Kongens Nei
- 2016
- 2h 13m
Ajouter une intrigue dans votre langueApril 1940. Norway has been invaded by Germany and the royal family and government have fled into the interior. The German envoy to Norway tries to negotiate a peace. Ultimately, the decisio... Tout lireApril 1940. Norway has been invaded by Germany and the royal family and government have fled into the interior. The German envoy to Norway tries to negotiate a peace. Ultimately, the decision on Norway's future will rest with the king.April 1940. Norway has been invaded by Germany and the royal family and government have fled into the interior. The German envoy to Norway tries to negotiate a peace. Ultimately, the decision on Norway's future will rest with the king.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Prix
- 15 victoires et 9 nominations au total
- H.K.H. Kronprins Olav
- (as Anders Baasmo Christiansen)
Avis en vedette
The Germans want to negotiate after occupying main Norwegian cities. They turn directly to the king, trying to make it his decision to avoid more bloodshed. That's his decision. And there is an answer.
Jesper Christensen is tremendous as king Haakon, making the moral dilemma more complicated than it's described in the script. Much is really filmed theatre here, but you tend to forget it, when Christensen is on the screen. Which he is very much.
The fifth feature film by director Erik Poppe and the fourth on which he co-operates with screenwriter Harald Rosenløw-Eeg (here assisted by screenwriter Jan Trygve Røyneland), "The King's Choice" boasts a grand performance by Danish actor Jesper Christensen and a beautiful score by Swedish Johan Söderqvist (one of the most important film composers in Scandinavia today).
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.
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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Le saviez-vous
- AnecdotesWilhelm Scream: When Seeberg shoots the German soldier at Midtskogen.
- GaffesThe real Battle of Drøbak Sound was much more involved than depicted, the other coastal defense batteries also joining in after the Oscarsborg Fortress had opened fire.
- Citations
Menig Fredrik Seeberg: All for the King, Your Majesty.
H.M. Kong Haakon VII: No, Seeberg. All for Norway.
Meilleurs choix
- How long is The King's Choice?Propulsé par Alexa
Détails
- Date de sortie
- Pays d’origine
- Sites officiels
- Langues
- Aussi connu sous le nom de
- The King's Choice
- Lieux de tournage
- sociétés de production
- Consultez plus de crédits d'entreprise sur IMDbPro
Box-office
- Brut – États-Unis et Canada
- 113 231 $ US
- Fin de semaine d'ouverture – États-Unis et Canada
- 7 850 $ US
- 24 sept. 2017
- Brut – à l'échelle mondiale
- 10 017 316 $ US
- Durée2 heures 13 minutes
- Rapport de forme
- 2.35 : 1