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The King's Choice

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For the Chinese Elm cultivar 'King's Choice', seeUlmus parvifolia 'King's Choice'.

The King's Choice
Film poster
Directed byErik Poppe
Written byHarald Rosenløw-Eeg
Jan Trygve Røyneland
Produced byFinn Gjerdrum
Stein B. Kvae
Starring
CinematographyJohn Christian Rosenlund
Edited byEinar Egeland
Music byJohan Söderqvist
Distributed byNordisk Filmdistribusjon
Release date
  • 23 September 2016(2016-09-23)
Running time
133 minutes
CountriesNorway
Sweden
Denmark
Ireland[1]
LanguagesNorwegian
Danish
German
Swedish
Budget$7.5 million[2]
Box office$9.1 million[3]

The King's Choice(Norwegian:Kongens nei,meaning "The King's No"[4]) is a 2016biographicalwar filmdirected byErik Poppe.It is a co-production of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Ireland,[1][5]and was selected as the Norwegian entry for theBest Foreign Language Filmat the89th 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

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The film focuses onKing Haakon VIIand theNorwegian royal familyin the days before and immediately after theGerman invasion of Norwayin April 1940.

On 8 April,Crown Prince Olavinforms his father thatthe transport shipthat was sunk offLillesandearlier that day was carryingGermansoldiers, and expresses concern that the government ofPrime MinisterJohan Nygaardsvoldrefuses to give upNorway's neutrality in the face of German aggression. At the German embassy inOslo,German envoyCurt Bräueris 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 aBritishinvasion. Early the following morning, Bräuer takes the German offer to Foreign MinisterHalvdan Koht;after consulting the Cabinet, Koht refuses, stating that Norway is a sovereign nation.

Meanwhile, atOscarsborg FortressnearDrøbak,ColonelBirger Eriksenprepares his undermanned and inexperienced garrison for combat, while receiving reports from the outlying fortresses of incoming German ships. Early on the morning of 9 April, Eriksen spots theGerman cruiserBlücherenteringDrøbak Sound.Despite having received no instructions from Oslo to engage, Eriksen considers the German ship to be hostile andgives the order to fire,and the fortress's guns and torpedo battery sink theBlücher.Prime Minister Nygaardsvold telephones the King, informing him of the impending invasion, and advises him to flee Oslo. The royal family boards a train forHamar,where theNorwegian Parliamentconvenes to discuss negotiations with Germany. Bräuer meets Oslo's police chiefKristian Welhaven,his intermediary with the Norwegian Cabinet, to reassure them of his desire to negotiate; at the same time, Pohlman receives orders fromBerlinto sendparatroopersto Hamar to capture the King and the Cabinet.Nasjonal SamlingleaderVidkun Quislingproclaims himself Prime Minister over thenational radio,and calls upon the Norwegian people to accept the German occupation forces. Bräuer receives instructions fromHitlerhimself 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 toElverum,where the decision is made to send Olav's wife and three children toSwedenwhile the King and the Crown Prince remain in the country. Just after midnight on 10 April, the German paratroopersattack a roadblockatMidtskogen,and are beaten back by the Norwegian volunteers. AtNybergsund,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 ChristianofDenmark,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 theGerman surrender,Haakon is reunited with his grandson,Prince Harald,inLondonbefore theroyal family returns to Norway.

Cast

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Release

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The film was first shown to the whole of the present Norwegian royal family at theRoyal PalaceinOsloon 16 September 2016.[9]

Reception

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OnRotten Tomatoes,the film has an approval rating of 83% based on reviews from 24 critics, and an average rating of 6.6/10.[10]OnMetacritic,the film has a score of 64 out of 100, based on reviews from 8 critics, indicating "generaly favourable reviews".[11]

See also

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Historic background

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References

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  1. ^ab"Kongens Nei (Annual Archives 2017 Film File)".Berlinale.Retrieved12 July2020.
  2. ^"Innspillingen har tatt fire år – her er traileren til" Kongens nei "".NRK.24 July 2016.Retrieved8 April2017.
  3. ^"Kongens Nei (The King's Choice)".Box Office Mojo.Retrieved8 April2017.[dead link‍]
  4. ^"Question about Norwegian (bokmal)".HiNative.Retrieved24 March2018.
  5. ^"Norway picks Irish co-production The King's Choice for Oscar consideration".Scannain.15 September 2016.Retrieved15 September2016.
  6. ^Johansen, Øystein David (8 September 2016).""Kongens nei" er Norges Oscar-kandidat ".Verdens Gang.Retrieved8 September2016.
  7. ^Sandwell, Ian (8 September 2016)."Oscars: Norway picks 'The King's Choice'".ScreenDaily.Retrieved8 September2016.
  8. ^"Oscars: Nine Films Advance in Foreign-Language Race".Variety.15 December 2016.Retrieved15 December2016.
  9. ^En magisk kveld i SlottsparkenThe Royal House of Norway, official website(in Norwegian)
  10. ^"The King's Choice (2017)".Rotten Tomatoes.
  11. ^"The King's Choice".Metacritic.
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