Really Surprised!

Excellent adaptation.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

I found the story itself rather intriguing and the fact that it is based on real events makes the movie even more worth seeing. I assure you won't be bored watching this, lots of things happened during the relatively short period of time at the Danish court that this movie pictures. The characters are believable and you get a deeper understanding for the complex relationships between them. The actors are all very skilled and I can feel how kings and queens back then where only just people, looking for love and a meaningful life. This is unlike many other period dramas, where the dialogue tend to be too formal and characters archetypal. This is not the case with this film. I truly enjoyed it.

The film does a great job with creating an authentic feel of the narrative. Settings and costumes are great, but what really caught me off guard was how this film is much more than just a love affair. By watching the trailer, I got the impression that the film was solely focused on the affair and that the ending would be some soppy elopement. I guess my first mistake was that I did not realize this was based on a true story.Cinematography and editing (colour schemes) did a fantastic job at creating an 18th century feel to the film. Arcel does a well at directing all aspects of the film. Juxtaposition of certain shots definitely made a powerful impact and helped to evoke certain emotions. Though the mise-en-scene and script was well produced, I would say that the performance from the actors/actresses is what made this film extraordinary. There are a few scenes though that seem a little blatant and I might question the authenticity of them. But otherwise, this film was well shot, edited and produced. Vikander plays her character with such grace and is able to portray how emotionally scarred she is from being with Christian. Her poise and expressions transcend her performance. Mikkelsen as well does a great job with his role as a strong minded and confident doctor with revolutionary ideas. However, Folsgaard's performance just blew me away. I intensely disliked his character at the beginning but soon realized that he most definitely had some sort of mental illness. After he was somewhat controlled, I began to understand that his behaviour was not his fault and came to sympathize for him. Folsgaard does an incredible job at portraying Christian that he totally embodies his character. The same can be said of the other two, and this trio's performance is simply chilling. I went on an emotional roller-coaster with this film. Intense dislike for the King to understanding of his actions, anger at the conservative party and council who live for profit, and heartache for Caroline and Johann as they try to keep up pretences. As well, I am satisfied with how the film ended, it did so cohesively and smoothly.Read more movie reviews at: championangels.wordpress.com

I was so impressed by the performance of young Swedish actress Alicia Vikander in the sci-fi movie "Ex Machina" that, following a recommendation, I decided to view this earlier foreign-language film in which she has a starring role. In fact, it is a Danish film and she had to learn how to pronounce the lines correctly but she is simply wonderful. Like her fellow Swede Greta Garbo, the camera just loves Vikander and we are going to see a lot of her in future.Based on fact, "A Royal Affair" is the story of how, in the late 18th century, the British Princess Caroline Mathilde (Vikander) is the subject of an arranged marriage to the Danish King Christian VII (a first film role for Mikkel Boe Følsgaard), both of whom find themselves embroiled with an older German doctor called Johann Friedrich Struensee (former Bond baddie Mads Mikkelsen). At one level, this is a tale of political intrigue as Struensee joins the mentally ill king in battling an aristocratic establishment who have no wish to embrace Enlightenment ideas. At another level, it is a love story between Caroline and Johann and, in a different way, between the king and his mentor.The film looks beautiful with use of a range of locations in the Czech Republic and some fine cinematography. Nikolaj Arcel both directed and co-wrote with skill. But ultimately it is the cast who make the movie: as well as the three principal leads, each role is taken by a splendid Danish character actor so that collectively they certainly bring home the bacon.

Subject triumphs over style in this slightly stuffy, slightly staid, arguably overlong, but often fascinating and occasionally moving history lesson. It's Denmark at the time of the Enlightenment. The young King Christian is borderline insane -- although, in the most complex performance with the most complex character in the film, Mikkel Folsgaard shows us many sides to this tormented soul. But the film focuses on the more straightforward young Queen shipped in from England, miserable in her loveless marriage to this sad clown of a king, and a very well intentioned German doctor and free-thinker, who feeds the Queen's intellect, and ultimately her body, while calming and befriending the young King, and working with him to bring in new laws that took Denmark out of the dark ages. All this doesn't go over very well with the sitting court, who are loathe to give any power or economic freedom to the people, and so scheme to fight back. Other than the King, the characters tend to black and white portrayals, but the actual steps of this true (if somewhat romanticized) slice of history make for a quite engrossing film.