Oct 031994
 
two reels

Fenge (Gabriel Byrne) usurps the throne of Jutland by killing his brother, King Hardvanael, and marrying his widow (Helen Mirren).  Hardvanael’s son, Amled (Christian Bale), feigns insanity, but Fenge doubts his condition and sends him to a friendly duke (Brian Cox) in England to be murdered.  Instead, the prince becomes a hero, marries an English girl (Kate Beckinsale), and returns to Jutland for his revenge.

Based not on Hamlet, but on its source material, the chronicles of Saxo Grammaticus,  Prince of Jutland tells generally the same tale, but simplified in almost every way.  Luckily, it’s a pretty good tale, filled with intrigue, deceit, and murder.

This account tries for an accurate portrait of medieval Denmark, with simple wooden structures and bland garments.  There are no great warhorses, just small ponies.  The women take nude saunas, hitting each other with branches, and the men fight with primitive weapons.  While this small scale is effective for the story, the term “chieftain” or “village elder” might have been better than “king” for Hardvanael for setting the proper tone.  “King” implies something grander than is found here.

The acting is first rate, with Byrne smoldering with hatred and corruption.  Bale manages to convey a believable, affable young “prince” and plays crazy with a zeal I haven’t seen him match since.  Mirren is always good, and beautiful in the sauna scene.

The scenery adds as much as the cast.  Filmed in Denmark, the movie depicts a beautiful world, but one not friendly to men trying to live off of it.  It is easy to believe that the men of Jutland are always one poor harvest from death.

Unfortunately, the low budget shows through.  The village is a bit too small, particularly as large portions of the population appear to be missing a majority of the time, making it look like this is a conflict over a club house.  But while that’s annoying, the battles are painful.  Look, if you don’t have the money to shoot a sword-swinging, axe-cleaving battle, then don’t put one in your movie.  It’s really that simple.  Instead, we get several.  The first show two men swinging in slow motion before fading to red.  The second is similar to what you might see at a local renaissance faire, with too few men and no believable moves.

Editing is also an issue.  I felt I was watching a two and a half hour film, hacked down to an hour and a half.  Pieces are missing, transitions are too sudden, and both the character and the narrative development often lurch forward before returning to a reasonable pace.  I can only guess that the unnecessary narration (how often are narrations actually needed in films?) was someone’s answer to the uneven flow of the film.  But it rarely comments on anything which isn’t obvious.

I enjoyed Prince of Jutland, when I wasn’t cringing, but it easily could have been much better.

Also known as Royal Deceit in the U.S.

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