Based on a true story, this historical drama takes place in Denmark in the 1700s. The mentally disturbed King Christian VII has a personal doctor who manipulates some badly needed reforms in the country while showing a great interest in the king's wife.
This film is in the genre of beautiful European epics that excel in lighting, music, natural settings, and architectural design. There is also a fine story in the great resistance to the political reforms by stodgy, deceitful bureaucrats who abuse religion in manipulative ways.
This is all admirable except that there is a feeling this has been done before. "The Other Boleyn Girl" and the recent version of "Anna Karenina" come to mind as examples of royal brutality and upper-class adultery. The history is fascinating but it probably needed a different style to stand out. As it is, it seems it could have been reduced by about twenty minutes.
An irony is a post-script that explains the history that follows the ending. If this had been included in the film (rather than just a post-script), it might have been a bit more interesting.
This film is in the genre of beautiful European epics that excel in lighting, music, natural settings, and architectural design. There is also a fine story in the great resistance to the political reforms by stodgy, deceitful bureaucrats who abuse religion in manipulative ways.
This is all admirable except that there is a feeling this has been done before. "The Other Boleyn Girl" and the recent version of "Anna Karenina" come to mind as examples of royal brutality and upper-class adultery. The history is fascinating but it probably needed a different style to stand out. As it is, it seems it could have been reduced by about twenty minutes.
An irony is a post-script that explains the history that follows the ending. If this had been included in the film (rather than just a post-script), it might have been a bit more interesting.