''Prince of Jutland'', also known as ''Royal Deceit'' and ''Thrones & Empires'', is a 1994

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

adventure film The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...

co-written and directed by

Gabriel Axel Axel Gabriel Erik Mørch better known as Gabriel Axel (18 April 1918 – 9 February 2014) Ronald Berganbr>Obituary: Gabriel Axel ''The Guardian'', 10 February 2014 was a Danish film director, actor, writer and producer, best known for ''Bab ...

and starring

Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. List of awards and nominations received by C ...

Gabriel Byrne Gabriel James Byrne (born 12 May 1950) is an Irish actor. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for a Grammy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards. Byrne was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy L ...

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (; born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov; 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades of Helen Mirren on screen and stage, screen and stage, List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirre ...

, and

Kate Beckinsale Kathrin Romany Beckinsale (born 26 July 1973) is an English actress. The only child of actors Richard Beckinsale and Judy Loe, she debuted in the series premiere of the 1975 daytime drama ''Couples.'' In 1993, she made her theatrical film deb ...

. It is an adaptation of the Danish legend of prince

Amleth Amleth (; Latinized as ''Amlethus'') is a figure in a medieval Scandinavian legend, the direct inspiration of the character of Prince Hamlet, the hero of William Shakespeare's tragedy '' Hamlet, Prince of Denmark''. The chief authority for the ...

, drawing upon the 12th-century

works Works may refer to: People * Caddy Works (1896–1982), American college sports coach * John D. Works (1847–1928), California senator and judge * Samuel Works (c. 1781–1868), New York politician Albums * ''Works'' (Pink Floyd album), a Pi ...

Saxo Grammaticus Saxo Grammaticus (), also known as Saxo cognomine Longus, was a Danish historian, theologian and author. He is thought to have been a clerk or secretary to Absalon, Archbishop of Lund, the main advisor to Valdemar I of Denmark. He is the author ...

, which was also the inspiration for

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

''. The film featured the debut film performances of

David Bateson David Bateson (born 9 February 1960) is an English actor who holds both British and Danish citizenship. He is best known for providing the voice of Agent 47, the protagonist of IO Interactive's stealth game series ''Hitman'', having played the ...

and

Andy Serkis Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his motion capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Gollum in ''The Lo ...

Plot

Prince Amled witnesses the murders of his father, King Hardvendel of the

Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...

, and Amled's brother. The perpetrators are Fenge (the king's brother) and his

henchmen A henchman is a loyal employee, supporter, or aide to some powerful figure engaged in nefarious or criminal enterprises. Henchmen are typically relatively unimportant in the organisation: minions whose value lies primarily in their unquestioning ...

. This trauma seems to drive Amled instantly insane, and he enters a semi-

catatonic Catatonia is a complex syndrome most commonly seen in people with underlying mood disorders, such as major depressive disorder, or psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. People with catatonia exhibit abnormal movement and behaviors, wh ...

state. His inability to bear witness saves him from being killed as well. The king and prince's bodies are brought back to Amled's distraught mother, Geruth, at their castle. Fenge tells Geruth that he arrived on the scene after her husband and son were murdered, and he doesn't know who is responsible. She believes his story and leans on him for support. Fenge is crowned king and announces that Geruth is his queen. During the burning of the funeral

pyre A pyre (; ), also known as a funeral pyre, is a structure, usually made of wood, for burning a body as part of a funeral rite or execution. As a form of cremation, a body is placed upon or under the pyre, which is then set on fire. In discussi ...

s, Amled observes that fire "destroys even a great king." Amled continues to act erratically, but Fenge wonders if the prince is truly insane or simply pretending. His men take Amled into the woods and leave him with a maiden named Gunvor. Amled and Gunvor have sex, after which she confesses that Fenge sent her to seduce Amled, but she promises not to reveal that he is sane. They continue their relationship in secret. While most men are away from the castle on business, Amled kills Fenge’s right-hand man, Ribold. He then reveals to Geruth that he has been sane all along, and tells her that Fenge is the murderer of their loved ones. She promises to never sleep with Fenge again and asks Amled to kill his uncle and take the crown. The henchman Frovin finds Ribold's bloody tunic in a pig trough, and Fenge discovers Gunvor is pregnant with Amled's child. Now sure that the prince is sane, Fenge announces that he is sending Amled to visit Duke Aethelwine in the

Kingdom of Lindsey The Kingdom of Lindsey or Linnuis () was a lesser Anglo-Saxon kingdom, which was absorbed into Northumbria in the 7th century. The name Lindsey derives from the Old English toponym , meaning "Isle of Lind". was the Roman name of the settlement w ...

on the isle of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. As Gunvor watches Amled's ship sail away, Fenge's henchman Ragnar murders her. On the voyage, Amled finds a message that Fenge has written to Aethelwine, asking Amled to be executed. He alters the message so that it seems Fenge wants two henchmen, Aslak and Torsten, to be killed. During Amled’s first night in Lindsey, the servants are hanged. Amled feigns shock and ignorance, so Aethelwine pays him a large amount of

damages At common law, damages are a remedy in the form of a monetary award to be paid to a claimant as compensation for loss or injury. To warrant the award, the claimant must show that a breach of duty has caused foreseeable loss. To be recognized at ...

in gold. The Kingdom of Lindsey is fighting a war and suffers defeat in battle. Amled leads the soldiers in

guerilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include recruited children, use ambushes, sabotage, terrorism ...

against the invading army, resulting in a surprise victory. He marries Aethelwine's daughter, Ethel, and sets sail for home. On their journey, Amled and Ethel stay at the home of Bjorn, a trusted friend. Amled is informed that Fenge believes him to be dead. He returns to the castle and sends Geruth to Bjorn's home for safety. Amled ties up Fenge’s drunken men in tapestries and sets fire to the castle’s

great hall A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, castle or a large manor house or hall house in the Middle Ages. It continued to be built in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries, although by then the family used the great cha ...

. The prince then awakens Fenge, takes him to the hall, and kills him with a knife. Amled sits outside and watches the hall burn down. His revenge complete, the common people gather to see Amled crowned king by Geruth, with Ethel by his side. The people applaud their new leaders.

Cast

Reception

Spectrum Culture: "Overall, Prince of Jutland is an unusual, refreshing, and slightly bleak film. The deliberate artistic and stylistic choices that make it work also, at times – such as with the slightly clumsy fight sequences – don’t pay off and leave the film feeling a little flat." ''Variety'': "Despite a sturdy English-speaking cast, and a director whose rep with the 1987 “Babette’s Feast” still carries arthouse echoes, pic is a deliberate deconstruction of the Shakespeare play, shorn of familiar elements...“Prince of Jutland’s” only concession to mainstream entertainment values is Per Norgaard’s bright score in the pic’s first half. ''Time Out'': "A major disappointment after the delightful ''

Babette's Feast ''Babette's Feast'' () is a 1987 Danish drama film directed by Gabriel Axel. The screenplay, written by Axel, was based on the 1958 story by Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen). It was produced by Just Betzer, Bo Christensen and Benni Korzen, with f ...

''" DoBlu: "Most of the budget must have been sunk into the cast’s paychecks, resulting in basic sets for the historical Jutland setting. Expect cable telefilm standards for sets and costumes." Helen Mirren .net: "But the film’s major flaw is its best concern – it looks like the 12th century in all its blandness. There’s not much for the eye and the film doesn’t waste much on action either. Maybe that was a budget question, but a bit more cinematic feel would have improved the film."

References

External links

* * *
Prince of Jutland
at Learning on Screen - The British Universities and Colleges Film and Video Council {{Gabriel Axel Films set in Denmark 1994 films Amleth Films based on European myths and legends Films set in the 7th century 1994 fantasy films Works based on Gesta Danorum English-language Danish films 1990s English-language films Films directed by Gabriel Axel Films scored by Per Nørgård English-language fantasy films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links