As a note to the readers of this write-up don't be scared away. It is not a spoiler. This is an overview of the movie and what you can expect, my thoughts and feelings, and some interesting things about it.
"History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon."~Napoleon Bonaparte
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is a romantic comedy directed by Alan Taylor. It stars Ian Holm, whom you might remember from The Lord of the Rings as Bilbo Baggins. It is a fantastic story of an alternate history of Napoleon Bonaparte. The movie suggests that maybe the Napoleon that died on St. Helena island in 1821 was not the real one. The movie follows Napoleon as he returns to France with hopes to regain his empire...again. In the mean time Eugene Lenormand, who looks exactly like Napoleon (also played by Ian Holm, obviously), tricks the British guards stationed at St. Helena into thinking that he is the real Napoleon. Eugene is a lower class bum. He was a bum, rather, before Napoleon approached him with a mission. While back in Paris, Napoleon, assuming the identity of Eugene, boards with "Pumpkin", the beautiful widow of one of his trusted aides. She quickly becomes a love interest to the exiled emperor. In the end he must choose between love and glory, fame and obscurity. How does the most infamous man of the time keep his alias in the midst of the people he once ruled? Why don't history books tell us of a third rising of Napoleon Bonaparte after his second exile? Go out and get this movie! I highly recommend this movie to anyone who is greatly interested in Napoleon Bonaparte and early to mid-19th century French history. Although not historically accurate, the movie gives the audience a sense that it could be. It reminds us that history hasn't always been right.
This movie does fall under the genre of romantic comedy. However, the comedy isn't for everyone. A lot of humorous happenings and quotations are better understood by those with a sophisticated sense of funny and a pretty good idea of Napoleonic French history. For instance, a character makes a comment about a certain historical event that was very funny, but without knowing what happened at that event the humor is left out in the cold. If the only kind of comedy you find funny is Adam Sandler and Jim Carrey then you probably won't find this movie enjoyable.
If you are able to pick up on obscure humor on historical subjects and can handle a bit of romance then this movie is a great one to watch. Don't let the romance turn you away. There is only enough to say that it's there. It doesn't get too cheesy for the average human being to handle.
If you are the kind of person who enjoys going insanely in depth in a movie here are a few things of symbolism in it you might want to look for:
- Birds. Note all the birds that you see throughout the movie and think about the kind of bird and what it or they are doing and the general mood of the movie at that moment. It's very interesting.
- This may be an obvious one, but you eventually understand why the title of the movie is what it is.
- If you know anything about Napoleon you know that the Napoleon Complex is named after him. At the climax of the movie there is a scene that is very powerful and moving!
- I don't know if this was any kind of intentional symbolism but melons seem to have a big part in the movie.
Cast:
Crew:
"The Emperor's New Clothes" was released in 2002 by Paramount Classics. It is 106 minutes long (about 1 hour and 20 minutes). It is rated PG only because of brief language. I did not hear any of it so insulting or inappropriate that kids couldn't watch it. Although I don't recommend that children watch this movie because it may seem boring to them. If they do watch it, parents should tell them that the story is not the real history of Napoleon Bonaparte. But, then again, how do we really know?