> REVIEW
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A Royal Affair (2012)
The Nordic revolution goes period…
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By Matt Arnoldi | June 2012
DIRECTOR: Nikolaj Arcel
WRITER(s): Nikolaj Arcel / Rasmus Heisterberg / Bodil Steensen-Leth (source)
England1766, fifteen-year-old Princess, Caroline Mathilde (Alicia Vikander), is being prepared by her mother for a long journey to Denmark to meet her betrothed, King Christian VII (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard). Initially, the charming Princess believes her intended to be the stuff of fairytales but soon after their wedding, the newly anointed Queen of Denmark realises her husband is a mentally unstable, arrogant fop bereft of manners and morals.
Into the equation comes Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen), a young radical doctor of urban descent, who impresses the King with his knowledge of literary quotations and soon assumes the role of royal physician. While encouraging his esteemed patient to be less defensive and more confident in his own abilities, the lonely Queen also begins to take a shine to the strapping doc and it’s not long before the pair take a horse ride together and a secret romance is born.
With echoes of The Madness of King George and Amadeus, writer-director Nikolaj Arcel has assembled a fascinating costume drama that shows there’s much more to the recent Nordic revolution than just crime fiction and a certain tattooed bad-ass. Arcel’s exploration of the compelling true story of a doctor finding favour with both King and Queen, while slowly seizing power and attempting to further a doctrine of social and political reform is tailor-made for cinematic translation.
The director’s somewhat controversial decision not to portray history in its widest context allows him the chance to fully concentrate on the central characters, focussing on their wishes, desires and decision-making which ultimately affects and changes a nation. And it’s with this intense, gripping game of power that Arcel shows not how power corrupts but more how power stokes jealousy in those that are without it.
If there’s a criticism to be levelled against Arcel’s stylish deception of royal affairs, it’s the fact that we’re only afforded scant views of how the social reforms impact the populace at large and don’t get enough of an impression of whether Struensee, in his later role of legislative Chancellor, was appreciated by those at the lower end of the scale.
The film deservedly won the Best Actor award at Berlin for Følsgaard’s depiction of the Danish King and his well rounded and complex performance is a highlight. Equally impressive are the performances of Mikkelsen as the Doctor and Vikander as the young Queen.
Script…………………………………………………………………………………………….
Arcel and co-writer Rasmus Heisterberg smartly opt for character over context
in their award winning historical adaptation of the classic Danish tale, resulting in
a riveting script of lust power and politics. 4
Direction………………………………………………………………………………………..
Arcel goes for a fly-on-the-wall approach in the Danish Royal Court delicately
observing the nuances of conspiratorial intrigue. 4
Verdict…………………………………………………………………………………………..
A stylish film that resonates well into the final credits in its capture of etiquette
politics and illicit romance. 4
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