A Royal Affair opens with a melancholy Princess Caroline Matilda of Great Britain narrating as she pens a letter to her unseen children. Flashing back in time, she is a young and beautiful teenager about to be shipped off to Denmark to marry her cousin, King Christian VII of Denmark, giggling and dreaming about what her new life will be like with a man who sounds like the ideal husband. It would seem that we are in very familiar costume-drama territory, and director Nikolaj Arcel's film makes sure to include all the factors that make the genre so appealing to some: the beautiful young bride; an unknown kingdom; handsome period costumes; a bastard child; and a love affair that is passionate but ultimately doomed. Yet a careful, character-driven approach ensures that A Royal Affair doesn't boil over into overwrought hysterics. What emerges is a tense tale of political intrigue and terrific performances, and a fascinating history lesson to boot.As the Princess, played by Alicia Vikander, arrives in Denmark, she immediately encounters her husband not as the gallant artist she expected, but as a nervous man-child, giggling to himself while hiding behind a tree. The King (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard) is a puppet on a throne, and quite clearly mentally deranged. He doesn't take much of a liking to his new Queen, and prefers to spend his free time getting drunk in the company of big-breasted prostitutes. Her optimism is quickly turned into bitterness, and is pleased when her husband decides to take a year off his duties to tour Europe. Shortly after his return, German Johann Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen), a skilled yet humble doctor, is recruited as the King's personal physician. He instantly forges a strong bond with the mad King, who is pleased to have a man of stature and intelligence by his side amidst his stern, old-fashioned council. Struensee's influence in court grows, but he finds himself caught up in a dangerous love affair with the Queen that could mean both of their heads should they be discovered.This being 18th century Denmark, the King is surrounded by a council of religious old men looking to keep the country firmly in the Dark Ages. Struensee is a believer in the Age of Enlightenment, a progressive philosophical movement spearheaded by the likes of Voltaire and Rousseau. The Queen also shares his liberal views, and their love story isn't so much about their own sexual impulses but a driven and united desire to illuminate their country. Realising just how great an influence he is on the King, the doctor quickly sets about abolishing oppressive laws such as capital punishment, the torturing of suspects, and censorship. This immediately puts him at odds with the ruling aristocracy, who view him as a foreigner destroying their fatherland, and they waste no time looking for a way to expel him from court. It's alarming just how familiar it all sounds with the general one-step forward, two-steps back nature of politics. The three leads are all strong, with Mikkelsen in particular convincing as the reserved man of Enlightenment. By avoiding dramatic melodrama, A Royal Affair succeeds as a simmering portrayal of social disintegration and an intimate, intellectual love story.

We had very recently seen Alicia Vikander in 'Testament of Youth', and I had also enjoyed her in 'Ex Machina', so I searched Netflix streaming and came upon this one which I had failed to see when it came out. I just want to first say that Vikander is super in her role.The story seems mostly fact-based on real Danish royalty in the late 1700s, starting about 1767. The Danish heir to the throne is a young man who needs a queen. As was common in those times, I suppose to help keep relations smooth between countries, his bride was chosen to be an English princess. She makes the journey to meet her King when she is only 15. Vikander plays the young Caroline Mathilde, a pretty and talented young girl. The actress is from Sweden, and also speaks proper English, but had to learn Danish for this role. At least learn the Danish required for her script. The young King is Mikkel Boe Følsgaard as Christian VII, seemingly of normal intelligence but also very unusual. He seems frivolous most of the time and is given to unprovoked outbursts when something makes him unhappy. And very insecure, when Caroline is being introduced to the royal family and court, and she is playing piano beautifully, the young King gets agitated and yells loudly for her to stop that noise and get her fat butt to a chair and sit down. He was fearful that she was going to be liked more than he and that displeased him.Hardly necessary to state the young King and his new Queen never were able to develop a loving relationship. She did her duty to invite him to her bedroom, he did his duty to sire a son, an heir to the throne, but during their time together they did not have much to do with each other. He preferred to be visiting brothels.The country was hardly ruled by the King, the old men on the council pretty much told him what to do, what to sign, and when to shut up. Then along comes Mads Mikkelsen as a German doctor, Johann Friedrich Struensee. The King was on a long tour of Europe and was convinced he needed a personal physician, and Struensee got the job. Back home in Denmark not only did the German begin to give the King ideas on new laws for Denmark, he also took a keen interest in the neglected Queen.All this drama plays out very well with a superb script and a super cast. A rebellion led by the King's mother ousted Struensee and banished the Queen who died at only 23 from smallpox. But the son of this bad relationship with the bad King ascended to the throne at a young age and ended up being a superb King for Denmark.Mostly in Danish with English subtitles.

This movie is a decent enough attempt to present a quite interesting time in Danish history, when with an unhinged King on the throne a 'Man of the Enlightenment' tried to force through his new ideas as Chief Minister on a very conservative, almost feudal, society in the latter part of the eighteenth century. Oh, and by the way, Struansee (Chief Minister played by Mads Mikkelsen) was conducting a lusty affair with the young Queen from England/Hanover. (Played by 2015's It Girl Alicia Vikander). Of course, it all ends in tears, and the conservative court triumphs and overturns all the progressive work done by the reformers. It is a good presentation of the romance, but the budget looks thin in places; the court itself is never fully portrayed; the so-called progressive ideas are barely illustrated; their impact on the people never demonstrated; Ms Vikander never convinces by looks or acting that she is a Princess and brother to the King of England; and it all feels far too modern and sloppy. The worst illustration is the King and Queen's first night together. He pushes himself upon her, which she rejects like a 2015 modern woman who says 'no' at the last minute. But then the king saunters over to the other side of the bedroom, orders her to bed and get undressed. Without a murmur, Ms Vikander gets into bed and strips off to become pregnant immediately! The script is dull and plodding, while the direction is absent without leave. Characterisation is minimal, except for the role of the King, but even here things are not clear enough. History is altered to favour the lovers, and the film is far less than it should be.

I am going to start by telling you that this is the first review I am publishing here, on IMDb, and I must say I am very lucky to have discovered, on this occasion, this Danish cinematographer who seems very promising and from whom us, the generation raised by Hollywood, have so much to learn. "En kongelig affaere" (which is Danish for "A royal affair" - this has also given me the privilege to notice how beautiful this language is, a fine combination between English and German) is truly invaluable for history buffs and not only. Its story presents us the 18th century Danish society, a society ruled by the Church's superstitions and by its and the nobles', as well as by all those close to king Christian the Seventh's abuses. Johan Struensee (played by the astounding Mads Mikkelsen.) is the royal family's doctor. As a cultivated character with a vanguard mentality, he never hesitates, when given the chance, to put into practice, with the help of the great influence he gradually acquires at court, ideas inspired by the likes of Rousseau and Voltaire, classical Enlightenment writers, contributing, by doing so, to Denmark's modernization and prosperity. He slowly becomes the king's adviser (who suffers of an extremely rare disease which consists in repeated nervous breakdowns and constantly getting into a state of madness), only to turn later on into the queen's lover. This film is going to leave you breathless and have you be delighted by every single minute you spend in front of the screen. Enjoy!