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Here in my
hometown of Kansas City, there is a doctor who purports that
he’s been treating Elvis Presley for years and that the King is
ready to emerge into the limelight once again.
Reports of Presley’s appearance have been frequent among
ardent fans who have spotted him everywhere from doughnut shops to
Graceland. In the
early 40’s, an elderly gentleman named Brushy Bill Roberts
claimed to be the outlaw Jesse James who was supposedly killed in
a poker game 50 years earlier. Often, the public hangs on to the hope that their heroes,
both famous and infamous, have survived their demises and may be
walking amongst us incognito.
In The Emperor’s New Clothes, director Alan Taylor
presents an alternative to the death of one of its most well-known
leaders, Napoleon Bonaparte. While the film establishes a plausible and entertaining
story, it too often falls back on tried and true story ideas,
loses focus in the second half and then cannot decide on how it
wants to end. Aided by a wonderful score by Rachel Portman and a
powerful and believable lead performance by Ian Holm, Clothes is a
nice period piece that just loses its way towards it feel-good
resolution.
History
tells us that after his defeat at Waterloo, the British exiled
Napoleon to the island of St. Helena, where he then died 5 years
later. But, according
to Young, what if history was wrong, or at least what if things
didn’t exactly happen as we were led to believe.
The story opens with Napoleon regaling his version of the
way things happened to a curious young boy.
He is shown as a bitter, vengeful man who believes that his
reign is not yet over in France and that he has legions awaiting
his return. He
conspires, along with his staff, to have a double take his place
on the island while he sneaks back into France.
Since the British watch and report on his condition, he is
forced to sneak out in the dark of night and pretend to be a lowly
swabbie on a ship headed back to France.
Upon his arrival there, he takes up with Pumpkin,
the widow of one of his soldiers, who believes he is the
lowly Eugene, a simple poor, former soldier.
The way the plan works is that the impostor will reveal
himself as a fake once Napoleon is safely back in the country, and
then Bonaparte believes he will once again rise to power.
Ah how the best laid plans can go astray.
While he is waiting for this to happen, he manages to
organize a very strategic plan for produce sales, arousing the
suspicion of a doctor (and suitor of Pumpkin).
Suffice to say all does not go as planned, and this is
where the movie wanders astray.
The focus becomes a romance with Pumpkin, losing focus on
the impostor and falling prey to many typical movie ploys
involving jealous lovers and mysterious strangers.
The ending of the movie seems to come about 2 or 3
different times, before finally settling for one that seems a tad
too melancholy and preachy in its search for identity and what’s
important in life. Had
this film stuck to its historical possibilities, it would have
worked much better.
There
are memorable scenes including the aforementioned militarily
planned marketing strategy, and a haunting visage in a sanitarium
with several faux Bonapartes wandering around.
These show a deeper vision that the film fails to explore
towards its conclusion. Still,
there is more to like about this movie than dislike.
Rachel Portman has composed a score that is beautiful and
befitting of a empirical effort.
Also, Holm takes the Herculean task of playing yet another
diminutive cariacature and carries this film boldly.
As Napoleon and Eugene he tackles the dual roles with his
usual meticulous and detailed nature.
Nevermind that everyone in France sounds British, Holm and
company give solid performances in a film that deserves a slightly
better fate than it gets.
Ultimately,
The Emperor's New Clothes is an effective but slightly flawed look
at an alternative to one of history's most infamous figures.
Natural curiousity usually generates the hypothesis and scenarios
that encompass these type of stories. We love to wonder
"what if" using what we know, combined with what we can
imagine. Taylor has posed an interesting idea here, but gets
too tangled up in wrapping things up in a nice, neat, audience
friendly package, so the film stumbles a tad. But thanks to
Portman's music, Holm's performance and some genuinely thoughtful
and humorous moments, this film is a pleasant surprise amidst a
summer of disappointments.
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Disagree, Questions? Comments?
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