"The Royal Affair"

(Note: This movie is not suited for the young audience. Contains nudity. Viewer's discretion is advised.)

It may be too late in the day to make some commentaries about the movie, “The Royal Affair”, since it had been shown months ago (Actually, I only watched it recently). First of all I would like to comment on the costumes, they looked great and they looked like what you see in the paintings done in the 18^th century Europe. Second, I love the cinematography. Third, the acting and the actors are extraordinary, especially the actor who played King Christian VII of Denmark. He did an amazing job in his portrayal of the king. There’s some kind of innocence about the king that compels me to have compassion for him, even though he was far from being a “perfect husband” for his queen, Caroline Mathilde, and far from being a perfect king for his country. He’s obviously not ready for grown-up responsibilities, let alone a king’s responsibilities (At least, that's how he was portrayed in the movie).

Now, why do I feel sorry for the king?
I think it’s because when a friend, a trusted friend, someone you look up to, manipulates and betrays you, in every way possible, you experience a heart-wrenching pain caused by the sense of betrayal in the midst of confusing turbulence and overwhelming emotions surging inside you, after you found out about it, on top of the question as to why that person could have done that to you. No words can effectively describe to convey to another person the intensity of that pain. It hurts so much that it can bring the toughest of men to their knees and to a heartbreaking wail. The tears can serve as a salve to a heart’s deep wound, but it can never alleviate the pain completely. Not even time can erase the scar left by a loved one’s betrayal. The one who betrayed the king’s trust is his own personal physician, who became his most trusted friend, Johann Friedrich Struensee. He’s the king’s personal physician first before he became the queen’s. He’s also a man of the Enlightenment. He and the queen began having an affair not long after he was assigned by the king to be the queen’s personal doctor. He used his influence on the king to advance the Enlightenment’s agenda with the blessings and urgings of the queen.

The movie was actually from the queen’s perspective and it was narrated by her but I couldn’t make myself sympathize with her. Sure, she felt neglected and she can’t depend on the king as a man and as a husband, but I was expecting more from her. Then again, she admitted that she’s too young to understand what her husband is going through.

The king has so many flaws, too, and he never bothered to correct them (well, he was said to be mentally-ill, so...), he was self-indulgent, and he was not faithful to the queen as well but, since it was the king whose complete trust was betrayed, I feel more compassion for him. The person may be mentally-ill or not, I just can’t grasp how some people can betray a person who trusted them wholeheartedly. To me, when someone gives his childlike trust to you, no matter how bad that person is, you wouldn't want to see that person hurt let alone be the cause of that hurt, if you could help it. I think you owe it to that person to protect him from any form of harm.

Anyway, the king, the queen and the doctor, all paid the price for their actions. It’s a very tragic and sad ending for the three of them, and I felt sorry for all three of them in the end.

(Disclaimer: My opinion on this matter is based purely on the movie. I have no knowledge whatsoever about the real story of the historical characters mentioned.)

If you haven’t watched the movie yet and you have decided to, please share with me what you think about the characters and who’s the one that got your sympathy and why. I would appreciate it very much if you share your views about the characters. Thank you.