Two-time Palme d’Or winner Bill August has creatively aligned himself with Denmark’s former Queen Margrethe II, who created her hit Netflix film Ehrengard: The World of Art with its meticulous costumes. I reinvented myself as a designer. Temptation. ”
The film, which took ten years to make, has been nominated for three Robert Awards, Denmark’s equivalent of the Oscars. A playful royal scandal set in the early 19th century, “Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction” was written by Anders August and follows the story of Danish baroness Karen Blixen, played by Meryl Streep in “Out of Africa.” Based on her 1963 novella. The film revolves around Cazotte, a young portrait painter who considers himself an expert in love matters and is approached by the Grand Duchess to help seduce young women and secure her heir. Accept the challenge.
Margrethe II, who had recently stepped down from the throne due to health reasons, worked on the film for free, designing 51 costumes and 74 decoupages for the film. “Ehrengard” is produced by SF Studios and JJ Films, a Danish company whose credits include Andersen-inspired short films “The Snow Queen” and “The Wild Swan,” and which used the queen as her production designer. It has been.
August, who recently completed seven months of filming The Count of Monte Cristo, said: variety About his fruitful collaboration with the resourceful Queen, his long track record in period dramas, and the public’s love for the royal family.
How did you and the Queen get involved in this film?
The Queen and I started discussing the production design and costumes for this film 10 years ago. When I saw her decoupage, I immediately began to understand the cinematic space of the script. So I started meeting with the Queen regularly to discuss her scripts and characters. We went through each scene she made decoupage. It was a fruitful collaboration and an exciting process as we had different approaches and ideas. Something fresh came out of it.
Did the Queen bring her own personality to her work?
Yes, the film does have a somewhat burlesque feel to it, and it has something to do with the decoupage done by the queen. She had a great sense of humor and wanted to keep her witty and push boundaries. I was impressed by her level of creativity and commitment, as the Queen has a very demanding schedule and a lot of official duties, but this is a great passion of Margrethe’s second generation, and she makes the most of her free time. I devoted much of my time to making this film. That’s really special. There aren’t many royals with such creative powers.
Do you think “Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction” is a true collaboration between you and Margrethe II?
Yes, she was heavily involved in everything from the script to the casting. We saw the actors together. She was supposed to be with us during filming, but she couldn’t do it due to all her commitments. But she was there throughout the editing process.
Do you think she can become a full-time costume designer now?
She needs to decide what to do next and although she has back problems, I think she will focus on creating.
Why did it take so long to make the film?
In some cases, projects can take forever due to difficulties in financing, scale of production design, etc…and that’s not cheap. Luckily, Netflix understood what the project was about, and after meeting and talking with the Queen, they said, “Let’s do it.” It was great that we had enough time to prepare and design all the costumes.
How was working with Netflix? Would you ever consider it for another movie?
Post-pandemic, feature films found themselves struggling in theaters, so streamers started taking over some of these films. There are many benefits to using streaming services. The longer it takes to raise money, the harder it is to maintain energy and maintain a cast. By the time we get financing, we’ve lost the cast. Netflix allows you to move things along faster.
What was it like returning to Denmark to work on Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction after working abroad for so long?
I’ve made films in South America, Asia, and Denmark, and it doesn’t matter where I shoot. This is where the story takes me. The most important thing is working with great actors and great staff. I don’t want prima donnas or egos. That way we can all be on the same page.
Why do you think Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction has been so successful at Netflix and with critics?
Because it’s charming, because it’s witty. It has a special atmosphere, its own identity. And it’s about the royal family. Now that the Queen has decided to abdicate, people are even more attracted to her abdication.
Where do you think this fascination with the royal family comes from?
People love royals the same way they love fairy tales. In Denmark, the presence of the royal family gives consistency to this sentiment and unites the country. It gives people a sense that they are part of something bigger.
Margrethe II is especially loved. Why do you think…?
Yes, she is very popular because she is smart, charming and outspoken. I believe that the royal family will be loved as long as they live up to expectations. People today feel that since the royal family’s salaries are paid by the people’s taxes, they should do their best to achieve results. And if they misbehave, people won’t forgive.
You’ve appeared in quite a few period dramas, most recently producing The Count of Monte Cristo, an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novels. Do you miss doing contemporary films?
That’s completely coincidental. I don’t just want to do historical dramas. We just finished filming and editing The Count of Monte Cristo for seven months this fall. But ultimately it’s about the story. Whether it’s a historical drama, modern drama, or science fiction, it’s all about relationships. However, I would like to make a contemporary film soon.