Margrethe II, Queen of Denmark Hired to design set on new Netflix film
Andrew Pulver, Irish Times about 7 hours ago
Margrethe II to add adaptation of Karen Blixen’s fantasy novel Ehrengard to her screen credits
Queen Margrethe II, reigning monarch of Denmark, is to design the sets for a forthcoming Netflix film adapted from a novel by Karen Blixen, it has been announced.
A romantic fantasy set in the fairy tale kingdom of Babenhausen, Ehrengard will be directed by Bille August, the veteran Danish director of Pelle the Conqueror (which won both the Palme d’Or and Oscar for best foreign language film in 1988) and The Best Intentions (which won August a second Palme d’Or).
“Ehrengard” is one of the last works from Blixen (1885-1962), the author whose autobiographical memoir was filmed as “Out of Africa.”
Bille August and Queen Margrethe II (Jacob Joergensen JJ Film)
Margrethe, who ascended to the Danish throne in 1972 and is commander-in-chief of the country’s defence forces, has also had a long career as an artist, including drawing the illustrations for Danish editions of Lord of the Rings, and exhibitions at galleries including the Arken Museum of Modern Art in Ishoj near Copenhagen. She also has screen credits as a production designer on the 2009 fantasy fairy tale The Wild Swans, and a short film adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen in 2000.
the 2009 fantasy fairy tale The Wild Swans behind the scene
In a statement, Margrethe said: “Karen Blixen’s stories have always fascinated me, with their aesthetic tales, their imagination and their, to me, image-creating worlds – and I’m very happy to be part of this project. I have tried to interpret Blixen’s fantastic universe in the creation of the decoupages and costumes and I’m looking forward to seeing the tale of Ehrengard come to life in this film.”
August added: “The Queen has created the most fantastic decoupages for the occasion, and they will be the dominant feature of the film’s overall scenographic expression. ‘Fantastic’ (in the most literal sense) is our starting point for the film; we wish to use humour and elegance to create a devil-may-care, burlesque, fabulous and autonomous visual universe.” – Guardian
Lina Brounéus, director co-production and acquisition EMEA at Netflix, said: “With such a strong creative team in Bille August and Anders August, our close partners SF Studios producing combined with the extraordinary decoupages from Queen Margrethe II, I feel confident that this timeless tale will be just as epic, ingenious and witty as Karen Blixen’s masterpiece from 1962.” – Variety
“’Ehrengard’ being realized as a Netflix film is a grand opportunity – and I’m really looking forward to introducing this fascinating story of seduction and desire to a global audience,” said August.
Queen Margrethe II: ‘Blixen’s stories have always fascinated me, with their aesthetic tales, their imagination and their, to me, image-creating worlds.’ Photograph: Henning Bagger/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty
The story is set in the fairytale kingdom of Babenhausen where a young, self-appointed expert on love, Cazotte, is hired by the scheming Grand Duchess to help her secure an heir. While searching for a suitable future Princess, Cazotte teaches the timid and introverted Crown Prince the art of seduction and lovemaking. But their plan soon backfires, when an heir is conceived out of wedlock and the royal family has to seek refuge in the castle of Rosenbad. As rivals within the royal family close in on their scheme, Cazotte himself falls in love with Ehrengard, the maid of honour, and gradually learns that in fact, he’s no expert on love at all.
The Danish feature film is written by Anders August (“The Marco Effect”) and Marcella Dichmann at SF Studios is producing. The project has been developed over the last decade by Jacob Jørgensen and JJ Film.