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Emperor's New Clothes, The

Mixed or average reviews
Based on 28 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 4 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Romance
Written by:
Kevin Molony
Alan Taylor
Herbie Wave
Simon Leys (novel The Death of Napoleon)
Directed by: Alan Taylor
Release Date:
Theatrical: June 14, 2002
DVD: December 10, 2002
Running Time: 107 minutes, Color
Origin: Germany / Italy / UK
Summary
RATING: PG for brief language
Starring Ian Holm, Iben Hjejle, Tim McInnerny, Tom Watson, Nigel Terry, Hugh Bonneville, Murray Melvin, and Clive Russell
An original tale about Napoleon's last great adventure -- and the adventures of the lowly impostor who assumed his identity in a grand conspiracy to outwit the world. (Paramount Classics)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Chicago Tribune Loren King
One of the most clever, most enjoyable historical fantasies to hit screens in a long time, The Emperor's New Clothes is a sumptuous showcase for Ian Holm, who delivers not one but two great performances.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
It's sometimes said that the greatest test of a chef is cooking something cheap and simple, like a piece of chicken or a hamburger. In a movie that testifies to simple pleasures, Taylor and company pass that test again and again.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
Sergio Ballo's costumes have the look of authentic clothing, realistically reflecting the characters' wide range in social status. Rachel Portman's score, at once romantic, majestic and vital, completes this beguiling film.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Ann Hornaday
Engaging, witty and touching film, one that defies categories to become a romantic comedy, historical biopic and philosophical rumination, all in one.
New Times (L.A.) Gregory Weinkauf
In tampering with history, these storytellers present to us a rare and wonderful case of enlightenment beyond the accepted truth.
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
It's a royal, finely modulated double performance by an actor who always wears his powers with graceful modesty.
Read Full Review >ReelViews James Berardinelli
Taylor's approach to this material -- mixing occasional humor with undemanding drama -- works well enough that we don't care about the logical inconsistencies and plot holes. To that end, The Emperor's New Clothes ends up as a pleasant diversion.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jami Bernard
In a hilarious bit of actorly sleight-of-hand, Holm (who is not new to the role of Napoleon, having it played it twice before) slips effortlessly from emperor to impostor.
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
Has a refreshingly different twist: What we have here is a "what if" comedy.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
The result is a genre-bending yarn, an entertaining mix of period drama and flat-out farce that should please history fans.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Charles Taylor
A trifle but an exceptionally civilized, charming trifle.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold
The film's European locations, sets (in Rome's Cinecitta studios) and photography are unusually striking; Rachel Portman contributes an elegant score; and Holm (who played the emperor once before in 1981's "Time Bandits") embodies the character with an effortlessly regal charisma.
Read Full Review >New York Post Lou Lumenick
Alan Taylor ("Palookaville"), an American, directs with a playful touch, and Denmark's Hjejle is far more assured acting in English here than she was in "High Fidelity."
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
A fun and fanciful comic adventure, based on the novel "The Death of Napoleon" by Simon Leys, that takes a great premise and runs with it.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
Holm carries Napoleon's regal bluster without edging into cartoonish folly, taking him seriously enough to make an absurd situation solemn, and keeping the film from winking too coyly at its audience.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Hank Sartin
Desperately wants to be whimsical and charming. But whimsy isn't easy to carry off, and director Alan Taylor, who has directed mostly television dramas, has a heavy hand -- scenes meant to be comical are destroyed by leaden pacing and a puzzling mix of tones.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Lynda Gorov
Not without its charms. But it never rises to its clever what-if concept.
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Watching this comedy is like going out with an attractive blind date who runs out of conversation after a quarter of an hour.
Read Full Review >Empire Ian Freer
Not dire, but you cant escape the feeling that theres a good movie in here trying to get out.
Read Full Review >Village Voice J. Hoberman
Dull, if not devoid of wit, this shaggy dog longs to frisk through the back alleys of history, but scarcely manages more than a modest, snoozy charm.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Stephen Holden
Although there's plenty of opportunity for low comedy in the notion of an emperor and an oaf exchanging roles, The Emperor's New Clothes, much to its detriment, doesn't pursue them.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
The blithely dishonest script would have us believe that the real Napoleon can't prove his identity when the fake Napoleon refuses to come clean. Not only is that patent nonsense, it's cockeyed dramaturgy.
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
J D gave it a10:
Exellent.
His Majesty Gilbert de Mulroneycakes gave it an 8:
How the hell do you pronounce Iben Hjelje?
Chad S. gave it a 6:
Perhaps, afraid their film would lapse into Monty Python territory, the filmmakers elected not to get more comic mileage out of their faux-Napoleon. As for the adventures of the real French commander, his strategizing of produce domination is cute, and romance, slight, but well-done. If the filmmakers had the courage to go for belly-laughs instead of half-baked whimsy, they would've really had something here. Ian Holm is good here but he can do this sort of thing in his sleep. The script should've given him more opportunities to cut loose. Farting isn't funny, but Napoleon(or the semblance of Napoleon) farting would've been hillarious because it would be a great actor passing gas, and he'd find a way to do it with aplomb.
Marc K. gave it a 4:
Maybe this film was a hit in England, but I was bored by the whole thing. Stereotypical British take on what an idiot they think Napoleon was.
