The King's Choice
| The King's Choice | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Erik Poppe |
| Written by | Harald Rosenløw-Eeg Jan Trygve Røyneland |
| Produced by | Finn Gjerdrum Stein B. Kvae |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | John Christian Rosenlund |
| Edited by | Einar Egeland |
| Music by | Johan Söderqvist |
| Distributed by | Nordisk Filmdistribusjon |
Release date |
|
Running time | 133 minutes |
| Countries | Norway Sweden Denmark Ireland[1] |
| Languages | Norwegian Danish German Swedish |
| Budget | $7.5 million[2] |
| Box office | $9.1 million[3] |
The King's Choice (
Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards.[6][7] The film made the shortlist of nine films to be considered for a nomination at the 89th Academy Awards.[8]
Plot
The film focuses on
King Haakon VII and the Norwegian royal family in the days before and immediately after the German invasion of Norway
in April 1940.
On 8 April,
Crown Prince Olav informs his father that the transport ship that was sunk off Lillesand earlier that day was carrying German soldiers, and expresses concern that the government of Prime Minister Johan Nygaardsvold refuses to give up Norway's neutrality in the face of German aggression. At the German embassy in Oslo, German envoy Curt Bräuer is instructed by military attaché Lieutenant-Colonel Hartwig Pohlman to encourage the Norwegian government to allow German troops into the country, under the pretext of defending Norway from a British invasion. Early the following morning, Bräuer takes the German offer to Foreign Minister Halvdan Koht
; after consulting the Cabinet, Koht refuses, stating that Norway is a sovereign nation.
Meanwhile, at
paratroopers to Hamar to capture the King and the Cabinet. Nasjonal Samling leader Vidkun Quisling proclaims himself Prime Minister over the national radio, and calls upon the Norwegian people to accept the German occupation forces. Bräuer receives instructions from Hitler
himself to go directly to the King and convince him to recognise Quisling's government, though Bräuer is convinced that neither Haakon nor the Cabinet will accept this.
As German troops advance towards Hamar, the royal family and the Cabinet relocate to
Midtskogen, and are beaten back by the Norwegian volunteers. At Nybergsund, the Cabinet meets to discuss Bräuer's request to meet the King alone to end the hostilities. Despite Olav's objections and fears for his father's safety, Haakon agrees to meet with Bräuer at Elverum. Bräuer urges Haakon to follow the example of his elder brother, King Christian of Denmark
, to capitulate without further resistance. Haakon relays the German demands to the Cabinet and states he cannot accept Quisling as Prime Minister, offering to abdicate if the Cabinet felt otherwise. Inspired by the King's decision, the Cabinet informs Bräuer of their refusal. In response, German aircraft bomb Elverum and Nybergsund, forcing Haakon and the Cabinet to flee into the woods.
The King, the Crown Prince, and the Cabinet eventually escape to Britain, where they remain until the end of the war. In May 1945, following the
Prince Harald, in London before the royal family returns to Norway
.
Cast
- King Haakon VII
- Crown Prince Olav
- Tuva Novotny as Crown Princess Märtha
- Katharina Schüttler as Anneliese Bräuer
- Karl Markovics as Curt Bräuer
- Juliane Köhler as Diana Müller
- Erik Hivju as Colonel Birger Eriksen
- Espen Sandvik as Captain Magnus P. Sødem
- Arthur Hakalahti as Guardsman Fredrik Seeberg
- Rolf Kristian Larsen as Sergeant Brynjar Hammer
- Peder Anker Wedel Jarlsberg
- Gerald Pettersen as Prime Minister Johan Nygaardsvold
- Ketil Høegh as Foreign Minister Halvdan Koht
- Andreas Lust as Oberstleutnant Hartwig Pohlman
- Jan Frostad as President of the Storting C. J. Hambro
- Magnus Ketil Dobbe as Prince Harald
- Sofie Falkgård as Princess Ragnhild
- Ingrid Ross Raftemo as Princess Astrid
- Udo Schenk as Adolf Hitler (voice)
- Torfinn Nag as Police Chief Kristian Welhaven
- Jan Petter Dickman as Ivar Lykke
Release
The film was first shown to the whole of the present Norwegian royal family at the Royal Palace in Oslo on 16 September 2016.[9]
Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83% based on reviews from 24 critics, and an average rating of 6.6/10.[10] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 64 out of 100, based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "generaly favourable reviews".[11]
See also
- List of submissions to the 89th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Norwegian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Historic background
- Sinking of the troopship off Lillesand
- Battle of Drøbak Sound
- Battle of Midtskogen
- Elverum Authorization
- Bombardment of Nybergsund
- Timeline of the Norwegian Campaign
References
- ^ a b "Kongens Nei (Annual Archives 2017 Film File)". Berlinale. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ "Innspillingen har tatt fire år – her er traileren til "Kongens nei"". NRK. 24 July 2016. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
- ^ "Kongens Nei (The King's Choice)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 April 2017. [dead link]
- ^ "Question about Norwegian (bokmal)". HiNative. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
- ^ "Norway picks Irish co-production The King's Choice for Oscar consideration". Scannain. 15 September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ Johansen, Øystein David (8 September 2016). ""Kongens nei" er Norges Oscar-kandidat". Verdens Gang. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ Sandwell, Ian (8 September 2016). "Oscars: Norway picks 'The King's Choice'". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- ^ "Oscars: Nine Films Advance in Foreign-Language Race". Variety. 15 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- ^ En magisk kveld i Slottsparken The Royal House of Norway, official website (in Norwegian)
- ^ "The King's Choice (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes.
- ^ "The King's Choice". Metacritic.
External links
- The King's Choice at IMDb
- The King's Choice Trailer on IMDb
- The King's Choice at Rotten Tomatoes
- The King's Choice at Palace Films and Cinemas
- The King's Choice at Palm Springs International Film Festival
