Review of The Emperor's New Clothes (2001) by Heidi S — 10 Jan 2007

[font=Century Gothic]"The Emperor's New Clothes" takes place in 1821 as Napoleon Bonaparte(Ian Holm) escapes from St. Helena after a six year exile, exchanging places with a look-a-like. The plan is for him to reach France by boat and the imposter to be revealed, allowing him to retake the throne. But the plan starts to go awry when the boat overshoots France, and he ends up in Belgium instead.[/font].

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[font=Century Gothic]"The Emperor's New Clothes" is not the broad comedy I was expecting(though there is a little of that here). It is actually a gentle and poignant bit of speculation about history, dreams of glory and the people trying to recapture them. Through this, the movie conveys a subtle antiwar message. And Ian Holm sets the right mood with a magnificent performance. Only the pedestrian direction hurts the movie. [/font].