In feudal Denmark in the 18th century, the nation was very much divided between the gentry and a working citizenry of glorified serfs. Despite some free thinking from other European nations beginning to permeate their political classes, nothing was going to alter the situation in this kingdom so long as the state council perpetuated its own privilege. What doesn’t help is that the new, British, Queen Caroline (Alicia Vikander) arrives and realises that her new husband, Christian VII (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) isn’t quite the full Kroner, and the aristocracy know that he is essentially just going to rubber stamp anything they want. The one hope might be in the appointment of the visionary doctor Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen) to attend the King. His approach is less clinical and medicinal, and more psychological as he begins to befriend Christian on his own terms. He indulges him, even. Initially, the Queen is indifferent to this new acolyte, but when she espies some of his books she begins to realise that perhaps there might be more of a kindred spirit in this man - and so the plot develops along increasingly perilous but empowering lines for him, her and the population at large as the king becomes susceptible to more benign, progressive, influences. Of course, the gentry are not impressed and are soon plotting along with the dowager Queen Juliane Marie (Trine Dyrholm) to restore the status quo. It’s history so Nikolaj Arcel doesn’t have lots of room to manoeuvre with the chronology, but he does manage to create a sense of the lavishness of the court compared with the abject poverty of the people; the duplicity and self-interest of the landed classes and, of course, their innate skills at self-preservation. Whilst both Mikkelsen and Vikander present strongly, I thought it was Følsgaard’s king who stole the show as a man treading a fine line between lucidity and insanity, and who might as well have been a porcelain doll for all the independent thought he was capable of. The production design is sumptuous and authentic looking, the writing provides us within sparing dialogue that cuts through well and leaves us with a quality drama that mixes romance, politics and power effectively.
