Dangerous liaisons

A Royal Affair is a beautifully mounted historical drama which goes right where so many films of this type go wrong: it doesn’t get distracted by carriages and candlelight and pretty frocks and balls and sumptuous feasts, but keeps its eye firmly and surely on character and story and, my, what a fascinating story it is. Set in late-18th-century Denmark, it is the account of a love triangle between a German doctor, the Queen of Denmark and her imbecilic husband, the King, which sounds preposterous, but is actually based on a true event that not only led to scandal but also ultimately transformed the country.

Although, at times, this is rather coolly aloof in tone, the cast is knock-out, and it is so excellently and expertly done, I’m pretty sure it will float your boat, although my advice? Don’t float for more than four hours without a toilet break or you could come down with a bladder infection.