LoginI already saw this movie but, for some reason, I was quite eager to check it out again. In fact, the main reason to watch this movie is because it was with this movie that Alicia Vikander got her international breakthrough. On top of that, since this movie had a really good reputation, my expectations were actually pretty high. Well, eventually, I thought it was pretty good but, somehow, I wasn’t completely sold though. I mean, it was probably one of the most ambitious Danish productions I have seen so far and it looked really neat and convincing but, I don’t know, even though the story was quite compelling, it was missing something or maybe, in the contrary, it was maybe too much. Indeed, the movie was not only about the love affair between the queen of Denmark with the king’s own doctor but also about the fact that both of them, the queen and the doctor, influenced the king to make some big reforms in Denmark. Well, while this mix might sound appealing, I don’t think it completely worked though. Indeed, when they were together, they seemed to be always more infatuated with their ideas then with each other and you might wonder, if they had focused only on what seemed to really matter for them (to bring some major changes Denmark), they might have achieved more without all this drama. As a result, I was also never really convinced by this love story. Still, there is no doubt that Alicia Vikander was terribly charismatic in this star-making performance and she is still one of the most interesting actresses at work nowadays. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn’t completely blow me away, it was still a pretty good period drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Danish movies.
A Royal Affair Reviews
A good movie
Posted : 7 years, 9 months ago on 5 August 2016 07:18
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One of the top historical dramas in recent memory.
Posted : 11 years, 10 months ago on 2 July 2012 11:36
First of all, historical dramas in a nutshell are that they are produced and filmed in almost exactly the same way in terms of sets, filming, script and sometimes the types of characters yet all result in new meaningful messages for the viewers. Although there are few exceptions, Hollywood are struggling with films of this kind and Danish, Swedish and Czech drama A Royal Affair hits the screen and in a huge way. Considering that this film involves quite a few genres from drama to romance to thriller and surprisingly moments of humorous comedy, A Royal Affair fits almost perfectly and is one of the strongest historical dramas in recent memory.
Films similar to A Royal Affair are more or less history lessons for the audience on the screen by stating the facts and helping us gain a clearer understand about life centuries before the modern era. Director Nikolaj Arcel is best known as co-screenwriter of 2009 Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo but now makes a film that is marvellously put together. He perfectly expresses what royalty is like and, therefore, teaches the audience the ups and downs of living that life. Furthermore, Arcel includes that eerie tone to the film with medieval-like settings and the dark sceneries. Thus, unlike most historical dramas nowadays, A Royal Affair is a more gloomy and dismal looking film which added that more realistic atmosphere to it.
Considering that A Royal Affair involves a king and his physician, it is hard to determine who the leading character is of the two. Former James Bond villain Mads Mikkelsen portrayed physician Dr. Johann Straunsee, who is the main focus of the film. He gives a very mixed performance. There was, of course, a very emotional connection between Straunsee and Queen Caroline of Denmark and the audience understood what they were going through, but Mikkelsen was not entirely as engaging to watch as an individual character. The same can be said for actress Alicia Vikander and her role as Queen Caroline. She terrifically defines a teenaged queen – naïve and incredibly attractive.
Furthermore, the hats must go off to Mikkel Følsgaard as the mentally unstable King Christian VII. It is not very often that we witness an actor portray a dangerously disturbed madman so exquisitely. Følsgaard added that essence of evil and insanity to the screen at an almost equal level to Heath Ledger as the Joker. However at the same time, Følsgaard provided us with a very humane, naturalistic touch to King Christian. Therefore, his role is worthy of an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Overall, A Royal Affair is another powerful historical drama that despite its slightly delayed pace and predictability, it is at that superior level of earning Academy Award nominations. The film as a whole has similar concepts to Fred Zinnemann’s 1966 hit A Man For All Seasons that involves a lot of psychology, drama and crime within the highest social class. Therefore, A Royal Affair expresses that members of a royal family and their colleagues are all still human beings and that historical dramas really work better in world cinema rather than Hollywood.
Films similar to A Royal Affair are more or less history lessons for the audience on the screen by stating the facts and helping us gain a clearer understand about life centuries before the modern era. Director Nikolaj Arcel is best known as co-screenwriter of 2009 Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo but now makes a film that is marvellously put together. He perfectly expresses what royalty is like and, therefore, teaches the audience the ups and downs of living that life. Furthermore, Arcel includes that eerie tone to the film with medieval-like settings and the dark sceneries. Thus, unlike most historical dramas nowadays, A Royal Affair is a more gloomy and dismal looking film which added that more realistic atmosphere to it.
Considering that A Royal Affair involves a king and his physician, it is hard to determine who the leading character is of the two. Former James Bond villain Mads Mikkelsen portrayed physician Dr. Johann Straunsee, who is the main focus of the film. He gives a very mixed performance. There was, of course, a very emotional connection between Straunsee and Queen Caroline of Denmark and the audience understood what they were going through, but Mikkelsen was not entirely as engaging to watch as an individual character. The same can be said for actress Alicia Vikander and her role as Queen Caroline. She terrifically defines a teenaged queen – naïve and incredibly attractive.
Furthermore, the hats must go off to Mikkel Følsgaard as the mentally unstable King Christian VII. It is not very often that we witness an actor portray a dangerously disturbed madman so exquisitely. Følsgaard added that essence of evil and insanity to the screen at an almost equal level to Heath Ledger as the Joker. However at the same time, Følsgaard provided us with a very humane, naturalistic touch to King Christian. Therefore, his role is worthy of an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Overall, A Royal Affair is another powerful historical drama that despite its slightly delayed pace and predictability, it is at that superior level of earning Academy Award nominations. The film as a whole has similar concepts to Fred Zinnemann’s 1966 hit A Man For All Seasons that involves a lot of psychology, drama and crime within the highest social class. Therefore, A Royal Affair expresses that members of a royal family and their colleagues are all still human beings and that historical dramas really work better in world cinema rather than Hollywood.
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