Unless one is an especial fan of a person among the cast or keen on centuries-old legends, 'Royal deceit,' also known as 'Prince of Jutland,' won't necessarily stand out in a crowd among similar titles. Since the advent of cinema, and especially since the studio system has given way to productions outside it, there's no shortage of pictures of a medieval setting. That doesn't inherently make this any less worthy, however, and it still bears much to appreciate. Above all, the production design is outstanding. Every detail, every contribution of crew behind the scenes, is marvelous, and a feast for the eyes and ears. The filming locations, and set design and decoration, are wonderfully fetching, and great care went into the costume design, hair and makeup work, props, and weapons. The sound design and cinematography alike are lush and crisp, enriching the experience, while Per Norgard's original score is a bit surprising, in a good way - at many points rather discordant, coming across as unique relative to many comparable features. And so on down the line - substantial attentive thought went into this adaptation of the tale of Amleth (Amled), and it looks and sounds fantastic.
Sagas passed down in days of old could vary wildly depending on who was telling it; Greek myths, for example, boast multiple versions. So it is as well with the chronicle of Amleth, as any cursory perusal of the legend informs, and on that basis it becomes simpler still to accept an adaptation that would seem to distinctly reduce the source material to a more easily digestible form. If not absolute, what we get is certainly the spirit of that legend that would inspire Shakespeare's 'Hamlet,' more than the letter, and I admire the effort to shape the epic into a screenplay fit for a standard full-length film. On the other hand, I must note that the biggest issue I see in 'Royal deceit' is that the reduction was taken too far. Somewhere between Gabriel Axel's direction and/or the screenplay he devised with Erik Kjersgaard, each scene and story beat feels paced so as to remove them from one another, even as they are threaded together. Instead of subtlety and nuance, there's a discrete deliberation that makes the acting, and the execution generally of each moment, come across as stilted, like speed bumps inhibiting free movement as they encircle the parking lot of a shopping plaza. It feels like we get the most basic expression of each act of conspiracy, violence, or love, robbed of the sophistication and vitality that would especially engage viewers and elevate the feature to a higher level. With all this in mind there are times when the movie impresses as ham-handed, simplified as though, themes and nudity aside, it could feasibly be family fare; despite myself, I laughed at the last scene.
This is especially notable and unfortunate considering the extraordinary cast assembled here. Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Christian Bale, Brian Cox, Kate Beckinsdale, Ewen Bremner, Andy Serkis, Tom Wilkinson, and Freddie Jones, among still more beloved stars, claim deserved reputations, long lists of credits, and many awards and nominations between them all. It's a small delight just to see them all in one place. However, the rigid seeming structure of 'Royal deceit' rather restricts them at no few points, diminishing what we see of the tremendous skills we know they possess. And to that point, too - in any instance in which a scene guides a character into a more vibrant display of acting, for the disparity between that instance and the tone broadly enforced, fairly or not it feels like overacting.
To be clear, I don't think 'Royal deceit' is bad - I do like it, and find it enjoyable, and worth watching on its own merits. The cast is swell, all the hard work contributed behind the scenes is superb, and at large the narrative is complete and compelling as it relates a tale of so long ago. However, there's also no questioning that this is flawed in its storytelling, dampening the impact of what we see before us. If greater judiciousness meant padding out the length another twenty minutes or more, I think it would have been worthwhile. Still, while far from perfection, there's enough value here to earn a modest recommendation. You don't need to go out of your way for it, but if you chance upon 'Royal deceit,' it deserves a look; keep expectations mildly tempered, and just enjoy what it has to offer.
Sagas passed down in days of old could vary wildly depending on who was telling it; Greek myths, for example, boast multiple versions. So it is as well with the chronicle of Amleth, as any cursory perusal of the legend informs, and on that basis it becomes simpler still to accept an adaptation that would seem to distinctly reduce the source material to a more easily digestible form. If not absolute, what we get is certainly the spirit of that legend that would inspire Shakespeare's 'Hamlet,' more than the letter, and I admire the effort to shape the epic into a screenplay fit for a standard full-length film. On the other hand, I must note that the biggest issue I see in 'Royal deceit' is that the reduction was taken too far. Somewhere between Gabriel Axel's direction and/or the screenplay he devised with Erik Kjersgaard, each scene and story beat feels paced so as to remove them from one another, even as they are threaded together. Instead of subtlety and nuance, there's a discrete deliberation that makes the acting, and the execution generally of each moment, come across as stilted, like speed bumps inhibiting free movement as they encircle the parking lot of a shopping plaza. It feels like we get the most basic expression of each act of conspiracy, violence, or love, robbed of the sophistication and vitality that would especially engage viewers and elevate the feature to a higher level. With all this in mind there are times when the movie impresses as ham-handed, simplified as though, themes and nudity aside, it could feasibly be family fare; despite myself, I laughed at the last scene.
This is especially notable and unfortunate considering the extraordinary cast assembled here. Helen Mirren, Gabriel Byrne, Christian Bale, Brian Cox, Kate Beckinsdale, Ewen Bremner, Andy Serkis, Tom Wilkinson, and Freddie Jones, among still more beloved stars, claim deserved reputations, long lists of credits, and many awards and nominations between them all. It's a small delight just to see them all in one place. However, the rigid seeming structure of 'Royal deceit' rather restricts them at no few points, diminishing what we see of the tremendous skills we know they possess. And to that point, too - in any instance in which a scene guides a character into a more vibrant display of acting, for the disparity between that instance and the tone broadly enforced, fairly or not it feels like overacting.
To be clear, I don't think 'Royal deceit' is bad - I do like it, and find it enjoyable, and worth watching on its own merits. The cast is swell, all the hard work contributed behind the scenes is superb, and at large the narrative is complete and compelling as it relates a tale of so long ago. However, there's also no questioning that this is flawed in its storytelling, dampening the impact of what we see before us. If greater judiciousness meant padding out the length another twenty minutes or more, I think it would have been worthwhile. Still, while far from perfection, there's enough value here to earn a modest recommendation. You don't need to go out of your way for it, but if you chance upon 'Royal deceit,' it deserves a look; keep expectations mildly tempered, and just enjoy what it has to offer.