The King's Choice (2016)

The King’s Choice is the English title of a Norwegian historical drama (based on a true story) which premiered in 2016. 

The topic is the German invasion of Norway in April 1940 with special focus on Haakon VII – King of Norway - and the crucial role he played during this event. Here is some basic information about this drama:

** Original Norwegian title: Kongens nei

** Director: Erik Poppe

** Writers: Harald Rosenløv-Eeg and Jan Trygve Røyneland

** Inspired by the book Kongens nei by Norwegian journalist and writer Alf Reidar Jacobsen (published in 2011)

** Available on DVD and via Amazon Prime Video

** Languages: see more below

** Run time: 130 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Jesper Christensen as Haakon VII, King of Norway: born as Carl, Prince of Denmark in 1872; married to Maud, Princess of England, in 1896; chosen as King of Norway in 1905; King of Norway (with the name Haakon VII) 1905-1957; he is the father of Alexander whose name was later changed to Olav

** Anders Bassmo Christiansen as Olav, the Crown Prince: born as Alexander, Prince of Denmark, in 1903; Crown Prince of Norway with the name Olav 1905-1957; King of Norway (with the name Olav V) 1957-1991

** Tuva Novotny as Märtha, the Crown Princess: born in Sweden in 1901; married to Crown Prince Olav in 1929; Crown Princess from 1929 to her death in 1954

** Karl Markovics as Curt Bräuer (1889-1969) – a German diplomat – German ambassador to Norway 1939-1940

** Katharina Schüttler as Anneliese Bräuer – Curt’s wife

** Juliane Köhler as Diana Müller – Curt’s secretary at the German embassy in Oslo

** Arthur Hakalathi as Fredrik Seeberg (1923-2018) – a Norwegian soldier during World War Two

** Gerald Pettersen as Johan Nygaardsvold (1879-1952) – a Norwegian politician - Prime Minister of Norway 1935-1945

** Ketil Høegh as Halvdan Koht (1873-1965) – a Norwegian politician - Foreign Minister of Norway 1935-1941

The Norwegian characters are played by Norwegian actors who speak Norwegian, while King Haakon VII is played by a Danish actor. This is realistic. Why? Because Carl was born and raised in Denmark. When he arrived in Norway as Haakon VII in 1905, he was more than thirty years old. He still speaks Danish, even when he is the King of Norway.

The German characters are played by German actors who speak German among each other. When a German and a Norwegian character must communicate, they usually speak German, but there is a brief moment where they communicate in English.

The fact that the characters speak the language that is connected with their origin and nationality gives the drama a high degree of authenticity.

The time frame is short; only four days in April 1940:

** 08 April – one day before the German invasion of Denmark and Norway

** 09 April – the German invasion of Denmark and Norway

** 10 April – one day after the invasion

** 11 April – two days after the invasion

When the drama begins, there is a brief introduction with a series of old clips in black-and-white. The introduction covers the time from 1905 to 1939. 

The first clip shows the moment when King Haakon VII and Queen Maud arrive in Norway with their son Crown Prince Olav. One of the last clips shows a funeral procession. This is the funeral of Queen Maud who died in 1938.

In 1905, Norway becomes an independent country. It is no longer controlled by a foreign power; neither by Sweden nor by Denmark. The new government of Norway wants to have a constitutional monarchy (as in Denmark and Sweden). The leaders look for a suitable person who can be the new monarch of Norway.

They invite Prince Carl of Denmark to be the King of Norway. The prince is flattered, but he hesitates. He wants to be sure that he is wanted not only by the politicians but also by the people of Norway. He understands and respects the concept of democracy. Therefore he asks the government to hold a referendum.

Accordingly, the government of Norway holds a referendum with one question: “Do you want Norway to become a constitutional monarchy with Prince Carl as the king?”

More than 75 per cent of the voters say yes (at the time only men are allowed to vote).

When the result is announced, Prince Carl agrees to take on the new position. He and his wife Maud arrive in Norway in 1905. In order to mark the change, the Danish prince takes an ancient Norwegian name Haakon.

The new king does not inherit his position. He is chosen by the government and by the people. This fact is very important; very significant. Why? Because it helps us understand the crucial role the king plays during the four fateful days in April 1940.

When Germany invades Denmark on 9 April 1940, Danish forces try to resist, but after a few hours they have to capitulate. The Danish army cannot stop the German invasion. Now Denmark and Germany make a deal: Denmark can keep its government, parliament, and king – in fact carry on as usual – on two conditions:

** The Danish government must accept the fact that Denmark is occupied by German troops
** The Danish government can never say or do anything against Germany

The German government hopes to make a similar deal with Norway, but in Norway things do not go according to the German plan. There is no deal. Why not? This historical drama tells us what happens in Norway when the German forces invade the country.

The focus is on two persons:

** The King of Norway Haakon VII 
** The German ambassador in Norway Curt Bräuer

What do reviewers say about this historical drama? Here are the results of three review aggregators:

** 64 per cent = Meta
** 72 per cent = IMDb

** 84 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes

As you can see, the ratings are not bad. On the other hand they are not great. They are good. They range somewhere between three and four stars on Amazon. If you ask me, these ratings are too low. Why? I have three reasons:

(1) The script is well written and the actors play their roles well.
(2) The story is captivating, dramatic, and often very emotional.

(3) The drama is based on a true story.

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

PS # 1. For more information, see the following book: The German Invasion of Norway: April 1940 by Geirr H. Haarr (hardcover 2011, paperback 2012).

PS # 2. In the drama, we can see that Olav and Märtha have three young children: two girls, Ragnhild (1930-2012) and Astrid (born 1932), and a boy: Harald (born 1937). 

In 1957, when Haakon VII dies, Olav becomes king and Harald Crown Prince. In 1991, when Olav dies, Harald becomes King of Norway with the name Harald V.

PS # 3. In the drama, King Haakon VII has a brief conversation with a Norwegian soldier (Fredrik Seeberg), who is only 17 in 1940. This soldier is a real historical person. You can Google his name to find more information about him.

*****

 

 Prince Carl of Denmark (born 1872)

King Haakon VII of Norway 1905-1957

In exile in the UK 1940-1945

*****

Max Manus: Man of War (2008)

Max Manus: Man of War is the English title of a Norwegian historical and biographical drama (based on a true story) which premiered in 2008.

Max Manus was a member of the Norwegian resistance movement who fought against the German occupation of Norway during World War Two (1940-1945).

Here is some basic information about this drama:

** Directors: Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg
** Writer: Thomas Nordseth-Tiller (1980-2009) 

** Based on two books by Max Manus and other historical evidence

** Language: mostly Norwegian; a few scenes with German or English

** Run time: 118 minutes

The cast includes the following:

** Aksel Hennie as Max Manus (1914-1996) – Norwegian resistance

** Agnes Kittelsen as Ida Nikoline “Tikken” Lindebraekke (1914-2010) – Norwegian resistance – married to Max Manus 1957-1996

** Nikolai Cleve as Gregers Gram (1917-1941) – Norwegian resistance

** Peter Naess as Martin Linge (1894-1941) – Norwegian resistance

** Christian Rubeck as Kolbein Lauring (1914-1987) – Norwegian resistance

** Knut Joner as Gunnar Sønsteby (1918-2012) – Norwegian resistance

** Ken Duken as Siegfried Fehmer (1911-1948) – a German Gestapo officer in Norway

** Stig Hoffmeyer as King Haakon VII (1872-1957) – king of Norway 1905-1957 (in exile in the UK 1940-1945)

Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the historical record. They are not a secret. Therefore I could mention many of them here, but I am not going to do that. I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone.

While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown here. But the basic story is true.

This drama is about the German occupation of Norway from 1940 to 1945, but the story begins in 1939 during the Winter War in Finland. Why? Because Max Manus volunteered to join the Finnish army in order to fight the Soviet attack on Finland.

Throughout the drama, there are brief flashbacks where we see Max Manus in the Winter War in Finland. Why? To show us that this experience made a big impression on him.

Later in the drama, when Max Manus compares the two conflicts with each other, he says that in Finland it was easy to know who the enemy was and where the enemy was. During the German occupation of Norway, things are different: it is very difficult to locate and identify the enemy.

The enemy can be anywhere; the enemy can be anyone; not just a German soldier, but also a Norwegian citizen who is prepared to report a member of the resistance movement to the German authorities.

Most of the story set in Norway, but there are exceptions:

** A few scenes are set in Scotland where the members of the Norwegian resistance movement were preparing for their secret and dangerous activities in occupied Norway.

** A few scenes are set in Stockholm, capital of neutral Sweden, where members of the Norwegian resistance movement often would go when they needed a break between operations.

In this drama, the focus is on the members of the resistance movement and their activities, but sometimes we also get to see the other side of the conflict. We meet the German Gestapo officer Siegfried Fehmer and the people around him (both Germans and Norwegians).

What do reviewers say about this historical drama? Here are the results of three review aggregators:

60 per cent = Meta
73 per cent = IMDb

83 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the general public)

89 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the professional critics)

The premiere in Oslo was attended by several prominent persons, including the following:

** The Norwegian King Harald V (born 1937) (son of King Olav V, grandson of King Haakon VII)

** Tikken Manus (who is a character in the drama)

** Gunnar Sønsteby (who is a character in the drama)

Many Norwegian reviews are positive. They praise the drama, saying it has a high degree of historical accuracy. But there are some critical comments as well. Here are three examples:

# 1. One observer claims that while Max Manus volunteered to join the Finnish army during the Winter War, he was not involved in direct battles with Soviet forces.

# 2. One observer is concerned that this drama glorifies violence and war in general.

# 3. One observer claims that while the drama is based on a true story, historical truth is not always respected.

While critical comments such as these are relevant, I do not think they can be used to give the drama a poor rating, such as one or two stars.

The drama does not glorify violence and war in general. This accusation is not true.

As for historical accuracy, there may be cases where historical truth is violated, but there are also cases where historical truth is respected by the movie-makers. 

I want to mention two examples. Both examples concern the language that is spoken in the drama:

# 1. The role of the Norwegian King Haakon VII is played by the Danish actor Stig Hoffmeyer. When the king appears in a scene set in Scotland, addressing members of the Norwegian resistance, he speaks in a curious mixture of Danish and Norwegian, which is in fact highly realistic. Why?

The Norwegian king was born in Denmark in 1872. His name was Carl. He was a member of the royal family in Denmark. His brother was King Christian X of Denmark. In 1905, Carl was invited to become the king of Norway.

He accepted this position, but only after a national referendum had shown that the Norwegian people wanted him to have this job. When he came to Norway, he took the name Haakon VII. This is why he speaks Norwegian with a Danish accent. 

The actor is well-chosen.

# 2. The role of the German Gestapo officer Siegfried Fehmer is played by the German actor Ken Duken. When he is with other Germans, he speaks German which is his native language; when he is with Norwegians, he speaks Norwegian, but it is obvious that he is speaking a foreign language. This is realistic. 

The actor is well-chosen.

In my opinion, the rating of Meta (60 per cent) is too harsh. On the other hand, I cannot go all the way to the top, because of the critical comments mentioned above. Therefore I think this drama deserves a rating of four stars.

PS. The German occupation of Norway during World War Two is the subject of several historical dramas. Here are some examples:

** The Heroes of Telemark (1965)

** The Saboteurs (2015) (a miniseries in six parts)

** The King’s Choice (2016)

** The Spy (2019) (about Sonja Wigert)

*****

 

 

Max Manus (1914-1996)

*****