FILM OF THE WEEK
INTERVIEW | review: N - Io e Napoleone (N - Napoleon and Me) |
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| Written by Boyd van Hoeij | |
| Sunday, 12 November 2006 | |
 Italian director Paolo Virzì trades in his sharp social commentary of his intimate drama Caterina va in città (Caterina in the Big City) for its virtual antithesis: N - Io e Napoleone (N - Napoleon and Me), a big budget adaptation of a popular historical novel with two major stars in Monica Bellucci (as a Baroness) and Daniel Auteuil (as Napoleon), and a lot of low-key comedy and farcical elements that do not always mix well with its more serious political overtones. This mixed bag could have a short run in European arthouses before hitting DVD, also because it benefits from impeccable -- if perhaps a touch too glamourous -- production values and the revelation of Elio Germano in the pivotal role of Napoleon's secretary, who secretly dreams of assassinating his employer (his character is the "me" of the title). The film opens with such a dream (or is it a nightmare?) and then introduces us to the future secretary of Napoleon called Martino Papucci (Germano), his older merchant brother Ferrante (Valerio Mastandrea, Il caimano / The Caiman) and their hysteric spinster sister Diamantina (Sabrina Impacciatore, from Manuale d'amore / The Handbook of Love). The situation is quickly established: their parents have died and Martino and Ferrante try to keep their merchant business on the small island of Elba afloat, though the studious Martino -- who harbours an ever-fermenting hatred for the litle big man who squashed the ideals of the French Revolution he so much admires -- would prefer to become a writer. When, in 1814, Napoleon (Auteuil) is exiled to Elba (between Tuscany and Napoleon's island of birth Corsica, which was then Italian), he is hailed by its inhabitants as Emperor of the Island, though in reality he was kept in check by the omnipresent officers of the British navy. As he develops his grandiose plans for the island, Napoleon asks for a private secretary to jot down all his ideas and maxims, a position that is quickly given to Martino on account of his bookishness. Happy to finally be able realise his dream, Martino will find out that Napoleon in real life is a lot better protected and charming than he might at first have realised. The film is based on the popular novel simply called "N" by Ernest Ferraro and has been adapted by Francesco Bruni (cowriter on Caterina va in città), Furio and Giacomo Scarpelli (most famous for their Oscar-nominated work on Il postino) and the director. The work of eight hands might account for some of the extreme mood swings in the material, from burlesque comedy and farce to more sombre political considerations and outright emotionally wrenching scenes (one involves an unexpected execution that really packs a gut-punch). Most of the comedy involves Impacciatore's spinster Diamantina, who is chased after by a local soldier who wants to marry her, and there is a perfectly choreographed scene with faultless comic timing that is as hilarious as the best of Goldoni's work: it involves Bellucci's 40-year-old Baroness Emilia -- who has dumped Martino as her lover before he could dump her because of old age -- returning to Martino's family home for one last time of lovemaking, when the couple is rudely disturbed by Diamantina, the mistress of the house, with the potential suitor in her wake. A lot of unexpected things are said, allegiances switch in the blink of an eye and the audience has barely time to breathe during the rapid-fire exchanges of the quartet of characters. Equally impressive are some of the quieter scenes involving Auteuil's emperor (every bit as dignified as Helen Mirren's turn in The Queen) and his reflections on his station in life, at one point referring to himself as "the shell of a king". His scenes hint at a more complex portrayal of the Emperor that never gets enough space to properly develop and whose singular force is diminished by the film's emphasis on the farcical antics of the Papucci household. What holds the entire enterprise together -- a lot better than it should -- is Elio Germano's Martino, whose character acts as the bridge between two stories that are vastly different in tone and style. Looking like Corto Maltese with his period cap and three-day stubble and suggesting the unique combination of brashness and intellectual valour that few young actors can bring to the screen (France's Romain Duris comes to mind), Elio Germano shows himself equally apt at comedy and drama here, navigating seamlessly from one scene to the next, as if indeed they were part of the same story. His previous work (including bit parts in Melissa P. and Romanzo Criminale) does in no way prepare the viewer for what Germano puts on display here in terms of versatility and sheer screen presence, easily holding his own against bona fide film stars Bellucci and Auteuil. It is thanks to his performance that the film's two different story strands hold together as well as they do, making N - Io et Napoleone an uneven but worthwhile film rather than a confusing mix of genres. This film was screened as part of the 2006 Villerupt Italian Film Festival. Browse for DVDs, soundtracks, books and more: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.fr, amazon.de, dvdGO.es, nl.bol.com, allposters.com. |
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