Rent A Royal Affair (2012)

A masterpiece set in late 18th-century Denmark, mixing political drama with romantic intrigue - A Royal Affair review by Philip in Paradiso

The story takes place in late 18th-century Denmark (the film is in Danish with subtitles). Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain (Alicia Vikander) marries Christian VII of Denmark (on the throne from 1766 to 1808). Christian is an eccentric and difficult character, who is widely considered to be mentally deranged. The situation is difficult for the British princess at Court, in Copenhagen, where the atmosphere is very conservative, stifling and fairly insular. The status-quo is called into question when a part-German doctor, Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen), is hired to be the King's personal physician. Struensee is a man of the Enlightenment. The idea is that he will be able to help the King cope better. Struensee and the King soon become very close. The story develops from there. It takes place from the late 1760s to the mid-1770s.

The film is remarkably good for 2 main reasons. First of all, the story is amazing and fascinating in its own right, and so are the key characters. What is even more striking is that the story is entirely true: the movie is historically accurate, from what I have read about the chain of events in Denmark at the time. Second, the film re-creates the events and the context in a truly remarkable way. It is not only that the acting of all the characters is excellent and the story rings true from start to finish. It is also that the film manages to re-create the atmosphere at Court in Copenhagen at the time so well, with the political and the personal factors overlapping in subtle ways. It is very rare for a period film to do this so successfully, more particularly when dealing with historical dramas set in Europe prior to c.1850.

Within the parameters of the genre, this is a truly memorable and superb film. If it were not a Scandinavian production in Danish with subtitles, it would be far better known. I would say it is one of the best movies I have seen in the past 10 years, and one of the best period films of this kind, ever.

Captivating - A Royal Affair review by AW

Beautifully made story and educated me as I had not studied this part of history. King Christian was well portrayed and his madness played out well. Heart wrenching story of the young queen pushed into marrying him and finding elicit love with the King's physician. Beautiful settings, well told story and captivated me throughout.

Bit frustrating with the continuous swapping of languages but do stuck with it, it's worth it.

Handsome period epic - A Royal Affair review by Alphaville

Apparently well-known in Denmark, this is the true story of an English princess who marries the mentally disturbed Danish king and has an affair with his doctor that changes the course of history. It’s the 18th century, the Age of Enlightenment, and they bond over the works of Rousseau. It can’t go well, can it? Although straightforward in the telling, restrained and with the standard plinky-plonk piano score, this is a well made, intelligent, handsomely mounted film with a screenplay that zips along nicely. As long as you expect no fireworks, it’s an unexpectedly immersive viewing experience.

The Enlightenment gets a cool reception in Denmark - A Royal Affair review by LR

Excellent film-making. The historical setting is beautifully recreated and the drama which unfolds is as gripping as a thriller. Denmark in the 18th century was still an old-fashioned monarchy. King Christian was psychologically disturbed and unfit to rule, but the system was not designed to cope with such cases. The result was a struggle between the aristocrats who wanted to exploit the king's weakness for their own purposes and some representatives of the Enlightenment who coax the king along the path of democracy and concern for his subjects. The acting is first class, creating truly believable characters, and the script is intelligently written to produce a wide variety of moods and scenarios - the pathos of the young queen, the drama of court scheming, the beginnings of an illicit romance, the optimism of Enlightenment ideas, etc. The film is in the same category as Ridicule (by Patrice Leconte?) which, by my standards, is very high praise indeed.

House of Denmark - A Royal Affair review by CH

These days Denmark keeps a quiet profile. Apart from a few grisly TV cop series and Mads Mikkelson we hear very little about the machinations of those Scandi flat lands. So this film fills in a few gaps between Macbeth and The Bridge. Like any Bluebloods there will be weak indifferent Kings, with madness thrown in for good measure. And the men that guide or befriend those Kings will find themselves in the rising deep waters of political tides.