"A Royal Affair" is about exactly what its title tells us. Caroline is an English princess who was married off to the King of Denmark, in fulfillment of her childhood dreams. They meet for the first time when she went to Denmark, but she was distressed to discover that her husband Christian is not of completely sound mind.
After her first child was born, and wallowing in constant loneliness, Caroline begins the titular royal affair with Struensee, the court physician, who was also Christian's best friend and adviser. Caroline and Struensee not only share romantic love, but also a passion for political reform. Struensee uses his very influential position to institute radically progressive policies which eventually revolutionizes Denmark society.
Needless to say, this is the first time I have ever seen anything about Danish history, so I was enraptured -- not really about the affair, but more about the interesting stories of political machinations and social reformation told in this very fine film. The lavish costumes, elaborate set design and moody music were all perfectly attuned to the period depicted. The cinematography was very dramatic and well-polished.
The acting was top-notch from all three angles of the troika. Young Swedish actress Alicia Vikander was very classy and believable as Caroline. She reminded me of Emily Blunt's performance in "Young Victoria" the previous year. Famous Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen plays Dr. Johann Struensee with subtle passion. He does look a lot older than Caroline so the romantic chemistry seemed somehow strained, especially at the beginning. It does grow on you later though, as the more political aspect of their affair gains more screen time. As the cuckolded king Christian VII, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard delivers a finely nuanced performance as he struggled to balance his madness with some semblance of sanity.
I highly recommend this film for all film fans who love historical films. This is a rare look into a renaissance of sorts in Danish political history borne out of personal liaisons among the key characters in the reform movement. The story-telling style of director Nikolaj Arcel is tight and engaging. It will keep you interested up to the end, especially with the inspired performances of all his actors.
This seems to be an interesting story and would also be an educational one about Danish traditions and history.
ReplyDeleteI want to see how it is similar to "The Kind and I". Must be a good movie to see.
ReplyDelete(This is Denmark's submission to the Academy for best foreign language picture.)
ReplyDeleteThe great Dane was Niels Bohr!
The film ends in tears. The politics during this period are fascinating .
This is interesting film and I highly recommend it.
i am no really familiar with Danish history but I think this film will be a good introduction. I hope the cinematography is perfect. i have to see it though.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the lovely review! I will check out a DVD copy soon. The long holidays mean we have some time for some movie nights by the fireplace
ReplyDeletethe movie looks interesting but I guess I've seen a lot of affair movies to last me a lifetime so I'm going to skip on this one. hehe Awesome review though! :)
ReplyDeleteOh I love period films. Im not really familiar with Dutch history but is this film lifted from a real story or is it like "Les Miserables" which is also a period film but not really based from a true story?
ReplyDeletedimaks I'd say that this is as far from "The King and I" as it can get! :) But it is a very good movie.
ReplyDeleteHi Ia. This is Danish though, not Dutch. My Danish friend says this is a true event in Danish history, though since she hasn't seen the film she could not comment yet how accurate when compared with the history books.
ReplyDeleteSince I am not a big fan of historical movies, I am not sure if I will watch this. But, I think my friends would love to see this movie since it will be their first time to see such Danish historical movie :)
ReplyDeleteRochelle