The Emperor and the Nightingale

Starring:Helena Patockova, Jaromir Sobotoa, Detsky pevecky sbor Jana Kuhna, Boris Karloff, Rex Ingram
Director: Milos Makovec, Jirí Trnka, George Pal
Studio: Winstar
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

A lush, theatrical work of movie majesty,
A Fascinating Story, Sifting through Legend and Fact about Napoleon's Last Days
Mediocre period piece.
"Some orders should be disobeyed."
N is for NOT a five

Monsieur N
Starring: Philippe Torreton , Richard E. Grant , Jay Rodan , Elsa Zylberstein , and Roschdy Zem
Director: Antoine de Caunes
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0007Z0ODG
Release Date: 2005-06-28

Description

GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATION BEST FOREIGN FILM "Fascinating! Better than `Master and Commander'."- THE NEW YORK TIMES "An elegant, sophisticated mystery!"- LOS ANGELES TIMES"First-rate acting and beautifully shot, with the visual power of great paintings."- THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER "Captivating! An engaging mystery and study of a brilliant figure." - PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER After his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled to the south Atlantic island of St. Helena, where he died a few years later. Or did he? Using a combination of historical record and creative speculation, this fascinating portrait of the Emperor in exile is an intricate thriller that posits an amazing secret: Napoleon escaped from St. Helena.

Customer Reviews:

A lush, theatrical work of movie majesty,.......2007-06-10

Presented in its original French with English subtitles, Monsieur N. is the DVD movie equivalent of a fascinating historical novel. Portraying the legendary conqueror Napoleon Bonaparte during his years of exile after his defeat at Waterloo, Monsieur N. not only bring to life an eye-opening portrait of the former Emperor's exile, but also presents a daring "what-if" story - what if Napoleon escaped St. Helena in such a crafty manner that his disappearance remained undiscovered to this day? A lush, theatrical work of movie majesty, highly recommended. 127 minutes, color.

A Fascinating Story, Sifting through Legend and Fact about Napoleon's Last Days.......2006-07-10

Director Antoine de Caunes has adapted Rene Mansor's fine screenplay concerning the enigma that still exists as to the final resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte into a film that relates the period of history from 1816 to 1840 during which time the bifurcated responses of the British and French to the legend of Napoleon initiated the scandal that still piques our interest.

Opening in 1816 Napoleon (the brilliant Philippe Torreton) is imprisoned on the island of St. Helena along with his most trusted supporters and various citizens who elected to follow him into exile - with an eye on Napoleon's fortune when he dies. There is a new British Governor appointed, Hudson Lowe (Richard E. Grant), who is steely and determined to prevent Napoleon's escape and yes, even protect the British government from the costly extended prison expenditures a prolonged exile will produce. Lowe appoints Basil Heathcote (Jay Rodan) to sit in watch of the Emperor/General only to come under the spell of the mysterious Napoleon and the spell of a young girl Betsy Balcombe (Siobhan Hewlett) who is in love with Napoleon. Others among Napoleon's party include the Montholons (Stephane Freiss and Elsa Zylberstein) the latter of whom Napoleon keeps as his mistress and impregnates, Cipriani (Bruno Putzulu) his butler and half brother, Ali (Igor Skreblin) his bodyguard, Marshal Bertand (Roschdy Zem) his aide de camp, among others. Napoleon's self perception as the Emperor makes him unavailable to close scrutiny and rumors fly about his proposed escapes and about the British idea of poisoning him. There is great mystery surrounding Napoleon's ultimate death and burial and this mystery is what drives the story in flash forward sequences to the investigation of Napoleon's ultimate exhumation to see if the man buried in Les Invalides in Paris is actually Napoleon Bonaparte - and if not, where is the true Napoleon buried?

The period atmosphere on St. Helena is scrupulously recreated, allowing a superb playing ground for the many fine performances by an excellent cast. We see Napoleon as we've never seen him, a multi-dimensional character with whom we, as viewers, tend to sympathize. This is not only due to the fine script but also to the unique portrayal by Philippe Torreton. The film is in both French and English, with English subtitles for the French only. And therein lies the fault of this otherwise superb film. The ambient sounds of the crashing sea and the annoyingly loud musical score by Stephan Eicher cover the English dialogue to such an extent that it cannot be heard most of the time. This is a film that would greatly benefit from re-mastering to add English subtitles for the entire film AND by making it available in full screen instead of the widescreen that reduces much of the action to miniaturization! Otherwise, this is a superb period piece that opens questions about historical accuracy that invite investigation. Grady Harp, July 06

Mediocre period piece........2005-10-18

The directing and acting of this film are not up to the level promised by the theme. The character of Napoleon is gigantic, like a Patton, Nixon, Clinton at a minimum, and the understated and meandering plot of the film never takes flight. I really wanted to like it, but came away nonplussed. Sorry.

"Some orders should be disobeyed.".......2005-07-02

"Monsieur N" is the story of the final years of Napoleon Bonaparte's life during his imprisonment on the bleak island of St. Helena. Napoleon (Philippe Torreton) lives with a small entourage of followers in Longworth House. In spite of the fact he's a prisoner, Napoleon still has an extraordinary amount of privilege within his household. When the new ambitious commander, Hudson Lowe (Richard E. Grant), takes charge, he finds the privileges of rank extended to Napoleon absurd.

"Monsieur N" is told through the eyes of a young, idealistic aide de camp, Lieutenant Heathcote (Jay Rodan). Heathcote secretly admires Bonaparte, and so the story places Heathcote in a position of some dilemma. It's his job to ensure Bonaparte stays put, but his superiors--Hudson Lowe, in particular--chafe at the privilege Bonaparte enjoys at incredible expense to the British government.

"Monsieur N" succeeds in many areas. As a depiction of the times, the film cannot be faulted. Director Antoine de Caunes re-creates the early nineteenth century adeptly as the film jumps back and forth in time and divides scenes on St. Helena with scenes in Paris after Bonaparte's body is returned for a state funeral in 1840. Philippe Torreton's complex portrayal of Napoleon is perfect. In one scene, Napoleon is the laconic, mordant observer, and in the next scene, he's peevish and petty. He is surrounded by squabbling favourites who jealously guard his attention and any future inheritance. The power of Napoleon's personality is seen at its strongest in the scenes when Napoleon faces Lowe. Napoleon, the prisoner--is commanding--dominating all the interaction as he thoroughly emasculates the venomous Lowe. The potency of Torreton and Grant's performances establish Napoleon's ability to inspire, incite and destroy men. In one scene, Lowe stresses how many men died the last time Bonaparte escaped. This simple statement underscores the danger Bonaparte--a caged tiger--represents. He has the power to create and destroy armies, and that power is chained and subdued--but for how long?

"Monsieur N" is less-than-successful when the film nosedives into an absurd, speculative mystery--with Lt. Heathcote (now Colonel Heathcote) shaking down various Parisians in an attempt to solve the mystery of Napoleon's death. The intense mystery--which appears out of nowhere--dominants the final half an hour of the film. Thankfully, the ending redeems the film from absurdity, when Colonel Heathcote acknowledges that his desire for an answer to the mystery lies in his hero worship of Napoleon. And this ending allows us to contemplate that some larger-than-life figures are projected into our culture's mythology for generations. "Monsieur N" is in English and French (with English subtitles), and the DVD includes a few extras including some information regarding the controversy surrounding Napoleon's body. After watching the film, fans of this historical period will find themselves diving for the nearest Napoleon biography to slake their desire to know more--displacedhuman

N is for NOT a five.......2005-06-18

"Monsieur N" is a fictionalized story about the exile of Napoleon on the island of St. Helena. Napoleon, scourge of Europe, has been condemned to isolation on a rocky, remote island in the middle of the Atlantic. Guarded by the British army, at huge cost, he retains a retinue of conspiratorial and avaricious French commanders and courtesans who share his not-too-difficult separation from the rest of humanity.

The wily emperor is hardly resigned to his fate. In fine French style, he is still playing a game within a game that he intends will show him again as the conqueror. If his friends and enemies don't get to him first.

The first half of the movie is almost a History Channel narrative of the players. The brooding Napoleon (played not altogether convincingly by Philippe Torreton) is ensconced in a rather comfortable home, surrounded by supporters, courtesans and friends. In spite of his imprisonment, he effectively runs the island, a situation the new military governor wants to end. Ever fearful that Napoleon will manage an escape, he goes to extraordinary lengths to ensure that his captive will not slip his grasp.

The second half of the film slips its moorings somewhat as Napoleon falls in love with the young British daughter of visitors to the island while friend and foe try to do him in. The rest of the tale, told alternately from St. Helena at the time of Napoleon's exile and Paris 20 years later, is a detective story regarding the whereabouts of Napoleon's corpse, supposedly, but not undeniably, returned to France after his death.

The story is interesting enough, but relies for its energy and menace on the specter of Napoleon himself. The old Emperor may continue to be a *bete noir* on the continent, but in America, he is just a funny figure from European History. Just who is buried in the tomb in Les Invalides just doesn't get my blood boiling. Still, I valued the film for giving stunning visuals to life on barren St. Helena. But I found the Oliver Stonish treatment of Napoleon's exile both absurd and uninteresting.

Average customer rating:

Buy this dvd
A disappointing episode!
one of the all-time FAERIE TALE THEATRE greats!
Faerie Tale Theatre: The Nightingale

Faerie Tale Theatre - The Nightingale
Starring: Mick Jagger , Bud Cort , Barbara Hershey , Edward James Olmos , and Mako
Director: Ivan Passer
Manufacturer: Starmaker II
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00063UEFC
Release Date: 2004-11-16

Description

An emperor who has the means to buy anything he could possibly want finds that true treasure lies in the song of a plain bird.

Customer Reviews:

Buy this dvd.......2005-03-18

Ok, you get the gist of the story from the review above. I am a 40 year old woman whom loves Mick Jagger and found him quite entertaining in this episode. I found the story quite interesting too, even at my age. If you like Mick buy it!

A disappointing episode!.......2005-03-10

Mick Jagger, Barbara Hershey, and, yes Edward James Olmos (!) play Japanese in this overlong and boring Faerie Tale Theatre presentation. Jagger dons his British accent, even though he's a Japanese emperor, and Hershey is just not convincing. Olmos is a terrific actor, but he is so wrong for the role. Why not cast a Japanese to play a Japanese? Now there's an idea, isn't there? Only Bud Cort as The Music Master saves the show with his hilarious performance. Boasting good production values and better sets than the average Faerie Tale Theatre episode, this is still the weak link in an otherwise terrific series. Watch if you must see all the episodes in the series, otherwise, avoid!

one of the all-time FAERIE TALE THEATRE greats!.......2004-11-10

THE NIGHTINGALE is one of the all-time greatest episodes of FAERIE TALE THEATRE, featuring great performances, expert direction by Ivan Passer and a heartbreaking musical score.

The Emperor of Cathay (Mick Jagger) lives in a porcelain palace with his courtiers completely cut off from his people. When he hears about a magical bird called the Nightingale and it's exquisite song, he demands an audience with it. The Kitchen Maid (Barbara Hershey) swiftly leads the Prime Minister (Edward James Olmos) to the bird. When the Nightingale sings for the Emperor, it immediately gladdens his heart and giving nature.

But when a mechanical version of the Nightingale is given to the Emperor, he quickly dismisses the real bird. Now ill and close to death, the Emperor needs the love and companionship of the real Nightingale more than ever...

Featuring strong performances all around. Co-starring Bud Cort as the Master of Imperial Music. Look closely and you'll spot Anjelica Huston and Jerry Hall as the fairies Primrose and Pansy.

Highly-recommended

Faerie Tale Theatre: The Nightingale.......2004-02-12

Mick Jagger stars as the Emperor of Cathay in this beautiful and lavish production from Faerie Tale Theatre. It's one of the most touching faerie tales, and it turns out to be one of the best episodes from this series. Jagger turns in an excellent performance as the Emperor, and Barbara Hershey is absolutely charming as the loyal kitchen maid. A spellbinding episode that is one of my favourites.

Average customer rating:

The Puppet Films of Jiri Trnka
Charming animation
emperor and the nightingale
Great movie memory from childhood...
Worthwhile collection

The Emperor and the Nightingale
Starring: Helena Patockova , Jaromir Sobotoa , Detsky pevecky sbor Jana Kuhna , Boris Karloff , and Rex Ingram
Director: Milos Makovec , Jirí Trnka , and George Pal
Manufacturer: Winstar
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004TBFN
Release Date: 2000-08-29

Customer Reviews:

The Puppet Films of Jiri Trnka.......2007-06-27

These unique, priceless animated offerings are perfect for those seeking some good old-fashioned low-tech charm after an overload of computer generated effects. Trnka was a brilliant artist whose work reflects a painstaking approach to creating animated magic. All his films reflect a striking breadth of imagination, and none more so than "Nightingale", which boasts Karloff's assured, understated narration. A memorable, distinctive treat for the whole family.

Charming animation.......2007-03-12

If ever a man was born to his trade and art, it was Trnka. He grew up helping his grandmother make dolls and his mother with her work as a seamstress. By the time started making his movies, in his 30s, he had utter fluency in all of the manual skill needed for success. For new success, that is, because his career as an artist was already well established by then.

This DVD splits almost evenly into a feature length piece and six shorts. The former, "The Emperor's Nightingale," is a wonderful adaptation of a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. It touches on many things, including the monotony of mechanical perfection compared to the unpredictable beauty of the organic world. Trnka objected to the Soviet regime that controlled the Czech people during most of his adult life. That was the hand that fed him, though, as well as the hand that could crush him. If there's a subtext of rebellion by a living society against a rigid, mechanical system of control, it's written in very small print.

The shorts varied widely in holding my attention. The cartoon adaptation of Chekov's "The Bass Cello" is warm and funny, with a delightful chill in it for anyone who's had a no-pants dream filled with frustration and embarassment. "A Drop Too Much" could possibly have been a public service feature, about a 15 minute sermon on the evils of drinking and driving. It comes across with the complexity and moral tone of one of those "Davey and Goliath" cartoons I never much liked as a kid. "The Merry Circus" is interesting for an innovative animation technique, one with many strengths and weakness relative to normal model making, and "The Song of the Prarie" is a silly satire of the 1950s Western movies - already pretty silly in themselves.

Only "The Hand" really stands out in that set. It's a modern fairy tale about artistic and personal freedom in the face of massive, controlling social power. Small wonder that this piece won awards abroad and suppression in his home country.

The style is a bit dated, and scripting tends towards a meditative pace. There's not a lot here for the ADHD generation, unless they're truly dedicated fans of animation. For us in the middle ground, there's a lot to enjoy, but the world has other things to enjoy in it, too.

//wiredweird

emperor and the nightingale.......2007-02-05

The claymation on this is wonderful but my kids could not stay interested in it.

Great movie memory from childhood..........2004-12-02

This is a review for The Emperor and the Nightingale DVD, mine is a slightly different one. The cover art is the same, but mine contains only the movie plus one short film "John Henry and the Inky Poo" (which I believe is a George Pal short, correct me if I'm wrong...) The film, narrated creepily enough by Boris Karloff, has been color-enhanced and sound-restored, according to the info on the box. I recall seeing this movie on TV sometime in the early 70's, probably at Christmas time. It is a great story, very sad in places, but with a good message for children even today, although the extremely old-fashioned look of the film may not hold up to some young kid's attention spans today. I would categorize it as more for people my age who have seen it many years ago and wish to have a lovely nostalgia trip by watching it. Buy it and have tissues handy, it's a weepie! I give it 4 out of 5 stars >>only because my DVD doesn't have all the goodies listed such as the other cartoon short subjects and the documentary material. Direct all comments to; BrideOfCyrano@aol.com

Worthwhile collection.......2002-11-18

The Emperor's Nightingale is feature-length (67 minutes). There are also five shorts plus a brief documentry on Trnka. I'm not familiar with Andersen's original, but Trnka's treatment of The Emperor's Nightingale makes it perfect for his medium. First of all, it is a story within a story: a live-action unhappy boy dreams the puppet-animated fairy tale. Then, the dream itself revolves around a real singing nightingale and a mechanical singing nightingale. Having this mixture of live action and puppet animation makes the experience more complex and interesting than reading the story in a children's book. Plus, nowadays, with simulated on-line experience competing with "real" get-out-of-doors experience, the story is even more complex. The Emperor of the title is the boy Emperor of China, and this leads to a nice Czech-filtered Oriental flavor to the art design. The shorts are a mixed bag. Story Of The Bass Cello (1949), from a Chekhov piece, and The Song Of The Prairie (1949), a spoof of Hollywood westerns, have humorous moments but felt too much like 1950s TV children shows. The Merry Circus (1951) is unique: the animation is done entirely with paper cutouts. The colors are very beautiful and reminded me of vintage carnival posters come to life. Then there's A Drop Too Much (1954), which is like the Citizen Kane of animation because of the virtuoso display of narrative technique. There is a stunning sequence of a drunk motorcyclist racing everything on the road during a rainy night. The last short, The Hand (1965), is best enjoyed as a Beckett-like short play, rather than a political allegory.

The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen (The Emperor's New Clothes / Nightingale)

Average customer rating:

The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen (The Emperor's New Clothes / Nightingale)
Starring: Heidi Stallings , Regis Philbin , Barnard Hughes , Peggy Cass , and Courtney B. Vance
Director: Michael Sporn
Manufacturer: First Run Features
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000OCXNPS
Release Date: 2007-06-19

Description

THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLOTHES An engaging adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale about a vain emperor whose foolishness is exposed to everyone by an innocent child. Starring the voice of Regis Philbin. Winner of an Honorable Mention, American Film & Video Festival. NIGHTINGALE Captivated by its sweet song, an emperor takes a nightingale into his palace as his companion. But when the emperor shows more interest in a bejeweled mechanical bird, the nightingale flees. It returns only when the lonely emperor sees how foolishly he has behaved. Winner of the Cine Golden Eagle Award.DVD Bonus Features:Making of Documentary • Art Gallery • Animatics • Commentary Tracks by Director Michael Sporn • Michael Sporn Biography. 50 minutes + bonus materials

Extreme Fairy Tales: The Emperor's Nightingale

Average customer rating:

Great Product for Animation and Boris Karloff fans

Extreme Fairy Tales: The Emperor's Nightingale
Starring: Extreme Fairy Tales
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
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Walt Disney Treasures - Disney Rarities - Celebrated Shorts, 1920s - 1960s

ASIN: B0000X61W8
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Customer Reviews:

Great Product for Animation and Boris Karloff fans.......2005-03-30

i wanted to tell everyone about this product since we are the people who produced it. I am using my wifes Amazon account to post this.

We have taken some of the greatest classic cartoons ever produced, from some of the greatest animators in history, and meticulously added hundreds of hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars of detailed restoration to both the sound and images in order to make them look as good as they did the day they were first released. Each cartoon is digitally processed first through photo shop frame by frame, and then using both the Davinci and the new Pogo systems to remove every scratch, line, dropout and artifact possible. We then we do a full color restoration at Technicolor using the original color palates to match the colors, tones and shades. We then digitally clean up the sound track to remove all the hiss and scratches and carefully add new foley sound effects, ambience and digitally remix them back onto the cartoons.

The result is our animated DVD series which is currently distributed in both the United States and Canada by Goodtimes Entertainment. These fully restored, full motion, color animations have not been seen in this condition since their original theatrical release. Sit back and be amazed and enjoy some of the finest and funniest animation ever made.

thats why were to only studio doing these that have the blessing and participation of Fleischer Studios and the only one to receive the prestigious Gold Medal from the Classic Animation Preservation Society.

I highly recomend this product to any lovers of classic animation.

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