An excellent Norwegian film with a strong sense of history

Reginald 2022-01-23 08:06:34

This is not a movie focused on depicting war scenes, but this is a movie that reproduces intense and "exciting" war scenes. This is not a biopic about the Norwegian King, but a movie with a "heavy sense of history".

Compared to British, American, French and German films, Norwegian films may be relatively unfamiliar to us. The most memorable Norwegian movies I have seen are "Headhunter" and "Dead Snow 2."

The reason why the title of this film attracts us is probably the British Oscar-winning film "The King's Speech". Its content also has similarities with it, both of which took place during World War II. And the two films also have their own sense of history. I even think the film "The King's Choice" has a more profound sense of history.

The first half of the movie is very tight. At the beginning, the bridge sections such as Fort Oscar were very exciting. If you like "Speech of the King" and "Destruction of the Empire" and other movies with a strong sense of history, then you might also like this movie.


Spoilers will be involved below:
At the beginning of the film, considering that audiences in other countries may not know much about this period of history, I will briefly introduce the relevant background of Norwegian King Haakon VII in the form of subtitles. After playing some black and white historical records about the tall and thin Norwegian king, the scene begins with an old man in an old-fashioned but solemn black suit playing hide-and-seek with his grandchildren in the snow. And this old man is the king of Norway. The director is telling us that King Haakon VII is actually just an ordinary old man with a "special identity". The identity of this king is different from the king in European history hundreds of years earlier, because he was a king democratically elected by the people after Norway's independence. He is only a symbol of the Kingdom of Norway, and the real power is in the hands of the government led by the Prime Minister of Norway.

One of my favorite clips in the whole film is Oscar Borg Fortress. This bridge is very exciting and exciting. The colonel, the commander who guards the coast, is an old man, but he is also a very resolute, experienced, and determined general. The choice of this role is also intriguing, and many features are almost the same as those of the king. So the director should be using the role of colonel to shape the character of the king. This battle is very exciting. With his rich experience and keen judgment, the colonel determined that the incoming ship (Blucher) was invaded by Germany. In order to preemptively strike, he ordered the guns to fire before receiving orders from his superiors. I don’t know if you have noticed that the cannon used by the Norwegian army is the 40-year-old German-made cannon and its shells. Even the shells are impressive. This is a very rare old-fashioned shell with a round head and a very heavy white. The film took several shots to specifically describe whether it is turning the gun head, transporting the shells, hoisting the shells, etc., there are a lot of hands in the screen, and these old equipment require several people to operate. The sound and picture when the gun was fired was also very shocking. The close-up shots of the gun barrel and the good sound effects, as well as the description of the calm and decisive command of the experienced colonel when the artillery fired back from the local authorities, were all awe-inspiring. Respectfully!

The middle of the battle was interspersed with the scene of the old king lying on the ground, curled up with his legs and talking on the phone, on the other side of the night, and this scene reappeared on the hotel bed during the escape. Looking at the conversation between the old king and his daughter at the beginning, the daughter mentioned that Hakon VII had a problem with his back (this is why we should throw away Simmons and switch to a hard bed. I have a backache after sleeping on a soft bed for a long time. Fault). It can be seen that although Hakon VII is a national symbol, he is still willing to stand up and work for the country when the country is in crisis. On the other hand, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the German ambassador took Hitler's order to ask the Norwegian Foreign Minister to sign a surrender agreement. The foreign minister looked under the candle light (because of the emergency power outage), and took the agreement to another room and talked with government officials. It can be seen that the government knew that something was going to happen, and it was ready a long time ago and ran to the embassy to wait. It didn't take long for the foreign minister to reject the agreement, and added Hitler's classic saying: When a nation succumbs to foreign aggression, it is not worth living. For Germany, this is really a slap in the face!

Immediately after daybreak, the King of Norway was evacuated urgently, and the bridge section before he left was very touching and slightly "funny". The old king first made an excuse for forgetting to bring his eyes back and wanted to go back. He was proudly told by his subordinates that he had put it in his bag, and then he had forgotten his diary. Finally, he went to the toilet and went back to the room for a while. Because he knows that this is possible, maybe forever. He didn't know if he could survive the war, if he could return to his official residence, or if he could maintain his throne.

The next fate of the Norwegian King was bumpy. Keep running away and running around. Go to a hotel first, and there are several maids in informal dresses (in stark contrast to the maids in formal dresses in the king’s mansion), but the bed is a lot smaller, and the single bed looks very short, as if you must have a king. Curled up (contrast with the wide "three-person" bed in the mansion). Later, when I went to another hotel, it was already overcrowded, with refugees sleeping everywhere, and the king had to step over the refugees. There is no more a maid there. Later, he had to let his grandchildren leave to ensure their safety.

The role of the German ambassador is also particularly interesting. From what he said at the very beginning, it can be seen that he was anti-war, and even held a pessimistic attitude towards the German war, knowing that he would definitely lose. As an ambassador and diplomat, his duty is to solve international problems through diplomatic channels. Therefore, as a dove, he is also constantly looking for ways to reduce damage to Norway different from the military in an effort to achieve a plan acceptable to both Germany, the King of Norway and the legal government: the King of Norway accepts the surrender on behalf of the country, and Germany Repeal the pseudo-government and continue to allow the legitimate government to govern under German administration.

What's interesting is that the King of Norway is a democratically elected king. He represents the people. He is unwilling. He also believes that the people are unwilling to accept surrender. Therefore, he fought against the lonely German ambassador. This is the only king. Once angry in the movie. In fact, from the beginning to the end, the king’s will was firm. At the temporary meeting held by the fleeing officials, the prime minister resigned, and the king stood up without waiting for him to finish saying that he would not accept the resignation and let all officials abide by their duties. Persist in fighting to the end. What does this show? The king is the spiritual pillar of the Norwegian nation and the true leader at this moment of crisis! Afterwards, the argument between him and his impetuous son in the corridor showed that it was not easy for him as a king. He also had to find ways to cooperate with the government and accept their decision.

There are other well-formed little characters in the movie: for example, young soldiers, who are ignorant and don't know what happened. They are very happy to see the king, and they keep walking with the car to salute the king.

These and so on are reminding us that although Norway is not a big country that fought against Germany in World War II, these little forces that persisted in resisting and unwilling to give in are still worthy of our respect. Although there is no sensational theme of the theme, the patriotism and indomitable will of the film can also stir ripples in our hearts as foreign audiences.

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Extended Reading
  • Amelie 2022-04-21 09:03:27

    There are old affairs of imperial power, foreign invasion of sovereignty, maintenance of civil rights, and the suffering of overthrow in the end. The responsibility pushes the government, but it is the old fox.

  • Sincere 2022-04-21 09:03:27

    The atmosphere is tense, the story is compact, and the angle of view is obviously that the camera is a little shaken.