Film4 Productions
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The Emperor's New Clothes
The world's most powerful man is about to fight his greatest battle... between love and glory.
Napoleon, exiled, devises a plan to retake the throne. He'll swap places with commoner 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 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.
- Original title
- The Emperor's New Clothes
- Language
- EN
- Country
- DE,IT,GB
- Budget
- —
- Revenue
- —
CinemaSerf
Jun 26, 2025 · via TMDB
Exiled Napoleon (Sir Ian Holm) and his aides have come up with a cunning plan to get him from exile back into the heart of Paris where he can resurrect his imperial ambitions and restore his country to greatness. They have procured the services of an erstwhile deck hand who is the doppelgänger of the emperor and who has agreed to swap places. Carefully smuggled back to the mainland, the impoverished traveller has to make his own way to the city and with very few that he can trust to be loyal, he befriends the recently widowed “Nicole” (Iben Hjejle) and her young son “Gerard” (Tom Watson). Her late husband was to have been one of his contacts, and when it transpires that his replacement on St. Helena has decided not to play ball any longer, the emperor’s chances of regaining his throne look forlorn. Can he, though, in the face of the increasingly jealous hostility of “Dr. Lambert” (Tim McInnerny) make a new relationship with “Nicole” and perhaps make an whole new life for himself? Can he forget that he was who he was, or will it frustrate and haunt him to he grave? Sir Ian delivers quite a touching performance here, speculating on just what might have happened if Napoleon had ever managed to secret himself from his luxurious prison. He learns to appreciate life from the perspective of the ordinary, war-weary, population who cared not for grand ambitions. They just wanted a roof over their heads and food on the table for their families. The burgeoning romance is delicately developed and there’s a good rapport between man and woman and also man and boy, too. There has been plenty of attention paid to the detail of the film and there is the odd bit of comedy interspersed through this story of longing. Not really for history buffs, not romantic ones either - but it’s an enjoyable piece of postulation from an an actor who knew his craft.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
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Fandango At Home
Ian Holm
Napoleon Bonaparte / Sergeant Eugene Lenormand
Iben Hjejle
Nicole 'Pumpkin' Truchaut
Tim McInnerny
Dr. Lambert
Nigel Terry
Montholon
Eddie Marsan
Louis Marchand
Hugh Bonneville
Bertrand
Murray Melvin
Antommarchi
Clive Russell
Sergeant Justin Bommel
Trevor Cooper
Leaud
Chris Langham
Maurice
George Harris
Papa Nicholas
Hayley Carmichael
Adele Raffin
Philip McGough
English Tourist
Tony Vogel
British Sergeant
Russell Tovey
Recruit
Clive Mendus
Senior Orderly
Ashley Artus
Junior Orderly
Roger Frost
Bookseller
Matthew Sim
Ticket Seller
Moya Brady
Woman
Stefano Gragnani
Bailiff
Francesco Guzzo
Sentry at Garrison
Sergio Ballo
Lieutenant Truchaut
Mario Pirrello
—
Sergio Ballo
Costume Design
Omero Capanna
Stunt Double
Alan Taylor
Director
Luca Brignone
Second Assistant Director
James Wilson
Co-Producer
Polly Leys
Co-Producer
Paul Webster
Executive Producer
Roberto Cicutto
Executive Producer
David Snell
Conductor
Jeff Atmajian
Orchestrator
Rachel Portman
Orchestrator
Rachel Portman
Original Music Composer
Simon Leys
Novel
Alan Taylor
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