MONSIEUR N
France/UK, 2003, 127 minutes, Colour.
Philippe Torreton, Richard E. Grant, Jay Raydon.
Directed by Antoine de Caunes.
Monsieur N is one of the many films made about Napoleon. It opens in 1840 with the exhumation of his body and the transfer to Paris and the tomb of Les Invalides where it lies in state. However, there are flashbacks to 1915 and the aftermath of Waterloo and the transfer of Napoleon to the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic. The film takes up the story of the emperor's imprisonment, his being guarded by a British garrison led by Lord Howe. The fictional character in the film is a young officer called Basil Heathcote (played by Jay Raydon) who is the personal guard of the emperor. The film moves back and forth from 1840 to the last years of that second decade of the century, showing the imprisonment of Napoleon, Lord Howe and his pompous and haughty ways, the court around Napoleon, the various plots to kill him by poison, for Bonapartist supporters to rescue him, and his mysterious death after not being seen for several weeks.
The film speculates that his friend and assistant Cipriani who was poisoned, was the body in Napoleon's grave which was witnessed to as authentic but by people who had not seen him in his last years. The film's plot has Heathcote in 1840 visiting the various people who had memories of their time in St Helena, eventually working out that the body was Cipriani's, interviewing Lord Howe who was living in poverty in Paris and eventually deducing that Napoleon had escaped to Louisiana, to a plantation in Baton Rouge, with Betty, the daughter of the Balcombe family, who had been infatuated with him on St Helena - and with whom Heathcote was infatuated.
There have been many films about Napoleon, the classic French silent epic Napoleon by Abel Gance, popular films including Desiree with Brando as Napoleon, an American version of War and Peace (Herbert Lom's Napoleon) and the Russian War and Peace (Sergei Bondarchuk, its director, as Napoleon). Kenneth Haigh was Napoleon in a story of the imprisonment on St Helena, Eagle on a Rock, in the mid-70s. Ian Holm portrayed Napoleon in The Emperor's New Clothes - using the hypothesis that a look-alike was brought to St Helena, Napoleon escaping to Belgium (and with a visit to Waterloo and his listening impatiently to a tourist guide), finally living his life in simplicity in Paris, the look-alike dying and being buried in St Helena in 1821.
Philippe Torreton (It All Begins Today) is effective as a brooding, sometimes smug, always scheming Napoleon. Richard E. Grant is perfect as the kind of pompous ass British commander. The film was directed by Antoine de Caunes, better known on television as the compere of the zany, if often crass, sexual fun show, Euro Trash. This is a much more serious effort.
1. The popularity of Napoleon in films, the various theories about his imprisonment, his illness and death? His surviving St Helena?
2. The film's perspective on war, Napoleon and his global war on Europe? The consequences of his defeat? Yet, the dialogue of the film having Napoleon talk, prophetically, about a united Europe and its benefits? War and the 20th and 21st centuries?
3. The St Helena locations, the nature of the island, the mountains, the cliffs, the sea? Isolated? The British building a society on the island? The French locations, the atmosphere of 1840 in Paris? Louisiana and the plantation?
4. The range of moods of the musical score and its support of the drama?
5. The title, the anonymity of Napoleon, his wanting to be called Emperor, the British decreeing that he should be called General?
6. The structure of the film, the scenes in 1840, the exhumation on St Helena, the visit to Paris, the recurring intercuts of 1840 into the events of 1815 to 1821?
7. The opening with the exhumation, those present, the solemnity, the religious ritual? The ability of the witnesses to identify Napoleon or not? The preservation of his body and face? The reality of Cipriani missing? The hypotheses about who was buried, Napoleon's survival? His arrangement with Howe? The survival, according to the film, in Louisiana?
8. The film's portrait of Napoleon, the aftermath of his defeat, his memories, his comments on his various battles, strategies, his dreams of empire, his men? His being called Emperor, the imperial lifestyle on the island? The members of his court, Ali and his continual guarding of Napoleon's door (and in 1840)? The range of his advisers, the Marechal, Montothlon, his allowing his wife to be Napoleon's mistress? Dr O'Mara (and the British wanting him to poison Napoleon), his assisting at the birth of the Montothlons' girl? 1818 and all these witnesses being asked to leave the island?
9. The personality of Lord Howe, his arrival, his pomposity, his riding the horse, declaration to the men, the opinions of the previous governor? The takeover, strict rules, the guarding of the prisoner, seeing his place in history, his self-importance? Relationship with his staff, the officers, with Heathcote? The later lack of supplies and Napoleon rebuking him for putting up fortifications instead of preparing a warehouse?
10. The fictional character of Heathcote, his being the narrator, his perspective on Napoleon, on Howe? His experience at Sandhurst? His gaffe talking about the siege of Capri? His guarding Napoleon, Howe asking his opinion of the safety of the cliffs? The nature of his work, the night with the prostitutes, having to go at Napoleon's beck and call, his faithful service to Napoleon?
11. Howe and the defences, the fortifications, the ships going around the island, the difficulties of mist? He and the officer discussing the poisoning of Napoleon with O'Mara? The wait to see Napoleon, Napoleon's treatment of him, despising him? The deal about the burial? Napoleon warning Howe that he was to be kidnapped? Howe's birthday and the celebration, the change of mood with the fight on the shore?
12. The Balcombes, their friendship with Napoleon, Betty and her infatuation with him, the scene with the bees and the beekeeping? Heathcote and his infatuation with her, never able to tell her? Not telling her at the end, and going away in Louisiana?
13. The various plots, the code communication in the newspapers through the crosswords, the deportation of Napoleon's friend, meeting the buccaneers at Ascension Island, the Bonapartist supporters in Brazil, arranging the fleet, the signals, the landing, going to Napoleon's lodging, the British coming, the fighting on the shore?
14. Napoleon and his arrangement with Howe and Howe trusting him after the report of the kidnapping? Growing illness, Cipriani's death? Napoleon not being seen, all the witnesses gone, his death and the burial?
15. Heathcote, twenty years later, the various visits to the surviving characters in Paris, their willingness to talk, Montothlon in prison, his wife and her infirmity, finding Howe, probing? Getting the information about Louisiana?
16. The visit to Baton Rouge, the children, the fact that Napoleon had died, Betty and her survival?
17. A film like this exploring the nature of Napoleon, his character, career, power, loss of power? And the fascinating hypotheses and possibilities about what happened to him on St Helena?
