A Royal Affair (En Kongelig Affære) 2012

Set in the 18th century Danish court, the right royal affair in question is the illicit romance between the Danish King’s English-born Queen Caroline Mathilde and German-born royal physician Johann Struensee. Alicia Vikander and Mads Mikkelsen are on top repressed form as the lovers, but acting honours go to Mikkel Boe Følsgaard as King Christian VII. His multi-layered portrayal of a monarch suffering mental instability is superb, recalling Nigel Hawthorne in The Madness of King George. But unlike that film, A Royal Affair lacks the warmth and humour that might have otherwise sustained its lengthy telling. While Rasmus Videbæk’s cinematography is suitably ravishing, this is a tale of repression and aristocratic hypocrisy that would gain vastly from judicial editing. 

Nonetheless, this remains an intelligent drama based on incredible but true events. With sumptuous costumes, splendid sets and superb acting, the film may lack the engagement of Elizabeth or the cinematic verve of  Barry Lyndon, but it remains a fascinating slice of history, told with conviction, earnest dedication, dollops of delicious Danish courtly intrigue, broad class politics, skulduggery, sexual shenanigans, and King-sized insanity. It’s a plot worthy of Shakespeare’s Dane, but (and it’s a big but) that bum-numbing 128-minute runtime and a strange detachment throughout prevent this affair gaining a place amongst the greats of modern European costume drama. Hide