A Polish and French coproduction directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, laureate of the Platinum Lions for his lifetime achievements during the Film Festival in Gdynia in 2007. For many years Kawalerowicz was the Director of the KADR Film Studio and he was also the founder and the first president of the Polish Filmmakers Association.
The screenplay is based on the novel by Juliusz Dankowski under the same title
The film was shot in Poland, Bulgaria, France and on the territory of the former USSR.
The film shows the last years of Napoleon Bonaparte spent on Saint Helena.
The English governor Hudson Lowe arrives at Saint Helena where Napoleon Bonaparte was sent after having been defeated at Waterloo. Almost immediately a conflict starts between the supervisor and the dethroned monarch, which leads to a quiet war. Despite his situation Napoleon demands respect that an Emperor deserves and maintaining the standards he’s gotten used to. Through harassment and limitations Lowe tries to break the prisoner down and force him to accept his rule. When Bonaparte falls ill he refuses the governor’s help. His death is also Lowe’s personal failure.
