Monsieur N. is a textbook example of costume drama with nothing to say, much as in many history textbooks. This is perhaps a film about Napoleon during his last days, on the prison at St. Helena. But more accurately it should be called a film about the very dull ship of fools, English and French, that accompanied him in exile. None of these poor fools makes enough of an impression to mention by name. It suffices to say that there is a handsome soldier, an unconvincing blonde, and many rather repellant officers and aristocrats. The main lesson to learn here is not political or social in theme, but rather economic: some people made money off of Napoleon, and some didn't. It is not surprising at all who did and who didn't.
One can't help but use this sort of film as evidence against the European film industry, against state-support for the arts, against the dullness and pedantry that comes from producing the story out of institutions. Hollywood, for all its mediocrity, offers some minimum standards for entertainment value, and those alone should have seen to it that this uninteresting script never see the light of day.
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