A Royal Affair

Royalty are a group of people who are held in very high regard. It seems they all have the same sorts of problems regardless of which part of Europe they come from.
Does anyone in a royal family actually fall in love with the person they marry? Because of their high status the person that marries into the family must go through a lot of scrutiny and so meet with high standards. This can be very intimidating for people. 'A Royal Affair' follows the pretty cliched story of a person forced into a marriage with the hopes of greatness and their lives being far from it. Caroline Mathilde was nervous about her marriage to King Christian VII but she was optimistic that she would come to love him. But as is common in these situations her life is not what she expected. What is also common is that she falls in love with someone who shares her views more closely. The love affair is dealt with nicely I thought. The two lovers do not jump into bed right always as they normally do but there is a bit of subtle flirting before they fall in love. The other cliche the film has is a mentally unstable member of the royal family. But what I liked about this film is that it presents all these cliches in a fresh way. The writers and director Nikolaj Arcel have managed to make the story really interesting a gripping despite all these familiar aspects. The one aspect they handle really well is the Kings mental instabilities. His mental illness is portrayed with a great deal of dignity and respect, rather than as a comedic punchline like it can be done in some films. To me the King is not really mentally challenged just someone who is unable to handle the pressures of high office and so acts out in strange ways. You come to feel a great deal of sympathy for him. As is the case with most period film it look magnificent with gorgeous sets and costumes.
With his roles in 'Casino Royal' and a few other Hollywood films, Mads Mikkelsen has come to prominence of late. He is excellent in this film and portrays Dr. Johann Struensee in a dignified way. Although he has political aspirations and uses the King to get them he does not do it in an obvious way. Alicia Vikander is also wonderful as the badly done by Queen. You feel bad for her and her situation, which helps when she has the affair. Mikkel Boe Folsgaard is brilliant as the mad King. As mentioned above I did not feel he was typically insane and this has a lot to do with Mikkel's brilliant performance. Also great is David Dencik as one of those opposed to the Kings' new found rebellion. He is suitably creepy and slimy.
The story might be familiar but the way it is told is not. Well worth seeing for not only a great story but for excellent performances from a wonderful cast.