Friday, May 17, 2013

A Royal Affair


A Royal Affair
New DVD Shelves – Main Level
Foreign ROY

Looking for a historical costume drama with an intelligent and intriguing plot to back up the beautiful sets? If so, A Royal Affair is just the movie for you. This 2012 Danish language film is the true story of a king (who is slightly mad), his queen (who is more than slightly unhappy), and the doctor who would change not only their lives, but their country as well. Set during the 18th century when the Age of Enlightenment is sweeping Europe, Denmark is still stuck in the dark past with the aristocracy controlling all the wealth while the ordinary citizens work as peasants with hardly any rights. To make matters worse, the king is incompetent and basically a puppet for the wealthy men of his court. All that changes when an ordinary doctor, not of the aristocracy, becomes the king’s personal physician and closest confidant. He encourages the king to regain control and mass social changes begin to take place in Denmark. Additionally, the doctor’s passion sparks the interest of the long suffering and ignored queen. To find out what happens, check out this Academy Award nominee (Best Foreign Language Film) today!

You definitely will not regret watching this film; it really has it all and it completely enthralled me from beginning to end. There is gorgeous costume design, political intrigue, romance, history, and superb acting from the entire cast. Mads Mikkelsen, perhaps the most recognizable Danish actor to American audiences (he played the villain Le Chiffre opposite Daniel Craig’s James Bond in Casino Royale and currently stars in Hannibal on TV), plays the doctor. Mikkel Folsgaard and Alicia Vikander are also excellent at portraying the king and queen and their complicated relationship. Overall, A Royal Affair successfully tells the very personal story of three people and how that story affected and changed a nation.

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