You have a few days left to discover this romantic costume film, inspired by a true story, before it is no longer available for free streaming.
Winter is well established, temperatures are dropping. Why not take the opportunity to settle down under a blanket in front of a passionate costume romance? The arte.tv streaming platform has just what you need: for free, you can watch a period film, which not only tells of a forbidden love, but above all looks back at a significant historical event that we finally know quite little in France.
Classic in its form, this feature film nevertheless stands out from other costume romances by deciphering a very specific moment in the history of Denmark: these few years when the revolutionary ideas of the Enlightenment were shared even in the highest spheres of society. Europe, twenty years before the French Revolution, before being fought by conservative monarchists.
A Royal Affair takes place in Denmark in 1770. Queen Caroline-Mathilde is unhappy in her marriage to King Christian VII (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard), who suffers from mental illness and is unable to rule the country peacefully. The ministers of the kingdom then sought the help of Doctor Johann Friedrich Struensee, a charismatic and patient practitioner, who was closely interested in the revolutionary ideas of the Enlightenment. His arrival at the court will change everything: his attraction to the queen is undeniable, who he will rally to his ideas while pushing the king to carry out important social reforms. But this progressivism is not viewed favorably by all the ministers, and his love affair with the queen will push Struensee to his downfall.
Incredible but true, the plot of A Royal Affair is inspired by a page in Danish history. Christian VII, Johann Friedrich Struensee and Queen Caroline-Mathilde did exist, and the last two are said to have had an affair. The film, directed by Nikolaj Arcel and released in 2012, therefore offers spectators a passionate love story between Mads Mikkelsen and Alicia Vikander, but above all to discover in more depth the history of the Scandinavian country. He also won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay and Best Actor (for Mikkel Boe Folsgaard) at the 2012 Berlinale.
A Royal Affair is still available for free streaming for a few days. It is on the free arte.tv platforms (but also france.tv and tf1+, which also offer Arte content on their sites) that this romantic and historical drama can be seen until January 23, 2025.