Kongens Nei
Directed by:
Erik PoppeCinematography:
John Christian RosenlundComposer:
Johan SöderqvistCast:
Jesper Christensen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Karl Markovics, Tuva Novotny, Arthur Hakalahti, Andreas Lust, Katharina Schüttler, Ketil Høegh (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
April, 1940. As the German war machine arrives in Oslo under the guise of offering the sovereign nation protection' from the British, the royal family flees the capital, not knowing if they'll ever see each other again. The aging King Haakon VII (Jesper Christensen, in a towering performance) and his fiery son the Crown Prince Olav (Anders Baasmo Christiansen) make a dramatic escape from the city into hiding, while Crown Princess Märtha (Tuva Novotny) seeks refuge in Sweden with the children. With the time for mediation between Norway's passive government and the Nazi's envoy (Karl Markovics) fast running out, and an attempted coup by collaborator Vidkun Quisling underway, King Haakon is faced with a momentous choice: should he recognise Quisling as Prime Minister to prevent bloodshed, or abdicate in the hope of inspiring civilian and military resistance, even with the loss of life that may entail? With spectacular production design on a scale that rivals the seminal war dramas of Spielberg and Boorman, The King's Choice is a commanding, full-blooded epic. Brilliantly depicting the machinations, principles and personal fallout of conflict, it's a gripping and resonant account of history at a turning point, told from a previously undepicted perspective. (Palace Films)
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Reviews (2)
The Norwegians made me happy again by shooting a war film with hardly any war in it, which I enjoyed all the same. The film doesn't offer any captivating action scenes, but it still managed to create suspense (even despite the fact that I knew how it would all turn out). The dilemma facing the king is not described in a complicated and lengthy way, but rather gradually revealed in conversations with his son and the German ambassador. By the way, Karl Markovics was great in the role of the ambassador. If you think you’d appreciate a war film with more of a political perspective, go for it.
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The Norwegians probably won’t get any better at their not-so-epic epic films. It’s all shot very precisely, historically accurate, but it’s always lacking some deep emotions. Everything in this movie is so cold and distant that it’s hard to find a character that would stand out. However, in this case, I must admit that Karl Markovics takes the cake in terms of acting. It’s just a shame that he’s been on the other side of the barricade, which was to be expected since his native tongue is German. It was an interesting movie, even though it was unnecessarily dragged out at certain points. However, it was still shot with that high Scandinavian quality.
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