This is a major European film produced by Znetropa Entertainments and Lars Van Trier was apparently a consultant on the script which was co-written by Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg.
Based on a true story of the love affair between the Queen Caroline Mathilde of Denmark and Johan Freidrich Struensee, the physician to the King Christian VII, the film is set against the backdrop of the struggles and intrigues of the Danish Royal court. Struensee is a doctor to the poor who is inspired by the ideas of the European Enlightenment. When he is appointed in 1768 to accompany the King who is a manic depressive on a year long trip around Europe he becomes enmeshed in the lives of the King and Queen. Queen Caroline played by the beautiful Danish actress Alicia Vikander is appalled at being condemned to marriage to her mentally unstable husband. Raised in England she is dispatched in her teens to marry her cousin and produce an heir. When the King and Struensee return from their travels she falls madly in love with the handsome young doctor who is inspired with grand ideals and determined to use the influence he has gained over the King to bring reforms to Denmark.
The two lovers share a passion for both bringing a better life to the peasants and democratic reforms like freedom of speech. The doctor instigates a small Danish revolution just before the French revolution that is about to rock Europe. But he also incurs the wrath of the aristocracy who resent his power over the King and the increasing emancipation of the peasantry. In the end the two lovers are crucified by their own freedom of speech as the open scandal of their affair rocks the court and brings about the doctor's downfall.
Arcel draws great performances from a fine cast led by Mads Mikkelsen's doctor who is still intimate and emotional despite playing a historical character in a costume drama. Speaking at the press conference Mikkelsen said that costume dramas rarely evoked any emotions for him, but when he read the script for the film he felt really moved.
In a cast of such fine performances it is difficult to choose one above others but Mikkel Boe Foelsgaard's King Christian VII stands out as he manages to develop the character to eventually win our sympathy and keeps us wondering how much he is playing at madness and how much he really understands of his situation.
The film is a coproduction with the Czech Sirena Film (www.sirenafilm.com) and the majority of the film was shot over 40 days of live locations in the Czech Republic with only about a quarter of the time spent in the studio. The production shot at more than 20 locations across the Czech Republic including castles in Kromeriz, Ploskovice, Cesky Krumlov, Kacina, Doksany and Ledec nad Sazavou as well as locations in Prague.
The Danish producer said that as Denmark is a small country they needed to go abroad to film and that the Czech Republic had better 17th century locations than at home in Denmark. Over 100 Czech crew and dozens of Czech suppliers were used.
The 5m EUR production spent approximately 2.7m EUR of its budget in the Czech Republic and benefited from the new Czech tax incentives with support of 550 000 EUR as well as coproduction support of 165 000 EURO of Czech minority coproduction support.
Director: Nikolaj Arcel
Cast: Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia
Vikander, Trine Dyrholm, David Dencik, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard
