A whimsical tale

Whimsical fable The Emperor's New Clothes poses the question did Napoleon really die in 1821? Stuck in exile on St Helena, an ageing Napoleon (Ian Holm) plots escape. When loyalists discover his exact double, a common scrubbing boy called Eugene (also Holm), Boney performs the old switcheroo and legs it to Paris. Plans go awry when Eugene gets too cosily enthroned and refuses to reveal he's a fake. So how is the incognito ex-emperor to convince anyone, even his melonselling girlfriend Pumpkin (Iben Hjejle), that he's really Napoleon? Supported by a jolly cast of Brit stalwarts (Hugh Bonneville, Tim McInnerny), the normally impressive Holm is unconvincing as one of history's great men. Made by the team behind indie caper Palookaville, it's prettily shot and little more.

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