When considering Monsieur N, I was reminded of the proverb: "History
is written by the victors", as I realised that the little I knew
about Napoleon smacked of contemporary British propaganda. I knew, for
example, that Napoleon was a short, fat megalomaniac; who walked funny,
with his hand inside his tunic. I knew of his losses in Russia and at
Waterloo, and his exile on Elba, but I knew nothing of his victories.
Monsieur N, directed by Eurotrash's Antoine de Caunes, unsurprisingly
takes a more respectful approach to its subject. It tells the story of
the last years of Napoleon's life, imprisoned by the British on St Helena:
a remote island off the west coast of Africa. Napoleon, played by Philippe
Torreton, retains a loyal entourage of officers who help him plot his
escape, and evade the attentions of the island's overzealous Governor:
Sir Hudson Lowe (Richard E. Grant).
However, despite the comic potential of this tale of hubris and noble
descent, de Caunes plays it alarmingly straight, weaving a detective mystery
around the central drama, with Jay Rodan's Officer Heathcote investigating
The Mystery of the Emperor's Corpse.
The best thing about the film is the dialogue, which is appropriately
rich is metaphor and bon mots. When Napoleon's mistress asks whether she
can trust his promises, he replies "Why ask if the water is fresh
when there is nothing else to drink?" The cinematography is impressive
too, with lavish moments occasionally reminiscent of Cyrano de Bergerac.
However there's more to filmmaking than chiaroscuro and quips; but sadly
not to this film. The acting is variable, with most of the English cast
struggling with the rhythms of the French dialogue, and Richard E. Grant
giving a particularly hammy turn that would have been quite at home in
Carry On Don't Lose Your Head. The French cast fare better, with de Caunes'
partner Elsa Zylberstein impressive as Napoleon's venal mistress.
The cast aren't helped by René Manzor's confused script that takes
this obviously comic premise far too seriously, and then is unsure whether
to be a weighty drama or a twisty thriller. The conflict between Napoleon
and Lowe does have promising moments, but is never adequately developed,
as the film wastes time on pointless romantic subplots, and red herrings
for a mystery that's introduced far too late. At one point Napoleon pronounces,
"Men's passion for the fantastical is such that they will sacrifice
reason to it", a statement for which this confused film provides
ample support.
David Haviland, 19.04.04
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