Directed by:
Nikolaj ArcelCinematography:
Rasmus VidebækCast:
Alicia Vikander, Mads Mikkelsen, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Trine Dyrholm, David Dencik, Thomas W. Gabrielsson, Cyron Melville, Bent Mejding, Harriet Walter (more)Plots(1)
Denmark, 1766, and Caroline Mathilde is married to the mad and politically ineffectual King Christian VII. Ignored by the wild King who chooses to live scandalously, Caroline grows accustomed to a quiet existence in oppressed Copenhagen. When the King returns from a tour of Europe accompanied by Struensee, his new personal physician, Queen Caroline finds an unexpected ally within the kingdom. The attraction between the two is initially one of shared ideals and philosophy, but it soon turns into a passionate and clandestine affair. Committed to the ideals of the Enlightenment that are banned in Denmark, Struensee convinces the King to assert his previously untapped power to remove the conservative political council and implement drastic changes to Danish society. As the Court plot their return to power and the downfall of the Queen and Struensee, the consequences of their affair are made clear and the entire nation will be changed forever. (Madman Entertainment)
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Reviews (7)
A gauntlet thrown down to the American and British often extremely overdone aristocratic tea parties of yesteryear. Although there are about twenty or so shots that alternate the brooding twenty-second glances of the two main characters, fortunately it’s not that bad. Whether the nobility actually practiced such body language in the past is hard to say, but it is extremely negative for the viewer's attention. In A Royal Affair, the European directorial signature is apparent very early on. It's a lush, suitably flamboyant piece with costumes and sets, the pace of which is linearly escalating as the running time draws to a close. The last five minutes are pure directorial magic and the story of the false accusation of a member of the court takes a fantastic turn, almost to the point of tragedy of gigantic proportions. The history of Denmark isn't well known, but this film makes you want to devour it from A to Z. This is where Alicia Vikander's incredible talent was apparently discovered. It's not 100 percent there yet, like The Danish Girl or The Light Between Oceans, but the potential cannot be denied.
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Satisfaction in every way. Who would have thought that such a small European film from Danish history could please us so much? We know that our experience of the Enlightenment was not exactly a walk in the Garden of Eden, so why not feel more European thanks to our common roots? Virtually no European country has had anything to merit progress, so the social unrest of the last three centuries is just the result of honest disillusionment. And that's what this film is about. And as a bonus, of course, there's the sharply cut face of Mads Mikkelsen, who can play any role and it will always have a charge of forbidden delight. Plus, of course, the excellent sets, costumes, and drama.
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A very nice movie about a very interesting historical event. I would really love to know how today’s Danes look at this part of their history. The performances are flawless and overall it’s so perfectly tuned that I never got bored, in spite of it pretty long run – and I’m certainly not a fan of historical dramas. Who is crazy? The King or someone who sincerely believes the world was created in six days?
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I really like period movies, but what often happens to me is that they start to bore me after a while because of the way they tell their story. Despite that, A Royal Affair is the exact opposite of such movies, so I got to enjoy it fully for more than two hours. Even though the story is told with historical accuracy, there isn’t a single moment that I would find outright boring. Mads Mikkelsen once again puts in an absolutely perfect performance, the setting of Czech palaces and the Czech landscape is simply amazing, and Alicia Vikander and Folgaard put in absolutely perfect performances in their roles. It’s actually really hard to believe that the Danish mobility could be capable of such bad things. You see I didn’t know anything about Danish history until I saw this film, which is why this strong story really surprised me. This is one of the best movies from the area of the nobility that I have ever seen and it’s great that our country had a little part in making that movie as well. And what makes it even greater is that after the Danish production finished this movie, they decided to shoot the most expensive Danish period movie in our country again. I’m looking forward to that one.
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The film features a quality cast. Mads Mikkelsen has rightfully gained recognition among viewers worldwide. The direction is decent, albeit conservative, but the weakness of the film is the screenplay, which cannot avoid excessive melodrama and black-and-white characters, as well as the schematic and simplistic depiction of historical processes. It's a 3-and-a-half-star rating, but considering the subject matter and my connection to enlightenment, this time I lean toward a higher rating. Overall impression: 70%.
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