''A Royal Affair'' () is a 2012

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Nikolaj Arcel Nikolaj Arcel (born 25 August 1972) is a Danish filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for his 2012 film ''A Royal Affair'', which won two prizes at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival and which ...

, starring

Mads Mikkelsen Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen (; born 22 November 1965) is a Danish actor. He rose to fame in Denmark as an actor for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the Pusher (film series), ''Pusher'' film trilogy (1996, 2004), Detective Sergea ...

Alicia Vikander Alicia Amanda Vikander (; ; born 3 October 1988) is a Swedish actress. List of awards and nominations received by Alicia Vikander, Her accolades include an Academy Award and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and three British Academy Film ...

and Mikkel Følsgaard. The story is set in the 18th century, at the court of the mentally ill King

Christian VII of Denmark Christian VII (29 January 1749 – 13 March 1808) was King of Denmark–Norway, Denmark and Norway and Duke of Duchy of Schleswig, Schleswig and Duchy of Holstein, Holstein from 1766 until his death in 1808. He was affected by mental illness and ...

, and focuses on the romance between his wife,

Caroline Matilda of Great Britain Caroline Matilda of Great Britain (; 1751 – 10 May 1775) was Queen of Denmark and Norway from 1766 to 1772 by marriage to King Christian VII. The youngest and posthumous daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Go ...

, and the royal physician

Johann Friedrich Struensee Count, Lensgreve Johann Friedrich Struensee (5 August 1737 – 28 April 1772) was a German-Danish physician, philosopher and statesman. He became royal physician to the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark and a minister in the Danish gov ...

. The film received two Silver Bears at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, and was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

at the

85th Academy Awards The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:30 p ...

. It was also nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 70th Golden Globe Awards.

Plot

Princess

is shown writing a letter to her children in which she professes to tell them the truth. In flashback, Caroline talks of England, as she was about to leave to marry

. She is passionate about the arts and education, but when she arrives in Denmark she is told that many of her books are banned by the state. Christian is mentally ill and Caroline is unhappy in the marriage. She is soon pregnant with a son (

Frederick VI of Denmark Frederick VI ( Danish and ; 28 January 1768 – 3 December 1839) was King of Denmark from 13 March 1808 until his death in 1839 and King of Norway from 13 March 1808 to 7 February 1814. He was the last king of Denmark–Norway. From 1784 until h ...

), but the couple grow far apart and the king stops visiting her bedroom. The German doctor

is recruited to work as the king's personal physician. Struensee is a man of the

Enlightenment Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to: Age of Enlightenment * Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...

, greatly influenced by the writings of

Jean-Jacques Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Republic of Geneva, Genevan philosopher (''philosophes, philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment through ...

. He keeps this secret from the state, who welcome him because his father is a well-known priest. King Christian takes a strong liking to Struensee and he becomes a close friend and confidant. When Struensee manages to inoculate Prince Frederick against a

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

epidemic, he becomes greatly respected in the court. Christian has very little influence in the Privy Council, and the laws of the country are mostly decided by statesmen, but Struensee tells the king that he can have more power by "acting". The doctor begins writing speeches for the king which advocate his own progressive views, and several

reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

s are passed in Denmark. Caroline and Struensee learn of their mutual interests and liberal views. They fall in love and begin an affair. When Caroline becomes pregnant, they protect themselves by convincing Christian to resume sleeping with her. As a result, Princess Louise Auguste is believed to be the king's daughter. Meanwhile, Struensee is appointed a Royal Adviser and eventually persuades Christian to assign him the right to pass any law, making him Denmark's de facto leader. His reforms include the abolition of censorship, the abolition of torture, and reducing the power of the aristocracy. The

queen dowager A queen dowager or dowager queen (compare: princess dowager or dowager princess) is a title or status generally held by the widow of a king. In the case of the widow of an emperor, the title of empress dowager is used. Its full meaning is cle ...

Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel Juliana Maria of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel-Bevern (Danish: ''Juliane Marie''; 4 September 1729 – 10 October 1796) was List of Danish royal consorts, Queen of Denmark and List of Norwegian royal consorts, Norway from 1752 to 1766 as the second con ...

, notices the romance between Caroline and Struensee and their affair is revealed. Christian is initially angry, but he forgives his friend and states that they must carry on as if nothing had changed. Juliana and the prominent statesman Ove Høegh-Guldberg are strongly against Struensee's reforms, while the Danish people also grow unhappy when it becomes clear an immoral foreigner has power over the country. Høegh-Guldberg incites a coup against him. Christian refuses to hand Struensee over to the people, but Høegh-Guldberg lies that the doctor and Caroline are planning to murder him and take control of Denmark. Christian thus allows Caroline to be arrested and taken to live in exile, while Struensee is sentenced to death. Christian issues a pardon, not wanting his friend to die, but Høegh-Guldberg keeps this from becoming known in time and Struensee is beheaded. Høegh-Guldberg becomes Denmark's new de facto leader, and many of Struensee's reforms are overturned. The film returns to Caroline writing the letter, where she reveals that she is dying of an illness. Ten years later, Prince Frederick and Princess Louise Auguste read the letter. On-screen text reveals that Frederick soon became king via a coup d'état and returned to the reforming ways of Struensee.

Cast

* Mikkel Følsgaard as

David Dencik Karl David Sebastian Dencik (; born 31 October 1974) is a Swedish-Danish actor. He has acted in both Swedish and Danish films, his break-through in Sweden being his role in the mini-series '' Lasermannen'' and has then had major roles in English- ...

as Ove Høegh-Guldberg *

Søren Malling Søren Dyrberg Malling (; born 3 February 1964) is a Danish actor. Career Raised in Kjellerup, Malling trained at Skuespillerskolen at Odense Teater in 1992. He is best known for his role as Inspector Jan Meyer in the Danish TV crime thriller ...

as Hartmann *

Trine Dyrholm Trine Dyrholm (; born 15 April 1972) is a Danish actress, singer and songwriter. Dyrholm received national recognition when she placed third in the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix as a 14-year-old singer. Four years later, she again achieved national r ...

* William Jøhnk Nielsen as Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark * Cyron Bjørn Melville as Enevold Brandt * Rosalinde Mynster as Natasha * Laura Bro as Louise von Plessen *

Bent Mejding Bent Mejding (14 January 1937 – 12 November 2024) was a Danish actor, stage director, and theatre manager. He won a Danish Film Academy Award in 1985 and 2007. He was married to actress Susse Wold. Life and career Mejding had his debut at ...

as Count Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff * Thomas W. Gabrielsson as

Schack Carl Rantzau Schack Carl, '' rigsgreve'' (von) Rantzau or Carl Schack Rantzau-Ascheberg (11 March 1717, Ascheberg estate, Holstein – 21 January 1789, Menerbes, France) was a Holstein-born Danish-Norwegian officer and statesman. He was the commander-in-ch ...

Søren Spanning Søren Spanning (30 May 1951 – 12 February 2020) was a Danish actor. Life and career He graduated from Aarhus Theatre in 1976 and was then employed at the theatre until 1980.Søren Spanning'. In: danskefilm.dk, access date 12 December 2021 ( ...

as Münster * John Martinus as Christian Ditlev Reventlow * Erika Guntherová as Lady in Waiting *

Harriet Walter Dame Harriet Mary Walter is an English actress. She has received an Olivier Award and nominations for a Tony Award, five Emmy Awards, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2011, Walter was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British E ...

Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg ( – 8 February 1772) was Princess of Wales by marriage to Frederick, Prince of Wales, eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain, George II. She never became queen consort, as Freder ...

Klaus Tange Klaus Tange (born 7 July 1962) is a Danish actor working in theatre, film, and television. Biography Tange was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and raised in Germany and Switzerland. In 1985 he graduated from the Danish National School of Theatre ...

as Minister

Production

and Rasmus Heisterberg started the writing process by reading the 1999 novel '' The Visit of the Royal Physician'' by Per Olov Enquist, which is based on the events surrounding

's time at the Danish court. The exclusive film rights for the novel were already sold to a company which had been struggling for over a decade to make a large-scale adaptation in English, and did not want to sell the rights to

Zentropa Zentropa, or Zentropa Entertainments, is a Danish film company started in 1992 by director Lars von Trier and producer Peter Aalbæk Jensen. Zentropa is named after the train company Zentropa in the film '' Europa'' (1991), which started the co ...

. Research continued and the film was eventually credited as based on Bodil Steensen-Leth's erotic novel '' Prinsesse af blodet'', which tells the story from the perspective of the queen, Caroline Mathilde. The film's perspective and characterisation did still remain highly influenced by Enquist's version, in particular in the portrayal of Struensee as an idealistic promoter of

freedom of speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

, the romantic view of the royal court as an ironical charade and the role of the queen as a revolutionary partner-in-crime to Struensee. To avoid conflicts about rights, Enquist was contacted to clarify some instances of what he had made up and what was based on documented events, and a person was employed specifically to compare the screenplay and the novel to guarantee that they were dissimilar enough. The film was produced by Zentropa and is a co-production among Denmark, Sweden and the Czech Republic. It had a budget of 47.7 million

Danish krone The krone (; plural: ''kroner''; sign: kr.; code: DKK) is the official currency of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, introduced on 1 January 1875. Both the ISO code "DKK" and currency sign "kr." are in common use; the former precedes ...

r. (approximately 7.8 million in 2022) Before settling on the final title, the film had the production titles ''Dronningen og livlægen'' ("The queen and the royal physician"), based in part on the title of Enquist's book, and ''Caroline Mathildes år'' ("Caroline Mathilde's years").

Reception

Box office

''A Royal Affair'' opened at 7 theaters domestically in its first week (from 9 to 15 November 2012), grossing 59,841. In its second week, this doubled to 120,012 for a total gross of 179,853. It went on to gross a total of 1,546,761 in 25 weeks domestically and 13,212,236 internationally for a worldwide total of 14,758,997 against a budget of 7.8 million.

Critical response

Review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

gives the film a score of 90% based on 112 reviews and an average rating of 7.25/10. The critical consensus reads: "''A Royal Affair'' is a lavish and sumptuous costume drama with a juicy story to back it up."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

gives a weighted average rating of 73 based on reviews from 27 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". British Film Critic

Mark Kermode Mark Kermode (, ; ; born 2 July 1963) is an English film critic, musician, radio presenter, television presenter, author and podcaster. He is the co-presenter (with Ellen E. Jones) of the BBC Radio 4 programme ''Screenshot'', and co-presenter ...

tied the film as the Best Film of 2012 along with ''

Berberian Sound Studio ''Berberian Sound Studio'' is a 2012 British psychological horror film. It is the second feature film by British director and screenwriter Peter Strickland. The film, which stars Toby Jones, is set in a 1970s Italian horror film studio. Plot B ...

''. Historian Alfred Brown notes that the film depicts Struensee as speaking fluent Danish, when in fact he did not speak it and persistently used German, which helped alienate him from Danish society. Brown also notes that "The exiled Queen's letter to her children makes a good

frame story A frame story (also known as a frame tale, frame narrative, sandwich narrative, or intercalation) is a literary technique that serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, where an introductory or main narrative sets the stage either fo ...

to the film, however had she in reality written such a letter – frankly admitting Princess Louise Auguste's true parentage – it might have easily fallen into the wrong hands and caused the young princess to be declared a bastard".Dr. Alfred G. Brown "The Inevitable Discrepancies Between History And Historical Fiction" in Nathaniel Gordon (ed.)"How We Perceive The Past — A View And Review"

Accolades

At the Berlin Film Festival, Mikkel Følsgaard won the

Silver Bear for Best Actor The Silver Bear for Best Actor () was an award presented at the Berlin International Film Festival from 1956 to 2020. It was given to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance and was chosen by the International Jury from the films i ...

and Nikolaj Arcel and Rasmus Heisterberg won the award for Best Script.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Affair, A 2012 films 2012 psychological thriller films 2012 romantic drama films 2010s Danish-language films 2010s historical drama films 2010s historical romance films 2010s historical thriller films 2010s political thriller films 2010s Swedish films Biographical films about royalty Cultural depictions of Caroline Matilda of Great Britain Cultural depictions of Christian VII of Denmark Cultural depictions of Frederick VI of Denmark Czech historical drama films Czech historical thriller films Czech political drama films Czech political thriller films Czech thriller films Danish historical drama films Danish historical romance films Danish romantic drama films Danish thriller films Films about adultery Films about politicians Films directed by Nikolaj Arcel Films produced by Louise Vesth Films scored by Gabriel Yared Films set in Copenhagen Films set in Denmark Films set in England Films set in the 1760s Films set in the 1770s Films set in the 18th century Films shot in the Czech Republic Films based on Danish novels Satellite Award–winning films Swedish historical drama films Swedish thriller films Zentropa films