A Royal Affair (En kongelig affære) was an extremely well made 18th century period drama. The romantic love triangle between the Queen of Denmark, the insane King and his German doctor is portrayed well by the actors and it had me gripped the whole way.-
-Time for a film
Starring Mads Mikkelsen (best known to me from Casino Royale) and newcomers Mikkel Boe Følsgaard as King Christian VII and Alicia Vikander as the queen, the acting in this was almost it’s selling point, as each brought their own unique traits to the movie. Følsgaard in particular convinced me brilliantly that the King was in need of help yet it wasn’t over the top. The acting of Vikander was great too and really set the tone for the movie, a queen trapped in a relationship and life she did not want a part of.
Set in the 1700′s of Denmark, the costumes and location matched perfectly and it felt like nothing was out of place. When the King becomes too much to handle a well respected physician is hired to look after him and try to control his flaring tempers. The young queen quickly becomes in love with him and a relationship blossoms. From here it becomes a movie of lies, deception, politics and a problem that does not look like being resolved any time soon.
While the love triangle is the main plot in the movie, there are several sub plots which make for great viewing. The struggle to make a difference to the nation and change the numerous laws that have been passed over the years is key, as physician and queen try to make Denmark a better place.
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The 137 minute runtime went by pretty quickly for mine, with the visual aspects appealing as well as a solid soundtrack accompanying it. But the best part is definitely it’s superb plot and acting by the three main cast members, who take us back in time to 1766 convincingly.
Directed by Nikolaj Arcel (co-writer of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), A Royal Affair was a movie I really liked. It wasn’t quite a masterpiece but for a movie that’s not my typical genre, I thoruoughly enjoyed it and I’m sure most will too. B+
