Kongens Nei

"Kongens nei', a.k.a. "The King's choice", is a dramatic film that depicts how the Norwegian King Haakon VII (Jesper Christensen) decided the participation of Norway in the World War II immediately after the unexpected German invasion on 09 April 1940. This important historic event is unknown for most of the people around the world what makes this film unique. The screenplay follows the royal family from the eve of the German invasion until the moment they flee to outside the Norwegian border and seems to be very accurate. The great direction and performances associated to an excellent screenplay gives the sensation of a documentary. My vote is eight.

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War history films look beyond battle to examine how things came to be. A fine example is the Norwegian bio-pic The King's Choice (2016). It tells the little-known story of the first three terrifying days when the Nazi war machine rolled into Norway and demanded that its ageing monarch surrender to the inevitable. Instead of the usual emphasis on military action, this film offers an extended essay on the moral responsibilities of leadership that is as relevant today as ever.

In April 1940, a fleet of German ships slips through Norwegian defences and issues an ultimatum: surrender or perish. Denmark had only recently capitulated to Germany but Norway's King Haakon VII (Jesper Christiansen) had no intention of following its example. Norway's traditional neutrality and antiquated military capacity made it seem defenceless, but it still managed to sink one warship which infuriated Hitler. A German envoy urged the King to accept a peaceful surrender and save Norwegian lives, but he refused to make it easy for the Nazis to take Norway. The Norwegian parliament was in disarray, nominally led by a Nazi-sympathiser with the surname Quisling, a word that universally has come to mean traitor. The nation was terrified and only the royal family was left as a symbol of hope and inspiration. Hitler was desperate to capture the family alive as a trophy for Nazi supremacy. The revered King and his heir apparent son fled to the countryside with Nazis in pursuit. Along the way, the envoy, his few remaining parliamentarians, and even his son, repeatedly urge the king to surrender. While Norway's collapse was inevitable, the royal family escaped to London where they led the Norwegian resistance for the remainder of the war.

There are several reasons why this film deserves praise. The most obvious is that it illuminates a piece of history that most people, except Norwegians, know very little about. It is a measured, sombre study of leadership with a competent cast, excellent cinematography, and detailed period sets and costumes. It provides a finely wrought portrait of a nation facing catastrophe using minimal dramatic embellishment yet with tension that rises over its long running time (two and a quarter hours). Jesper Christiansen plays King Haakon with regal authenticity as he goes from being a grandfather figure playing with children to a giant of integrity in the face of an extraordinary moral dilemma. The king's choice was his and his alone, and the film captures the enormous strain of knowing that Norway had no prospect of resisting the Nazi juggernaut yet believing that a nation's dignity should never be surrendered.

Despite its epic qualities there are some minor quibbles. Foreign language translations inevitably struggle with nuance and keeping up with dialogue is made more difficult when white sub-titles appear against white backgrounds, The film's pace would have benefited from more editing, less CGI and fewer scenes of the royal family in flight. But otherwise this is a gripping character-driven film that provides a fascinating glimpse into Norway's war history.

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Erik Poppe's history depiction "The King's Choice" (original title "Kongens nei") is about the Norwegian royal King and governments reaction to being invaded by Hitler-Germany on the 9th of April 1940.

Erik Poppe has made the brilliant "Trouled water", "Hawaii Oslo", "Schpaaa" and "A thousand times good night", but has outdone himself here, maybe only equaled by "Troubled water". The script is based upon the history telling book by Roy Jacobsen, and is written by Norwegian novelist and re-known script writer Harald Rosenløw-Eeg.

The film depicts what happened in the of the most defining days of the Norwegian democracy, where the Danish born king, after 35 years after being chosen as the King of Norway after his arrival in 1905, when Norway decided to become a kingdom. We also follow the Norwegian government, and how the military reacted to the shock of being invaded by the Third Reich power.

I must say that this film simply could not be depicted more correctly. Except for the King and the Crown prince actually was driven in a newer DeSoto, which only war nerds and aficionados would know, this is painstakingly accurate.

The film is no action movie, but a historic drama, and as such it fulfills my expectations as the best Norwefian war movie to date. Though the film has some action filled sequences, the main thing is the choices that has to be made which defines this drama. And not only the King's choice, but also the when fie was to be called against the war ships and the German troops in their chase of the king. The troubled government which not at all were able to show the same determination as the king, and so on. Many difficult choices.

The film isn't at all afraid of dwelling at these choices, and this makes my day. The film making is really heartfelt, and the instruction of the actors are superb. Danish actor Jesper Christensen is simply jaw-dropping in his role as King Haakon the 7th, and Anders Baasmo Christensen isn't far behind in his role as Crown Prince Olav. However, Austian actor Karl Markovics is simply stunning as Kurt Bräuer. And I could go on. Many great roles! Poppe is a criminally great instructor and director.

And it would have been a catastrophe of epic proportions if this film had taken short cuts. Thank God they didn't. The film is not only accurate and defining history telling, it's also a mile stone in Norwegian cinema and film history.

An emotionally engrossing factual account that's brought to life with assured confidence & terrific restraint, The King's Choice (also known as Kongens nei) is an end product of extensive research, competent craftsmanship & skillful narration that brings yet another fascinating World War II event to cinematic life that many aren't aware of.

The story of The King's Choice takes place in Norway during the Second World War and follows the Norwegian King who's forced to make a difficult choice after his nation is invaded by Nazi Germany despite his country's neutral position in the war and has to decide whether to continue fighting the Germans or surrender, a decision that will shape Norway's future.

Directed by Eric Poppe, the film opens with a montage that provides a brief overview of Norway's elected monarch and his role in governing the nation, following which it jumps to 1940 and moves ahead from there. Poppe's direction is brilliant for the most part, as he is able to keep the interest alive and delivers some thrilling moments of chaos & destruction that war brings with itself.

There are only a couple or more battle sequences but all of it is thoroughly riveting & expertly shot. The drama is compelling, the tension is palpable, and its characters are interesting to some extent but there are still a few moments when it indulges in trivial matters which take the focus away from what's relevant. Its 133 minutes narrative is steadily paced but it begins to lose steam after a while.

My favourite aspect, however, is the background score, for it is able to elevate & enrich the impact of many segments with its ingeniously composed & emotionally evocative tracks that are always in sync with the unfolding events. Camera-work is equally well-balanced, and the cast delivers strong performances throughout by playing their given roles with aptness & leave nothing to complain about.

On an overall scale, The King's Choice has its shares of positives & negatives but it manages to be a gripping experience for the most part. It doesn't hold back anything when it comes to capturing the visceral nature of war and is fabulously supported by a rousing score in those moments but it also lacks the same level of intensity in the dramatic portions at times and fails to hit as hard as it was capable of. Still, definitely worth a shot.

My main feeling after seeing this movie, which covers the first few days of the second world war in Norway, is that I would like to see the movie continue all the way through the war.

While the performances are all great, and the locations used, the costumes, the recreations of Oslo and the soundtrack all contributed into making this an excellent movie - the highlight was how this story was told and the movie cut together. If you don't like inter titles, you won't like this movie. Every scene is introduced with location, date and time. And it works. I didn't always pay much attention to it, but the moments it chooses all feel like real moments in the story, the important highlights of actions performed by the people involved.

I do appreciate that they also spread their focus a bit wider than just the royal family. The German diplomat was an interesting character, trying his best to get a handle on a terrible situation, and doing a good (though futile) job. The young men on the front line are portrayed in a way that really shows the horrors of war on an ultimately inexperienced crowd. But the main story here is that of the royal family, who is made to seem more human than any other depiction I have seen of them, including most documentaries. They are not people born into a stoic calm, but rather people born into a job that at its worst can be really difficult and pressing.

The critique of this movie is mostly about what it is not: a new perspective. Again, you follow the heroes of the war, the people we shouldn't forget (and haven't forgotten). While I completely agree with the people wanting something new, this has little to do with this movie.