Ehrengarde ou l'Art de la séduction

A gem of a movie. The production is wonderful, from the cinematography (especially the lighting), to the enchanting castle settings, to the whimsical landscape backgrounds. Also notable were the amazing costumes which I gather were partly designed by the Queen of Denmark. The story kept me totally engaged throughout. There are many hilarious moments, with much of the humour coming from the characters' facial expressions. With a lesser cast this mightn't have come off, but the acting was brilliant across the board. I read that the movie took a decade to develop - it was a decade well spent as the end result is flawless. Will definitely be watching it again!

This was a witty, delightful romp, reminiscent of Shakespeare and with beautifully fantastical design and costumes.

Its European humour will be lost on many, but I laughed and chuckled my way through this gorgeous, gentle comedy from the Danes.

Based on the novel by Karen Blix, it is a tale of lust, beauty, honour and devotion. It's set in a fictional Danish court in the 1830s and makes great use of real-life Royal locations, provided by Queen Margrethe II.

I loved it even more after watching the behind the scenes doco, where I learnt the Queen was the driving creative force behind the production. She is utterly delightful.

I rated this production as 8/10 because it was delightful and light and the acting was naturally funny and endearing. But what mostly attracted me to the movie was the scenes and the costumes, the decor, the whole period drama/comedy scene. I was surprised later to know that it was the Queen of Denmark who was responsible for all that! I am not a fan of royal families, but here I have to take off my hat for such a very successful and impactful production. It really made the movie as lovely as it was. The story is light, do not expect anything deep, this is a sweet period comedy set in a great context. At least 8/10 confirmed.

In this adaptation of a Karen Blixen novel, Cazotte (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) discusses the art of seduction with The Grand Duchess (Sidse Babett Knudsen) while painting her. They hatch the idea of him teaching her shy son, Prince Lohar (Emil Aron Dorph) how to seduce Princess Ludmilla (Emilie Kroyer Koppel). The plan works and the young couple gets married.

However, a scandalous situation breaks out that requires the couple to hide from society for a few months in the country. Cazotte, who has been fancying lovely and proper young woman Ehrengard (Alice Esther Bier Zandén) for sometime now, suggests that she keeps Ludmilla company while the couple is in hiding.

Cazotte makes a bet with the Grand Duchess that he can seduce Ehrengard during this period of seclusion.

The conniving pair could not imagine that Ehrengard is not as naive and dumb as they think she is. What she does would leave a lasting impact on Cazotte and society.

This is pleasing to the eyes thus manages to hold the attention while the viewer keeps wondering what the story is leading up to. The twist at the end would leave the viewer chuckling.

Bille August's sumptuous production of Karen Blixen's novel is a joy for the eyes. It has fabulous on-location sets, beautiful countryside, CGI-enhanced mountain backdrops, and great costumes. It is filled with sweet, gentle, wry humor. It's a period-piece romantc comedy that Jane Austen lovers will also like very much. The cast did a fine job, with the three leads delivering convincing and (mostly) subtle performances that fit the tomne and mood of the story. All that said, it was a also a bit flat at times, and a bit overplayed, so a touch disappointing as well. Will there be a sequel ? It would be fun to see one !