The film suggests that Napoléon could have escaped to Louisiana, where he died, and that the body exhumed and now at Les Invalides is that of Napoléon's officer Cipriani. The film also suggests that Napoléon and his young new English wife, Betsy Balcombe, could have attended the ceremony of "Napoléon's" burial in the Invalides.
In essence, the story is as convoluted as any of the escape myths that have surfaced at various times. There is plenty of intrigue around the former Emperor, with the poisoning of a trusted aide, the possible double-cross of a trusted officer, the frivolous relationship with a gold-digger lady of the entourage and the role of governor of Saint Helena, Hudson Lowe.
All this is witnessed and narrated through a British officer tasked with shadowing Napoleon until the final twist of the plot is revealed.
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Reception
The film was well-received. As of July 2020[update], 71% of the 21 reviews compiled by Rotten Tomatoes are positive, with an average rating of 6.27/10. The website's critics' consensus reads: "Fueled by performances as polished as its visuals, Monsieur N. is a flawed yet largely absorbing look at an imagined chapter of Napoleon's exile."[3]
The film received a positive but guarded review in The New York Times, which praised Philippe Torreton's performance but thought the narrative too complex for an audience not initiated in Napoléon's history.[4]
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