Monsieur N is a historical British-French drama which premiered in 2003.
The letter N stands for Napoleon.
Napoleon Bonaparte!
The topic of this drama seems to be the final days of Napoleon on the island of St Helena (1815-1821).
But this drama is not only historical. It is
much more than that. It is a case of historical speculation. A historical fantasy.
What if the former French emperor did not die on St Helena in 1821?
What if he somehow managed to escape from this remote island and lived the rest of his life in another location under a different name?
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Director: Antoine de Caunes
** Writer: René Manzor
** Languages: French, English, Corsican
** Run time: 120 minutes
The cast includes the following:
The first group
** Philippe Torreton as Napoleon Bonaparte (1869-1821) – former French general, former Emperor of the French
** Richard E. Grant as Hudson Lowe (1769-1844) – a British officer - governor of St Helena
** Jay Rodan as Basil Heathcote – a British officer - Lowe’s assistant – he is a fictional character, who also serves as the narrator of this drama
** Bruno Putzulu as Jean-Baptiste Cipeiani (1773-1818) – Napoleon’s childhood friend - his major domo
The second group
** Stephane Freiss as General Montholon (1783-1853) – a French general who followed Napoleon into his second exile
** Elsa Zylberstein as Albine de Montholon 1779-1848) – the wife of General Montholon – and the mistress of Napoleon
** Sioban Hewlett as Lucia Elizabeth (Betsy) Balcombe (1802-1871) – daughter of William Balcombe
** Richard Heffer as William Balcombe (1777-1829) – a
British colonial administrator - father of Betsy
According to traditional history, Napoleon was sent into exile on St Helena in 1815 and lived on this island located in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean until his death in 1821.
In 1840, almost twenty years later, his body was exhumed and transported back to France. Today, his remains are placed in a large sarcophagus which is placed under the dome of Les Invalides in Paris.
But according to this historical drama, this is not what really happened. This is not how the famous French general ended his life.
Napoleon was a soldier who had fought many battles. Not only military but also political battles. He had won some and lost some, but he had always managed to survive.
He had been sent into exile before. In 1814, after a military defeat, he had been sent into exile on the island of Elba. But he managed to escape. In 1815, he returned to France and for 100 days, he was once more the Emperor of the French.
In 1815, after another military defeat, he was sent into exile on St Helena. This time, the victorious powers chose an island which was so remote that escape was supposed to be impossible.
But according to this drama, Napoleon never surrendered. He never gave up. He was merely biding his time. While pretending to surrender, he was merely waiting for the right moment and the right conditions to make another escape.
He was after all the Emperor of the French and he was going to determine his own fate; not the hated British enemy!
In this drama, we discover how it was done. We learn the details of his clever and sophisticated plan. We find out how it was possible for him to leave the island where he was a prisoner for life. We discover how he managed to vanish into thin air.
I am not going to say too much about how Napoleon Bonaparte (allegedly) managed to escape from the remote island of St Helena.
I do not want to spoil the viewing for anyone. If you want to know how he did it (if it was actually done), you have to watch this drama all the way to the end.
What do reviewers say about it?
Here are some results:
65 percent = Meta
66 percent = IMDb
58 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
71 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
On Amazon there are at the moment more than 100 ratings of this product, more than 50 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.6 stars which corresponds to a rating of 82 percent.
On IMDb there are nine user reviews. Four of them offer a rating of 100 percent.
This website also has a list of 24 reviews by external writers (critics). Sadly, some of the links to these reviews are too old and no longer working.
A review posted by the Movie House makes an interesting observation:
American reviews are mostly positive, while British reviews are mostly negative. Perhaps this is because the British characters in this drama (especially Hudson Lowe) are presented in a bad light.
In my opinion, the ratings on Meta, IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes are too low, while the rating on Amazon is more appropriate.
Is the plot presented in this drama realistic? Does it make any sense? Can it stand up to a closer investigation? In my opinion, the answer is no.
What is wrong?
The plot is closely connected with the British teenager Betsy Balcombe. She is, in fact, a vital part of the set-up which is presented here.
She was on St Helena for three years, 1815-1818, and she spoke French. She was a friend of the emperor. This is all true. These facts are not contested.
But if you look at her life and the places where she lived after leaving St Helena in 1818, the facts do not fit the plot which is presented here.
In 1822, she married Edward Abell. The couple had one child, a daughter, but the marriage soon failed. In 1824, she made a short visit to New South Wales (Australia).
In 1830, she returned to Australia and this time she stayed there for a while.
Later, she returned to London where she wrote a book about her time on St Helena and her recollections of Napoleon. The book was published in 1844.
Later in life, she travelled to France and to Algeria. She died in London in 1871.
The facts do not fit the plot which is presented here. But as a fantasy, as a speculation: What If…., I have to say this historical drama is well-done. This product deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
REFERENCES
# 1. Books
Recollections of the Emperor Napoleon during the first three years of his captivity on the island of St Helena
By Lucia Elizabeth Balcombe Abell
(1844)
To Befriend an Emperor:
Betsy Balcombe’s Memoirs of Napoleon on St Helena
With an introduction by J. David Markham
(2005)
Napoleon and St Helena:
On the Island of Exile
By Johannes Willms
(2008)
The Road to St Helena:
Napoleon after Waterloo
By J. David Markham
(2008)
Terrible Exile:
The Last Days of Napoleon on St Helena
By Brian Unwin
(2010)
Betsy and the Emperor: The True Story of Napoleon, a Pretty Girl, a Regency Rake, and an Australian Colonial Misadventure
By Anne Whitehead
(2015)
The Countess, Napoleon and St Helena:
In Exile with the Emperor, 1815 to 1821
by Lally Brown
(2017)
# 2. Film and video
Napoleon: The Russian Campaign
A docudrama with two episodes
(2 x 51 minutes = 102 minutes)
(2015)
Napoleon: The Egyptian Campaign
A docudrama with two episodes
(2 x 51 minutes = 102 minutes)
(2016)
Napoleon: In the Name of Art
A documentary film
Run time = 100 minutes
(2021)
Les îles de Napoléon
English title: Napoleon's Islands
A documentary film
Run time = 51 minutes
(2021)
*****
Briars Pavilion
Napoleon’s first residence on St Helena
He stayed here for six weeks
From late October to early December 1815
Briars Pavilion, St Helena
*****
Longwood House
Napoleon’s second residence on St Helena
He stayed here from December 1815 to May 1821
Longwood House, St Helena
*****
Monsieur N
A British-French drama
which premiered in 2003
A case of historical speculation
A historical fantasy
What if Napoleon did not die
on St Helena?
*****
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