Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction (2023) User Reviews

Shakespearean farce in a fantastical Denmark

[mulholland-lily · 7/10 · 17 September 2023]

This was a witty, delightful romp, reminiscent of Shakespeare and with beautifully fantastical design and costumes.

Its European humour will be lost on many, but I laughed and chuckled my way through this gorgeous, gentle comedy from the Danes.

Based on the novel by Karen Blix, it is a tale of lust, beauty, honour and devotion. It's set in a fictional Danish court in the 1830s and makes great use of real-life Royal locations, provided by Queen Margrethe II.

I loved it even more after watching the behind the scenes doco, where I learnt the Queen was the driving creative force behind the production. She is utterly delightful.

Origin story of a famous seduction expert?

[magnoliacream · 7/10 · 25 September 2023]

In this adaptation of a Karen Blixen novel, Cazotte (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) discusses the art of seduction with The Grand Duchess (Sidse Babett Knudsen) while painting her. They hatch the idea of him teaching her shy son, Prince Lohar (Emil Aron Dorph) how to seduce Princess Ludmilla (Emilie Kroyer Koppel). The plan works and the young couple gets married.

However, a scandalous situation breaks out that requires the couple to hide from society for a few months in the country. Cazotte, who has been fancying lovely and proper young woman Ehrengard (Alice Esther Bier Zandén) for sometime now, suggests that she keeps Ludmilla company while the couple is in hiding.

Cazotte makes a bet with the Grand Duchess that he can seduce Ehrengard during this period of seclusion.

The conniving pair could not imagine that Ehrengard is not as naive and dumb as they think she is. What she does would leave a lasting impact on Cazotte and society.

This is pleasing to the eyes thus manages to hold the attention while the viewer keeps wondering what the story is leading up to. The twist at the end would leave the viewer chuckling.

Everything about the movie is very fairytale-like.

[trinaboice · 7/10 · 28 September 2023]

IN A NUTSHELL: When a painter is asked to teach a royal prince about love and romance, the plan backfires, leading to a potential scandal that could threaten the line of succession.

The film is an adaptation of a famous novel in Denmark by Karen Blixen. You might recognize her name from another famous book she wrote "Out of Africa", which was also turned into an award-winning film in 1985! But that's not all. Her book "Babette's Feast" was also turned into a popular film in 1997.

THINGS I LIKED: I had never seen any of the actors in anything before, and I really liked them all. The talented cast includes Alice Bier Zanden, Emil Aron Dorph, Mikkel boe Folsgaard, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Emilie Kroyer Koppel, Jacob Lohmann, Sara-Marie Maltha, and more.

The European setting is extremely charming. I love traveling to beautiful places in movies! Of course, the kingdom represented in the story is fictional.

We see some beautiful gardens, landscapes, and interiors. The cinematographer, Jan Pallesen, does a great job.

If you really love this movie, you'll be happy to know that Netflix has created a documentary called "Lifting the Veil: Behind the Scenes of Ehrengard." It features interviews with Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and director Bille August as they talk about their meticulous attention to the sets and costumes of the movie. One thing the documentary doesn't quite explain is how and why the current Queen of Denmark got involved with the film though. In the documentary, she appeared to really love working on this project. At the end of the feature film, we see several decoupage designs for the landscapes and room interiors that inspired the movie's locations. Those were all personally handmade by the Queen! She was also involved in designing the costumes years before the movie was filmed. I thought they were beautiful and terrific! How fun for the Queen to have a creative outlet in this project. I wonder if the Danish citizens were annoyed that she was spending so much time away from her important royal work.

Everything about the movie is very fairytale-like.

The musical theme is lovely.

The ending attempts to connect this story with a famous story as an origin story.

On a personal note, one of my sons is dating a girl from Denmark. We've had dinner with her family many times and absolutely adore all of them. We even celebrated Christmas with them and got to join in on the fun Danish tradition of singing and dancing around the Christmas tree. They speak Danish at home all of the time, so it was fun to watch the documentary in Danish with English subtitles. I learned cognates for words our languages have in common: day, interior, exterior, masculine, special, and Renaissance.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: Woke viewers probably won't like the old-fashioned traditions of gender roles and romance, claiming the film condones "toxic masculinity." The studio's movie description makes you think the bulk of the movie is about how the painter teaches the prince to seduce women but that's not the case at all. The bulk of the movie is what happens after the prince falls in love and marries a young woman.

There is a serious plot hole at the end of the movie involving what would have been the natural aftermath of events. No spoilers here though!

In the beginning, the viewer assumes the protagonist is a certain "someone"; however, in the end, the reveal of the true hero might surprise you.

It's supposed to be funny that so much deception is involved in the story. In that regard, the story felt very juvenile and shallow. With such gorgeous set designs, costumes, and locations, I had hoped for something a bit more sophisticated.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Kids will be bored.

We see pencil sketches of nude women.

An older, married royal woman talks about sleeping with a younger, single man.

We see a nude woman in a lake from the rear in the distance.

Talk of premarital sexual relations that result in a baby.

We see a single man and married woman tumbling around in bed (skin is covered)

!

Sweet, gentle and very beautiful rom-com period piece

[PaulusLoZebra · 6/10 · 26 September 2023]

Bille August's sumptuous production of Karen Blixen's novel is a joy for the eyes. It has fabulous on-location sets, beautiful countryside, CGI-enhanced mountain backdrops, and great costumes. It is filled with sweet, gentle, wry humor. It's a period-piece romantc comedy that Jane Austen lovers will also like very much. The cast did a fine job, with the three leads delivering convincing and (mostly) subtle performances that fit the tomne and mood of the story. All that said, it was a also a bit flat at times, and a bit overplayed, so a touch disappointing as well. Will there be a sequel ? It would be fun to see one !

Old fashioned comedy

[bertel-349-509071 · 5/10 · 15 September 2023]

In Denmark, and probably in other countries, we had 50 years ago a movie genre named folkekomedie, or folk/people comedy. This seems to be an attempt to make a 2023 version of these.

Key features of these are a thin story, flat characters, humor, god vs bad, and always the good guys and gals the wins in the end. This movie has all this, but not much more.

As in the old movies, the sun is always shining, the colors are bright and strong, the actors play over obvious, as if the viewers are a bit dumb, there is no gray zones, you will always know what to think. To enjoy it, you need to be able to ignore quite some plot holes, and an in coherent story line.

But then, does it work within the frames of a peoples comedy? Well yes, I guess you are entertained for 1 and a half hour, and you will soon forget it afterwards. It is moderately funny. But it is also quite boring.

Pointless

[provita-11142 · 2/10 · 16 September 2023]

I don't know why this film is called Art of Seduction when there's literally no seduction. It's about a guy who "likes" this girl named Ehrengard, I guess, the reason why I am guessing is because there's literally no chemistry between the two. Even worse, when they do interact with each other, they look like they want to kill one another with their snarky facial expression. That's another thing, the guy is a pervert, he tends to follow her everywhere and watch her river bath which is creepy. How he is a seducer?... That's another thing, there are a lot of back and forth scenes with the creepy dude and the duchess or princess, when they're having tea or writing letters to each other which is boring.

The only thing the film proves is that the Danes are socially awkward people.

Am I disappointed? Yeah.

Pointless and boring

[louisenexo · 1/10 · 2 October 2023]

I am puzzled how such talented actors and such a great instructor can end up with this horrible result. The movie is boring and predictable, the acting is mediocre. As a spectator you feel strangely numb throughout the whole thing. I normally love these historical romantic movies. But this one was a waste of time.

I am puzzled how such talented actors and such a great instructor can end up with this horrible result. The movie is boring and predictable, the acting is mediocre. As a spectator you feel strangely numb throughout the whole thing. I normally love these historical romantic movies. But this one was a waste of time.

Delightful

[h-15447 · 8/10 · 17 September 2023]

The movie has gorgeous photography and it's a beauty for the eyes. The noble sensation it tries to transmit is there, the interiors of the buildings are well done, specially of the church, simply astonishing.

The story has surprising twists for a comedy-romance movie, certainly something more fresh than the more predicted stories of Hollywood. Fast paced and not boring, except for a little exaggeration - in my opinion - in key acting points from the main man, who overall did a good job alongside with the rest of the cast.

The sound score is top notch, especially the last opera at the very end, it almost made me feel like hovering.

IMHO this movie should be more higher rated. Go and watch it.

(Ir)relevance during the genocide

[LyubavaMalysheva · 1/10 · 9 February 2024]

"Ehrengard," or rather the film about the filming of this film, greatly increases self-esteem in the sense that if the Queen of Denmark promotes such amateurism on Netflix, then our own film is not so poorly made. Not to mention the film's (ir)relevance during the genocide. The budget for printing many mediocre collages made by the queen herself deserves special surprise. It's amazing that filmmakers have made such a project right now - how far removed from the problems of the majority of the planet's inhabitants is the entertainment of rulers from the roof of the world. As for the plot, it is very boring and, apparently, also concerns only the intimate experiences of the real queens of Denmark.

A fun romp!

[lcase-13401 · 9/10 · 15 October 2023]

I usually do not like romantic comedies, but this was a delight. It was much better than what usually comes out of Hollywood. The movie is visually gorgeous and the story has lots of twists and turns to keep you surprised. The acting was right on and the dialog clever. I do not understand the negative reviews. These must be people with no sense of humor. If you want a fun ride that will surprise you at every turn, you will enjoy this. Congratulations to the Danes for making a movie that has entertained people in many countries! I need to have 600 characters and don't know what else to say! There I met the requirement.

Not for prigs and humourless viewers

[fatdogwill · 10/10 · 17 September 2023]

But anyone with a broad mind and a sense of fun will find this film a total delight. I approached it warily, sensing a tired old BBC-flavoured costume drama along the lines of Persuasion or Pride and Prejudice (the more recent version: the earlier one with Colin Firth was genial), but two minutes in and the sight of the Arch Duchess recomposing herself for her portrait after making a failed grab at the artist and I was captivated. Dialogues are spot on: timeless and utterly convincing; acting is flawless across the board; photography is ravishing. What more do you want? Answer, I want more from this team and this director.

Truly enjoyed it

[rosepedersen-43677 · 9/10 · 27 September 2023]

I was expecting the worst due to some bad reviews I read about prior to seeing it. And I normally abandon a movie within the 15 Minutes but I truly enjoyed this satire. It's a good mix of culture, art, history, romance and comedy. It's for people with a good sense of humor and it was light I must say that the cinematography and jartwork done by the Danish Queen Margrethe was phenomenal. I wasn't really sure whether it was filmed in Denmark because there were some mountains in the background. But the art scene is lovely. The twists in the plot was hilarious as well. I was definitely entertained. This is not a serious dramatic historical thing, but an entertaining piece of romance, comedy, in a danish fashion.

A creeper shoots himself in the foot

[magesole · 9/10 · 23 September 2023]

It is definitely a new kind of rom-com. The film feels fresh and new, with unexpected plots and turns. The main actors are not conventional "eye-candies", but they do possess necessary beauty and necessary chemistry, which not always needs to be romantic.

The music is well timed and compliments the atmosphere, the sets and costumes are truly astonishing. This film should have been in cinemas, it should have shined on the big screens.

I loved the woman pro(an)tagonist - caring, strong, steadfast, seeing through the sleezy pipsqueak's (or pompous charlatan's) façade.

And the Queen. The Queen was always a delight on the screen. It was marvelous to watch her, to witness her seeing through all the depths and shallowness of the protagonist.

The ending was a well-deserved surprise.

He had it coming, and the women served their goals perfectly. It is a true (laugh out loud) modern comedy set in the past of a phantasy.

P. S. I gave it 9* instead of 10* because of the very last Opera scene, in which He seemed like a very unrealistic add-on and gross instead of seducing.

I didn't know

[francogrex · 8/10 · 20 November 2023]

I rated this production as 8/10 because it was delightful and light and the acting was naturally funny and endearing. But what mostly attracted me to the movie was the scenes and the costumes, the decor, the whole period drama/comedy scene. I was surprised later to know that it was the Queen of Denmark who was responsible for all that! I am not a fan of royal families, but here I have to take off my hat for such a very successful and impactful production. It really made the movie as lovely as it was. The story is light, do not expect anything deep, this is a sweet period comedy set in a great context. At least 8/10 confirmed.

Gorgeous Production and a Real Romp

[lesley_65 · 8/10 · 13 November 2023]

A gem of a movie. The production is wonderful, from the cinematography (especially the lighting), to the enchanting castle settings, to the whimsical landscape backgrounds. Also notable were the amazing costumes which I gather were partly designed by the Queen of Denmark. The story kept me totally engaged throughout. There are many hilarious moments, with much of the humour coming from the characters' facial expressions. With a lesser cast this mightn't have come off, but the acting was brilliant across the board. I read that the movie took a decade to develop - it was a decade well spent as the end result is flawless. Will definitely be watching it again!

Great Danish humor and gorgeous visuals

[itzel-64636 · 10/10 · 16 October 2023]

Prepare yourself for beautiful set and costume design based on Queen Margrethe's artwork and excellent Danish humor.

To respond to a few other reviews: no, Danes are not upset that the queen spent so much time on this film. We are proud of her work in the arts and feel that it is part of what makes her human, relatable, and giving back to society. We enjoy when our royal family are approachable and part of society, and not just locked up in a castle detached from the rest of the world.

Also the nudity in the film is quite normal by Danish standards. It is not crude but rather artistic.

Some of the jokes are crude by American standards, but that is also normal in Denmark. It all dances on a fine line. Sexuality is not taboo in Denmark.

I invite people to watch this with an open mind. It is a comedy. So it is exaggerated and ridiculous compared to true high society, yet even as a comedy there are elements of truth to it. The cultural context of the film, and the book it is based on, influence the characters, settings, actions, story line, etc. And thus do reflect a Danish psyche that is far more light hearted that it has typically been judged to be.

I believe it can serve as great cultural insight, and if not then some great viewing, good laughs, and lots of surprises throughout the story.

The story telling is atypical - even if the story itself and plot aren't particularly unheard of - which makes it a nice little treat.

Sublime fun and fluff

[salliegroo · 10/10 · 24 December 2023]

EHRENGARD is as charming a gem as any of small European romps that came out regularly in the 70's, filling our theaters with silliness and whimsy to delighted audiences and good box office. Sad thing is, people today don't even know what charm is. Hard times, hard tastes. I was shocked that this film only got a 5.8 rating when it is really a perfect confection, and could only site the harshness of culture today as the cause. EHRENGARD is a throwback to a time when there was still some innocence, kindness, when we could laugh at silliness and revel in the sweetness of a charming little movie liked this.

A Surprisingly Fun and Cinematic Masterpiece!

[Sepher_B · 10/10 · 12 February 2024]

Billie August's Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction is a cinematic masterpiece! The acting is unparalleled, with every character flawlessly embodying their roles. The picturesque sceneries transport you into another world. The story is not only super fun but also delightfully Shakespearean in its complexity. And let's not forget the beautiful costumes that add a touch of elegance to every scene. A must-watch film that captivates from start to finish!

The movie makes me now want to delve into the original source material by Karen Blixen. The film's humor, captivating portrayal and storyline have left me craving more insights into the characters and their motivations. I am excited to compare the nuances of the book with the cinematic adaptation, to uncover any subtle details and explore the depths of the narrative that may not have been fully captured on screen. It's a unique pleasure to approach the book after watching the movie, as it allows me to appreciate both mediums independently while also drawing connections between them. This experience has heightened my anticipation and curiosity, and I look forward to immersing myself in Blixen's literary world to further enrich my understanding and enjoyment of this funny story.