Filipe Neto Based on true events, this film depicts the life and marriage of the Danish King Christian VII with the British princess Carolina Matilde, and her love affair with the court physician Dr. Struensee. Directed by Nikolaj Arcel, this European film, Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, has a screenplay by Rasmus Heisterberg and Nikolaj Arcel. The cast is headed by Alicia Vikander, Mads Mikkelsen and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard.Royal weddings have always been source of controversy throughout history, mixing romance with politics or, most often, completely excluding love and giving rise to numerous extramarital affairs with the children that resulted from them. This is one of those cases, fueled by the youth of a dreamy Queen and the revulsion that she developed by her husband, a mad king endowed with an obscene and repulsive behavior. The actors fulfilled their roles well, but Alicia Vikander stood out throughout the film, managing to impress the audience with the dreams and illusions of her character, in a route towards a tragic destiny. Mikkel Boe Følsgaard also shone in the king's role, showing us, thanks to a superb interpretation, not only a mad king but a very sick and troubled man, torn between his uncontrollable appetites and his duties as absolute monarch, innocent as he cannot control himself. Mads Mikkelsen also did an excellent job, but was less convincing in his role. His Struensee seems more interested in changing the country's laws than to live a romance with the Queen. The way the actor thought his character suffers from lack of passion and romance in the way he counter-acts with Vikander. It seems that Struensee also sleeps with the Queen for convenience, not for having in love with her.The scenarios are excellent and can perfectly acclimatize history in the country and the palace. The use of computerized effects to show, early in the film, the arrival of the Princess's ship to the Danish harbor, is the scene that mostly disengages from the rest of the film. It simply odds with everything else and it would be preferable to represent this moment in another way. The soundtrack complied well with its role, and the sad melodies that fill the film are truly remarkable.

paul2001sw-1 In the late eighteenth century Denmark, a radical German doctor soothed the mad King, seduced the Queen and governed the country as an enlightened liberal. Understadnably, it didn't last, and Nikolaj Arcel's film tells the story of his extraordinary rise and fall. It's a compelling story, a historical 'Borgen' and the tragedy of a man who ends up assuming an unsustainable position almost by accident; as a film, it's well-acted but also slow, drawing out a tale that can only ever move in one direction. A touch of sympathy for the old guard might have added some depth. It's interesting to think that the British king of the same period also had his own issues with mental health, another story that has been filmed: the politics here is stronger than in Alan Bennet's 'The Madness of King George', but it's not as much fun.

mannin11 Nominated for best foreign movie Oscar, this Danish film revolves around the eighteenth century love story between Queen Caroline Mathilde, married to the mad King Christian VII of Denmark, and the court's German doctor Johann Struensee, father to the queen's second child Princess Louise Auguste. Mads Mikkelseen, as the doctor, gives a likable and assured performance as the tragic character who attempted to introduce reforms into the Danish constitution that would have bettered the health and prosperity of the masses and weakened the powers of the aristocracy. Mikkel Folsgaard, as the mad Christian VII, gives a scene stealing performance as the hapless individual unable to control his impulses. His performance is both frightening in its irrationality, yet sympathetic in its vulnerability.Which brings us to Swedish actress Alicia Vikander as the central character of Caroline Mathilde, given in marriage to a man she had never met. Hard to say where the fault lies for the inadequacies of her performance -- her lack of experience as an actress or with the director, who should have exerted a much firmer hand. From start to finish Vikander plays her role as though headed down the inevitable path towards doom. If a character is to appear more sympathetic to audiences, then she should begin with a sunny disposition that would instantly have the audience on her side. From start to finish Vikander plays the role like a glum, combative shrew, a totally miscalculated interpretation that offers no shading of any kind. Any royal wife of this time who both verbally and physically assaulted her husband, mad or not, would instantly run the risk of divorce, imprisonment or execution. England's Henry VIII set the bloody example for the manner in which royal wives could expect to be treated if they failed to toe the line. That Caroline Mathilde would have been stupid enough to ignore the perils of such behavior would be foolhardy in the extreme. So who is to blame for this interpretation, the actress or the writer/director Nikolaj Arcel? The story itself is both fascinating and eminently watchable -- aided to no small extent by Mikkel Folsgaard's showy performance as the mad king and Mads Mikkelsen as the new-thought foreigner struggling to update a backward country, confronted by an intransigent government dedicated to preserving the past. The direction is fine, the film's look is fine -- if not quite up to the extremely high standard set by similar French period pictures -- which are very hard to match. Alas, alas, while Vikander may very well have some fine performances to give in the future, this one fails to ignite due to the lack of vivacity, charm or sympathy elicited by her character. Her scenes with Mikkelsen, which should have revealed a side of her that would have evoked audience sympathy, are as flat and charmless as all that have gone before. This is simply a one-note performance. How could the director not have seen this? Would I recommend this movie? Absolutely! There is a lot of hard working talent in evidence and the story itself is enthralling. But you know where the weaknesses lie...

runamokprods Subject triumphs over style in this slightly stuffy, slightly staid, arguably overlong, but often fascinating and occasionally moving history lesson. It's Denmark at the time of the Enlightenment. The young King Christian is borderline insane -- although, in the most complex performance with the most complex character in the film, Mikkel Folsgaard shows us many sides to this tormented soul. But the film focuses on the more straightforward young Queen shipped in from England, miserable in her loveless marriage to this sad clown of a king, and a very well intentioned German doctor and free-thinker, who feeds the Queen's intellect, and ultimately her body, while calming and befriending the young King, and working with him to bring in new laws that took Denmark out of the dark ages. All this doesn't go over very well with the sitting court, who are loathe to give any power or economic freedom to the people, and so scheme to fight back. Other than the King, the characters tend to black and white portrayals, but the actual steps of this true (if somewhat romanticized) slice of history make for a quite engrossing film.