Simon Dillon reviews the historical drama

A Royal Affair is an unexpected triumph from director Nikolaj Arcel - a riveting tale of passion, political intrigue, forbidden love and betrayal.

Based on a notorious incident from the Danish royal family in the eighteenth century, English Princess Caroline Mathilde (Alicia Vikander) finds herself married to insane King Christian VII of Denmark (Mikkel Boe Folsgaard). Trapped in an unhappy life and marriage, she begins an ill-advised affair with royal physician Johann Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen - yes, the baddie from Casino Royale). In his unique position as both lover to the Queen and trusted confidant to the disturbed Christian, Struensee finds he is able to exert his influence on Danish law. In doing so begins to make some of his Enlightenment ideals a reality - banning peasant floggings, abolishing censorship, introducing compulsory smallpox inoculations and so forth. But the bubble begins to burst when money for his rapid reforms runs out, and his increasingly harsh taxes on the estates of the rich cause them to conspire against him.

This is a really, really excellent piece of work brilliantly acted by all, and superbly directed. The screenplay is so much more than mere historical drama. It holds up a mirror to present European society, incorporating everything from concerns about political corruption to censorship and the current economic cutbacks being made by many governments within the EU. It is also full of dramatic ironies. For instance, Struensee abolishes censorship then reintroduces it when it suits him. He also encourages Christian to stand up to the politicians and not be their puppet, only for him to end up being Struensee's puppet.

There are also lessons about reform (the dangers of doing too much too quickly). Even the hoary old absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely theme is explored in fresh and exciting ways. And if that isn't enough, A Royal Affair is also a full-on, punch-in-the-guts emotional rollercoaster in the great tradition of the tragic romantic epic.

From a spiritual perspective, it's worth commenting on the way the Enlightenment is somewhat romanticised here (as it generally is these days). There was certainly much to reform in the late eighteenth century across Europe; with rampant social injustice, political corruption and general misery being rife. The Enlightenment did right certain wrongs, but it was also a largely godless movement; as embodied by Struensee's ardently anti-God feelings in this film. To a degree his feelings are understandable (though my inner fundamentalist did get slightly annoyed when Struensee berated a priest for believing in a six day Creation). Unfortunately, whilst the religious corruption was a serious problem, the Enlightenment threw the baby out with the bathwater so to speak. History has shown that social reform that deliberately excludes God can bring about even worse horrors (such as Communism).

Such spiritual concerns aside, A Royal Affair is an absolutely fantastic film that comes very, very highly recommended (with a caution that it does contain some sexual content, though none of it gratuitous).