The costume drama
A Royal Affair, Denmark’s official submission for Best Foreign Film at the 2013 Oscars, is beautifully shot, well-acted, and kind of a slog to get through. While based on actual historical events, the story feels like it’s been simplified and reshaped in order to fit the template of the “doomed romance in a repressive era of history” subgenre -- there are no real surprises here, nor is there enough nuance in the characters to justify a running time of 137 minutes.
After a title card preps us on the general facts about the Enlightenment in 18th century Europe (short version: progressive reforms, good for peasants, bad for greedy arist...
Released:
2012
Rated:
R
Length:
137 mins