En kongelig affære
English title: Royal Affair (A)
Genre: period drama
With: Alicia Vikander (Caroline Mathilde), Mikkel Boe
Følsgaard (Christian VII), Mads Mikkelsen (Johann Friedrich Struensee), Trine
Dyrholm (Juliane Marie), David Dencik (Ove Høegh-Guldberg), Thomas W.
Gabrielsson (Rantzau), Cyron Melville (Brandt), Bent Mejding (Bernstoff), Laura
Bro (Louise von Plessen)
Director: Nikolaj Arcel
Screenplay: Rasmus Heisterberg and Nikolaj Arcel (based
on the novel by Bodil Steensen-Leth)
Release: 2012
Studio: Zentropa Entertainments, Danmarks Radio,
Trollhättan Film AB et al.
Rating: R
MBiS score: 8.6/10
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Story-line: Continental Europe, in the latter part of the
18th century. While aristocrats and intellectuals clash over matters
of government and freedom for the common man, Caroline Mathilde tries to cope
with her fate as a deposed queen and a banished mother. She had never expected that
her marriage to King Christian of Denmark would turn out this way.
Pluses: very strong performances by Alicia Vikander,
Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Mads Mikkelsen and a great supporting cast, steady
direction, a riveting screenplay that stands out for its multidimensional
characters, fiendish subplots and exquisite romantic scenes, a superb,
understated classical score, sumptuous cinematography and highly aesthetic
production values.
Minuses: the first ten minutes of A ROYAL AFFAIR may
feel disappointing but let me reassure you: there’s lots of heavy drama coming
your way.
Comments: Nikolaj Arcel’s magnificent film is rich in political manoeuvering and boasts a marvellous collection of characters either charismatic or despicable. The most prominent of them, of course, is Caroline Mathilde, a worthy, cultured, freethinking heroine who is forced into a thankless role as trophy wife and child-bearer. All things considered, royal families shouldn’t be envied: their opulent lives, as depicted here and in LA PRINCESSE DE CLÈVES, aren’t much better than those of their subjects.
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