charming film, around the 'what if' scenario of Napoleon managing to escape from St... Read more
Published 1 month ago by G. T. Coulton
The Emperor's New Clothes
This is a beautiful film. Post-Napoleonic Paris is recreated with lovely buildings, clothing, children, furniture, wood burners and candles. Read more
Published 2 months ago by E. G. Farrell
Gem of a film!
This little film is an absolute deliight! I saw it half way through on more four TV and wanted to see it all the way through so was delighted to find it here. It's a "What if? Read more
Published 8 months ago by Immortal Beloved
Very under rated film !
I saw this film on Film4 on television last night. I had seen it before on TV and watching it again reminded me what an excellent little gem of a film it really is. Read more
Published 9 months ago by A customer
Great acting superb settings and music
I don't normally bother with films like this as I find them too clever.
It is a what if story. Read more
It is a what if story. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Peter Wade
Fun!
Given the plethora of books on Napoleon, this movie is a refreshing departure from the sombre and scholarly and sensational, and, as my cousin said on her movie list, "fun". Read more
Published on 17 May 2009 by P. Ashe
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