Brief Synopsis
History records that when the great Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated at
Waterloo he lost his power, his country and his freedom. Exiled to the island of St.
Helena, he purportedly died a broken man. Yet history has been known to be wrong.
Now comes a decidedly different version of events, an original tale about Napoleon's
last great adventure - and the adventures of the lowly imposter who assumed his
identity in a grand conspiracy to outwit the world.
The Emperors New Clothes is a romantic comedy of escalating errors about an
imperious ruler who rediscovers life as a regular person - and the commoner who gets
a tantalizing taste of power and fame as his impostor. Ian Holm (Lord of the Rings,
Sweet Hereafter) plays both the autocratic Napoleon and the oafish deck-hand who
trades places with him. As both men explore their new fates, the result is a moving and
entertaining romp not only through history, but also through identity, ambition, and
love's power to transcend both.
Stuck in his island prison, Napoleon attempts an ingenious escape in order to
return to France and reclaim his throne. His loyal staff recruits a look-alike - Eugene --
a drunken, waddling commoner who nevertheless is the spitting image of the Emperor,
to be his temporary stand-in while he sneaks off on a boat for Paris. Yet as one snag
after another delays Napoleon's plan to regain his rule, Eugene easily becomes more
and more accustomed to his new status as Emperor and refuses to reveal the truth.
Napoleon is now stuck on the streets of Paris, incognito. Forced for the first time to
experience real life, Napoleon falls unexpectedly in love with a beautiful but
impoverished widow (Iben Hjeile of High Fidelity), and takes it upon himself to rebuild
her fruit-and-vegetable business with the fervor and dedication he would give to building
an empire. Yet Napoleon's true, secret ambition remains to be Emperor again. Will
Napoleon get his second chance - or will his victory come when he discovers that his
real identity is that of a man, like any other, looking for happiness and love?
The Emperors New Clothes is directed by Alan Taylor and the script
by Kevin Molony was adapted from the Simon Leys novel, The Death of
Napoleon. Uberto Pasolini (Palookaville, The Full Monty) is the
producer.
ABOUT THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES
History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree
upon.
-- Napoleon Bonaparte
1820's France - Napoleon has been defeated and France is recovering from its
many wars and conquests while the once-great emperor remains imprisoned in exile, a
bitter, broken man who will never know the consequences of the world he created.
Or will he?
For what if Napoleon did escape back into France and had one last incredible
adventure - as an ordinary citizen in love? It is a well known fact that 19 th century
France was filled with men who bore a great resemblance to Napoleon - so what if one
was enticed to live out his days as the regal emperor while the real Napoleon returned
incognito to Paris?
The fabled premise behind The Emperors New Clothes is about a man of power
who discovers ordinary life and love and an ordinary man who discovers the irresistible
seduction of power.
Producer Uberto Pasolini (The Full Monty) came across this clever tale in an
award-winning, spellbinding novel by Simon Leys entitled The Death of Napoleon. Leys
dared to re-imagine Napoleon's final days in an entirely different manner than history
had set forth - as a comedy of errors which ultimately leaves the globe's most powerful and ambitious man set loose to wander anonymously in the world he created. Instead of finding an abrupt and brutal end to his desire to control everything - this Napoleon
unexpectedly finds tenderness, love and even humility.
Pasolini was thrilled by the story's combination of humor, romance, history and
intelligence - and its portrait of a man who spent so much of his life on battles and
conquests that he lost any sense of the wonders of basic human existence. "The idea
of one of the most famous and powerful men in history being stranded in Paris unable
to convince anyone that he really is Napoleon -- and how a woman's love redeems him--
is so funny, unique and charming, I knew it had to be a film," says the producer.
Pasolini brought the idea to director Alan Taylor with whom he had previously
collaborated on the critically acclaimed comedy Palookaville, and Taylor was also
immediately struck by its originality. Taylor had been directing highly contemporary,
ground-breaking television such as "The Sopranos," "Sex and the City," "Oz" and
"Homicide," but he also possessed a masters degree in European history from
Columbia University - the perfect combination for tackling the edgy yet playful territory
of The Emperors New Clothes.
Although Taylor was excited about going back into the rich and vibrant color of
Napoleon's times, he also immediately saw the story's appeal to the world of today - a
world in which identity and idealism continue to clash with one another. He says: "I
have always been interested in the tension between who we really are in life and who
we wish to be and the struggle between reality and the impossible ideal. Idealism and
ambition can make people blind to what is good in their lives and what really matters.
In this fairytale-like story, that theme is writ large. Napoleon's imperial past and hopes
for an imperial future, blind him to the present, until he meets Pumpkin, who awakens
him most unexpectedly to the world around him. "
Taylor's only hesitation was his own nationality. "I was apprehensive because
here was a very European story being shot in Italy with a British and Danish cast, and I
was the lone American. And yet . . . I think being an outsider gave me a freedom to
have a lot of fun with Napoleon's myth and recreate him in a modern and accessible
way. "
It is said that Napoleon Bonaparte had the world in his hands and lost it. Yet the
Napoleon of The Emperors New Clothes gets a second chance at the one thing the
historical Napoleon never attained: happiness.
The real Napoleon Bonaparte was a diminutive (five foot six) Corsican who
became the greatest military genius of his time. Fueled and inspired by the French
Revolution, he joined the army as a teenager and quickly became a hero. Early in his
career he was known as "the little Corporal" for his fearlessness and arrogance that
went far beyond his physical stature. In 1796, he declared himself Emperor of France
and began a campaign of conquests that would bring most of Western and Central
Europe under his control. For twenty years, his army was considered invincible. The
great commander, the Duke of Wellington, once said that he considered Napoleon's
presence on a battlefield equal to that of 40,000 men.
Wherever he went, Napoleon abolished feudalism and pioneered innovative
changes in education, legal systems, banking, efficient governments and support for
the sciences and arts. He also developed the famous set of civil laws known as "The
Napoleonic Code" to create a more humane society.
Yet there was a terrible price to his ambition. More than 500,000 men died in the
unending Napoleonic wars, leaving behind bitter scars in France. Napoleon was
beloved by his soldiers but his autocratic nature and ruthless efficiency led him to
control the press, the police and all domestic policy in France with an iron, often-tyrannical
fist. Over time, he developed a reputation for being power hungry beyond control - although he denied that he wanted anything other than to bring freedom to Europe's masses.
A man who adored the charms of women, Napoleon's personal life was equally
tumultuous with many love affairs of short duration. He married the beautiful Josephine
Beauharnais when he was young but divorced her in 1799 for infidelity. Among the
other women in his life were the Polish Countess Marie Waleska with whom he had a
son; the Austrian princess Marie-Louise whom he married for political reasons; the
opera singer Giuseppina Grassini who was his beloved mistress; and the actress
Mademoiselle Georges with whom he had a brief but passionate affair.
In 1814, the Allies took Paris and Napoleon was exiled to Elba, but he was to
make a surprise comeback in 1815, driving King Louis XVIII from the Netherlands and
re-amassing an enormous and successful army that appeared once again to be
unstoppable. Yet the more he fought, the more Napoleon needed to fight to maintain
his rule . . . until he met terrible defeat at Waterloo by the Duke of Wellington.
Napoleon was whisked away to the island of St. Helena, off the African Coast,
where he was banished for the rest of his mortal life. It is here that the historical
Napoleon's fate diverges from that of the character in The Emperors New Clothes. After
six years on St. Helena writing his memoirs and reinventing his own legend, the real
Napoleon is said to have succumbed to a stomach illness (although some historians
maintain he was poisoned) and died in 1821 -- although his body was not allowed to
return to France for internment until 1840, leaving room for suspicion.
As far as we know, the historical Napoleon never had to face the world he
created. Yet in this film he lives a life he would never have imagined and at first might
find utterly absurd: a life as an ordinary fruit-seller in love with an ordinary woman who
changes him more than any other person or event in his already extraordinary
existence.
A man who adored the charms of women, Napoleon's personal life was equally
tumultuous with many love affairs of short duration. He married the beautiful Josephine
Beauharnais when he was young but divorced her in 1799 for infidelity. Among the
other women in his life were the Polish Countess Marie Waleska with whom he had a
son; the Austrian princess Marie-Louise whom he married for political reasons; the
opera singer Giuseppina Grassini who was his beloved mistress; and the actress
Mademoiselle Georges with whom he had a brief but passionate affair.
In 1814, the Allies took Paris and Napoleon was exiled to Elba, but he was to
make a surprise comeback in 1815, driving King Louis XVIII from the Netherlands and
re-amassing an enormous and successful army that appeared once again to be
unstoppable. Yet the more he fought, the more Napoleon needed to fight to maintain
his rule . . . until he met terrible defeat at Waterloo by the Duke of Wellington.
Napoleon was whisked away to the island of St. Helena, off the African Coast,
where he was banished for the rest of his mortal life. It is here that the historical
Napoleon's fate diverges from that of the character in The Emperors New Clothes. After
six years on St. Helena writing his memoirs and reinventing his own legend, the real
Napoleon is said to have succumbed to a stomach illness (although some historians
maintain he was poisoned) and died in 1821 -- although his body was not allowed to
return to France for internment until 1840, leaving room for suspicion.
As far as we know, the historical Napoleon never had to face the world he
created. Yet in this film he lives a life he would never have imagined and at first might
find utterly absurd: a life as an ordinary fruit-seller in love with an ordinary woman who
changes him more than any other person or event in his already extraordinary
existence.
On the Double: Sir Ian Holm Takes on Two Roles at Once
From the beginning, the filmmakers knew that the crux of The Emperors New
Clothes would be casting the lead role, or rather, the lead roles of Napoleon and his
counterpart Eugene. But what actor could possibly embody the extremes in both
aristocratic egotism and oafish mischievousness, as well as the grandeur and comic
sadness in each of these two men?
It appeared there was only one actor out there who could do justice to this comic
tale of shifting identities - Ian Holm, who had repeatedly demonstrated a unique ability
to disappear into his characters completely, to assume disguises seamlessly. Holm,
who most recently appeared as the legendary Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings,
had all the right qualities - and the advantage of having twice played Napoleon before:
once in the Monty Python team's Time Bandits in 1981 and again in the television
series "Napoleon and Love" in 1994.
"We were looking for an actor who could be intimidating and imperious but also
heartbreakingly vulnerable as Napoleon," explains Taylor. "But he also had to be able to
handle the comedy of playing both Eugene and Eugene impersonating the Emperor.
That's a tall order for any actor, but Ian had the right stuff. "
Adds Taylor: "I think what Ian really captures is Napoleon's journey through coming to
grips with his identity. The more he starts to lose his image of himself as a great ruler,
the more desperate he becomes to hang onto it. But ultimately, he comes to attain the
grace and integrity to accept himself as a man. "
Holm was absolutely thrilled to accept the challenge. "It's the best part I've ever
been offered," he states. "It was a very complicated role to play because both the real
Napoleon and his double Eugene are playing both themselves and impersonations of
the other. We had a lot of fun in the scenes where Eugene is learning to be Napoleon,
as his servants look on with horror. And there's a poignant desperation in Napoleon's
burning mission to get back on the throne and being thwarted at every turn. It's only
when he meets Pumpkin that he learns that he has to give up on his unrealistic dreams
and learns to love and appreciate what he's got. But the biggest challenge of all for me
was not to act Napoleon but to be him. "
Holm relied on the screenplay, which he describes as "very touching, funny and
quirky", rather than meticulous research to inspire his performance. He explains: "This
film is fantasy, it's something that never happened, so spending hours and hours
researching exactly what Napoleon ate or drank wouldn't have been much use. It
helped that I have played the character before but really I took my cue from the writing
and from Alan Taylor, who is tremendously knowledgeable about that period. "
Sums up Taylor: "Ian managed to juggle the two characters around and to
introduce layers of nuance every time he switched between them. The part of Napoleon
could easily have descended into caricature and parody but Ian gives a very real and
sympathetic portrayal of a once-powerful man having to give up his pride and face
reality. It's both truly funny and moving. "
NAPOLEON IN LOVE: IBEN HJEJLE AS PUMPKIN
For the role of Pumpkin, the impoverished melon-seller whose love unexpectedly
changes Napoleon, Taylor and Pasolini cast Iben Hjejle, the Danish actress who won
audiences and acclaim opposite John Cusack in the edgy, urban romantic comedy High
Fidelity. Here, audiences get to see a very different side of Hjejle, as a tough, no-
For the role of Pumpkin, the impoverished melon-seller whose love unexpectedly
changes Napoleon, Taylor and Pasolini cast Iben Hjejle, the Danish actress who won
audiences and acclaim opposite John Cusack in the edgy, urban romantic comedy High
Fidelity. Here, audiences get to see a very different side of Hjejle, as a tough, no-nonsense 19 th century woman confronted by a man who seems to have delusions of
grandeur. Hjejle captures both Pumpkin’s comedy and her essential humanity.
Says Alan Taylor, "Pumpkin is really the worst woman Napoleon could ever fall in
love with. She just lances through his nostalgic idealism with her realistic pragmatism.
She's also the most modern character in the film, not just because she's a
businesswoman but also in her approach to life. That's why we wanted someone who
wasn't a well-mannered period actor but someone more unexpected. Iben has an
effortless natural quality to her. She doesn't even like rehearsing, because when she
does a scene, it's for real. "
Taylor had initial concerns that Hjejle - a Dutch actress living in America - would
have trouble with the English accent required for the role, but he was immediately set at
ease. "I was worried that she wouldn't be able to get rid of the American accent but she
had no trouble perfecting a standard English accent. There's a slight inflection but that
fits because the character is Dutch," he explains.
For Hjejle, the film proved irresistible, not only because it meant playing opposite
Ian Holm but also because she fell in love with the story and the character. "The
screenplay was the best I'd read in a very long time - it's so funny and touching," she
says. "And I just adored Pumpkin because she might not seem like it, but she's the
perfect match for Napoleon. She's determined and strong and she comes to love this
man who claims to be Napoleon for who he really is. " But one question haunted Hjejle:
does Pumpkin harbor any suspicions that Eugene truly is the emperor Napoleon? "I
decided that maybe she almost believes him but dismisses that thought because it's
truly not important to her. That was the key - allowing a little of Pumpkin's doubt to
come to the surface but not letting it effect her feelings. She is very much about
appreciating what you have in life and that's what she teaches Napoleon. "
AT PLAY IN NAPOLEON'S FRANCE: DESIGNING THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES
The world Napoleon left behind was a fascinating mix of graceful beauty, widow-filled
urban streets and a country at the end of imperial times and on the brink of
modernity. But how could the filmmakers of The Emperor's New Clothes recreate this
world in the 21 st century?
From the start, Alan Taylor decided he was looking for a fairy tale Europe, rather
than absolute historical accuracy, to suit this imaginative comic fable. After searching
everywhere from England to the Czech Republic, Taylor and Pasolini settled on
shooting entirely on Italy and Malta, where untouched 19 th century cities remain - and
more importantly where there is an ineffable sense of whimsy in the air.
"Italy had everything we needed for the film," explains Pasolini. "It has a very
picturesque coastline, countryside that could double for Belgium or St Helena,
mountains for the final scenes of the film and cities that could stand in for 19 th century
Paris. What's more, there's a wealth of design and lighting talent in the country. "
Indeed, the filmmakers brought on board two of Italy's leading talents in
cinematography and design: award-winning director of photography Alessio Gelsini
Torresi (Alessandro D'Alatri's acclaimed Americano Rosso) and production designer
Andrea Crisanti (Andrei Tarkovsky's Nostalgia and Giuseppe Tornatore's beloved
classic Cinema Paradiso).
transporting quality. “I wanted the film to have a fairytale feeling, like of a flight of
fantasy but also a real sense of romance and love story. We took our cue from those
thematic elements when deciding on the look of the film,” he explains. “Of course there
are also certain things you can’t avoid with period films - no artificial light, no man-made
fabrics, all natural building materials. But Alessio did some very creative and beautiful
work with lighting that make it look entirely natural yet new.”
Inspiration for the film's look also came from several well-known painters from
the period, including Georges de la Tour, the 17 th century Baroque painter who is best
known for his nocturnes such as "The Newborn Child," which are bathed in a delicate
soft candlelight; Chardin, whose domestic interiors are admired for their simplicity and
skill at rendering textures; the French portraitist Ingres; and Poussin, one of the greatest
classicists.
Mother nature also played an unexpected role. Unseasonably wet weather in
Italy provided Gelsini Torresi with exactly the soft, moody light he required. He explains:
"For the St. Helena scenes we wanted strong, bright light, but I prayed every day that it
would be overcast for the rest of the film because we wanted a softer, dreamier, more
caressing light in Pumpkin's world. "
He continues: "Because the story is so wonderful by itself, I wanted to avoid any
complicated camera tricks. The camera moves in every scene, but sometimes almost
imperceptibly. There is a stateliness to the film, but it isn't too formal. Alan looks for
the elegance and purity in an image. He isn't like those American directors who tend to
go for the spectacular in a shot. He has a more subtle and nuanced style, like that of a
European auteur. "
Inspiration for the film's look also came from several well-known painters from
the period, including Georges de la Tour, the 17 th century Baroque painter who is best
known for his nocturnes such as "The Newborn Child," which are bathed in a delicate
soft candlelight; Chardin, whose domestic interiors are admired for their simplicity and
skill at rendering textures; the French portraitist Ingres; and Poussin, one of the greatest
classicists.
Mother nature also played an unexpected role. Unseasonably wet weather in
Italy provided Gelsini Torresi with exactly the soft, moody light he required. He explains:
"For the St. Helena scenes we wanted strong, bright light, but I prayed every day that it
would be overcast for the rest of the film because we wanted a softer, dreamier, more
caressing light in Pumpkin's world. "
He continues: "Because the story is so wonderful by itself, I wanted to avoid any
complicated camera tricks. The camera moves in every scene, but sometimes almost
imperceptibly. There is a stateliness to the film, but it isn't too formal. Alan looks for
the elegance and purity in an image. He isn't like those American directors who tend to
go for the spectacular in a shot. He has a more subtle and nuanced style, like that of a
European auteur. "
Taylor was equally impressed with his cinematographer's style. "Alessio made
everything look precious - a key word that Pumpkin uses in the film," he says, "from the
night scenes to the soft daylight that gives a warm glow to everything. "
Filming began not with a bang, but with a rolling motion, as the crew shot aboard
the Casquelot, a 19 th century boat harboured on the island of Malta, where Napoleon's
difficult journey back to France begins. Shooting at sea turned out to be a baptism by
fire for Taylor. "The very first day of the film we were out at sea and it was awful,"
recalls Taylor. "The water was quite choppy and the ship was rocking from side to side.
I thought I was going to die! Twelve of the crew were knocked out by sea sickness but
thankfully the actors, including Ian, were unaffected and we got the shots we wanted. "
From Malta, the team returned to Italy, first to Turin, and then moving down the
country, through to Tarquinia (doubling for Paris), the peninsula of Argentario on the
Tuscan coast (doubling for St. Helena), and finally Rome, where Andrea Crisanti and
his team built the exteriors of Pumpkin's modest but cozy home in a derelict farmhouse
on the outskirts of the city. Rome's Cinecittà Studios were also used for the ship's
below decks and for the special effects to recreate the rooftops of Paris.
Just as Alessio Gelsini Torresi used natural light to avoid the clichés of period
drama, designer Andrea Crisanti similarly adopted a mission of recreating 19 th century
Paris in a fresh and original way. He began by thoroughly researching the period and
then he simply allowed himself the freedom to reinvent the period to better suit the tone
and style of the film, which itself takes liberties with historical truth. "I was able to create
sets that are historically accurate but are not slaves to authenticity," he says. "Italy was
the perfect place to do this. It has under been under the control of foreigners so many
times that nearly every kind of architecture exists there. I was able to find everything I
needed and have fun with it. "
Costume designer Sergio Ballo also bent the rules to make the costumes more
life-like and natural. While some of the ruffled and starched Empire-style outfits were
rented from well-stocked costume houses in London and Paris, Ballo had over 100
custom-designed waistcoats and dresses made at ateliers in Rome, Milan, Paris,
Madrid and London. These reflect the great modernizing of fashion that was taking
place in early 19 th century fashion - with the birth of silhouetted muslin dresses for
women and simple dark suits with trousers, rather than fancy breeches for men. Ballo used pictures from the period but tweaked them to suit the personalities of each of the
characters.
"The costume only comes alive through the actor," says Ballo, "so I believe that
the best clothes are not those made for a mannequin in a museum, but for the actor
and actresses themselves. I wanted the clothes in this film to feel lived-in, worn by real
people, and that was the most important thing, even it meant occasionally sacrificing
historical authenticity. "
The crew worked feverishly to recreate Napoleon's world in 21 st century Italy, but
ultimately it is Napoleon's attempt to live in this world as an ordinary person that is so
funny and so moving. "The making of this film in Italy was full of surprises," sums up
Alan Taylor. " It was the warmest, most affectionate, most loyal and most passionate
team I've every worked with. Hopefully, with their help, I've created a film that will make
people laugh and perhaps even cry. "
"The costume only comes alive through the actor," says Ballo, "so I believe that
the best clothes are not those made for a mannequin in a museum, but for the actor
and actresses themselves. I wanted the clothes in this film to feel lived-in, worn by real
people, and that was the most important thing, even it meant occasionally sacrificing
historical authenticity. "
The crew worked feverishly to recreate Napoleon's world in 21 st century Italy, but
ultimately it is Napoleon's attempt to live in this world as an ordinary person that is so
funny and so moving. "The making of this film in Italy was full of surprises," sums up
Alan Taylor. " It was the warmest, most affectionate, most loyal and most passionate
team I've every worked with. Hopefully, with their help, I've created a film that will make
people laugh and perhaps even cry. "
