Bille August, the two-time Palme d’Or-winning director, discovered his artistic match with the previous Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, who reinvented herself as a detail-oriented costume designer on his hit Netflix movie “Ehrengard: The Artwork of Seduction.”
The movie, which took a decade to deliver to life, is nominated for 3 Robert Awards, the Danish equal to the Oscars. A playful royal scandal set within the early nineteenth century, “Ehrengard: The Artwork of Seduction” was penned by Anders August and primarily based on a 1963 novella by Karen Blixen, the Danish baroness who was performed by Meryl Streep in “Out of Africa.” The movie revolves round Cazotte, a younger portrait painter who considers himself an knowledgeable on love issues and is challenged by the Grand Duchess to seduce a younger girl, in addition to assist her safe an inheritor.
Margrethe II, who simply stepped down from her throne citing well being causes, labored without spending a dime on the function and designed 51 costumes together with 74 decoupages for the movie. “Ehrengard” is produced by SF Studios and JJ Movie, a Danish firm whose credit embody the Hans Christian Andersen-inspired quick movies “The Snow Queen” and “The Wild Swans,” and who additionally tapped the Queen as manufacturing designer.
Having lately wrapped the seven-month shoot of the sequence “The Depend of Monte Cristo,” August spoke to Selection about his fruitful collaboration with the witty Queen, his prolonged monitor report with interval drama and folks’s love for royal households.
How did you and the Queen get collectively on this movie?
The Queen and I began discussing the manufacturing design and costume for the movie 10 years in the past. Once I noticed her decoupages I instantly started to know the cinematic area of the script. So I began assembly with the Queen recurrently to debate the script and characters; we might go over every scene she made the decoupages for. It was a fruitful collaboration and an thrilling course of as a result of we had completely different method and concepts — one thing contemporary got here out of it.
“Ehrengard” director Bille August with the previous Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II.
Did the Queen put a few of her character into her work?
Sure, absolutely the environment of the movie is considerably burlesque and it has to do with the decoupages made by the Queen. She’s obtained an awesome humorousness and wished to maintain it witty, cross the boundaries. I admired her creativity and degree of committment as a result of a Queen has a really strict schedule and a great deal of official duties, however that is Margrethe II’s huge ardour and he or she devoted lots of her free time to work on this movie. That’s actually particular. Not many royals are such artistic forces.
Would you say that “Ehrengard: The Artwork of Seduction” was a real collaborative effort between you and Margrethe II?
Sure, she was very concerned in scripts and in every little thing, even within the casting. We checked out actors collectively. She was imagined to be with us throughout filming however with all her duties she wasn’t in a position to. However she was there all through the enhancing course of.
Do you assume she would possibly develop into a full-time costume designer now?
She has to determine what she is going to do subsequent and he or she does have a again downside, however I feel she is going to concentrate on creating.
Why did the film take so lengthy to get made?
Typically initiatives can take eternally due to issue to lift the financing, the dimensions of manufacturing design… It’s not low-cost. Fortuitously, Netflix understood what the undertaking was about and after they met the Queen and sat down along with her, they stated, “Let’s do it.” It was an awesome factor to have sufficient time to arrange and design all of the costumes.
“Ehrengard: The Artwork of Seduction.”
How was it work with Netflix? Is it one thing you’d contemplate on one other movie?
After the pandemic, we’ve seen that function movies are having a troublesome time in film theaters so streamers have began taking on a few of these films. Working with a streaming service has lots of benefits — when it takes a very long time to get financing collectively, it’s tough to maintain the vitality and retain the forged. By the point you get the financing, you’ve misplaced the forged. With Netflix, issues can transfer alongside a lot faster.
How was it returning to Denmark to make “Ehrengard: The Artwork of Seduction” after working overseas for therefore lengthy?
I’ve been doing movies in South America, Asia and Denmark, however it doesn’t matter the place you’re capturing; it’s the place the story takes me. A very powerful factor is to work with nice actors and an awesome crew. I don’t need prima donnas, no egos, in order that we’re all the identical web page.
Why do you assume “Ehrengard: The Artwork of Seduction” has been so profitable on Netflix and with critics?
As a result of it’s charming, it’s witty. It’s obtained a particular environment, its personal identification. And it’s about royals. Now that the Queen has determined to abdicate, individuals are much more drawn to it.
The place do you assume this fascination for royal households come from?
Individuals love royal households the best way they love fairy tales. In Denmark, having this royal household offers this sense coherence and retains the nation collectively. It offers individuals the sensation that they’re a part of one thing greater.
Margrethe II, is especially beloved. Why do you assume?
Sure, she’s extremely popular as a result of she’s smart, charming and outspoken. I consider royals are liked so long as they behave the best way they’re anticipated to. Individuals immediately really feel that since these royals are paid with taxpayers’ cash, they need to give the perfect of themselves and ship. And in the event that they occur to misbehave, individuals are unforgiving.
You’ve performed so many interval films, and only in the near past the sequence “The Depend of Monte Cristo,” an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ basic novel. Do you miss doing modern movies?
It’s an entire coincidence. It’s not like I solely wish to do interval drama. As for the “Depend of Monte Cristo,” I simply completed seven months of filming and enhancing this fall. However in the end, it’s in regards to the story. Whether or not it’s interval or modern drama or science fiction, it’s about human relationship. That stated, I’d wish to make a up to date movie quickly.
