The Emperor's New Clothes film review

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THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES

Suppose Napoleon had not died on St Helena in 1821, but instead was replaced by an imposter, while he returned to Paris to resume his role of emperor. This far-fetched premise forms the basis of The Emperor's New Clothes, a gentle, lethargic little comedy that never fully exploits its potential. Instead it succeeds in consigning one of history's most dynamic figures to a low key domestic drama tinged with the occasional whimsy.

Things start with the disgruntled and determined Napoleon (Ian Holm), "fed up with six years of English cooking", readying himself for the arrival of his double and his escape from his island prison. His conceit is such that when faced with his look-alike, the identical if less imperial looking peasant Eugene Lenormand, he eyes him dismissively before telling his fellow conspirators, "What are we going to do, he looks nothing like me?" Under normal circumstances, a double dose of Ian Holm, who also portrays Lenormand, would be a good thing, but Holm's dour emperor saps the film of its energy.

With the departing message, "I place my trust in only two things now: my will, and the love of the people of France", Napoleon leaves St Helena aboard a ship bound for Brest. Assuming his replacement's identity, his position of galley slave is a stark lesson of humility for the man who once commanded his own fleet. His plans immediately go awry, and by the time he finally reaches Paris via an unscheduled stop at Waterloo ("they've changed my battlefield"), the man who was to facilitate his return to power has died. Befriending the man's widow Pumpkin (Iben Hjejle), Napoleon settles into a life of domestic comfort with the women who knows him only as Eugene. He bides his time, waiting for the opportune moment to announce his return.

The real Eugene, who's successfully duped his captors, over indulges the privileges bestowed on an emperor and succumbs to a heart attack. The news of Napoleon's death comes as a shock to the real Napoleon who tries to convince those around him, including a disbelieving Pumpkin, that he is in fact the emperor. Pumpkin would prefer he were Eugene as she considers Napoleon's only achievement was to fill "France with widows and orphans."