Sindre Kaspersen
Finnish screenwriter, producer and director Mika Kaurismäki's feature film which he produced and which was written by American literary translator Linda Gaboriau and Canadian screenwriter Michael Marc Bouchard, is inspired by a play and real events. It premiered in Canada, was shot on locations in Finland and Germany and is a Finland-Canada-Sweden-Germany-France co-production. It tells the story about a Swedish foster child named Christina Augusta (1626-1689), born in a royal castle called Three Crowns (1697) in Stockholm, Sweden into the Swedish Empire (1611-1721), made queen-elect (1632) and sovereign in (1644).Distinctly and precisely directed by Finnish filmmaker Mika Kaurismäki, this quietly paced and somewhat fictional tale which is narrated mostly from the protagonist's point of view, draws a concentrated portrayal of a majestically educated Queen of Sweden, Princess of Finland, Duchess of Estonia and Lady of Ingria and Wismar who had a lady-in-waiting and foster mother surnamed Leijonhufvud (1639-1644), was crowned King of Swedes, Goths and Vandals and who relinquished her rule, abdicated, went to Innsbruck, Tyrol in Austria and named herself Christina Alexandra (1654). While notable for its atmospheric milieu depictions and cinematography by cinematographer Guy Dufaux, this dialog-driven and narrative-driven story about interdependence and autonomy and the distinct distinction between a human being and a religion was made more than eight centuries after a town called Stockholm (1252), seven centuries after Heidelberg University (1386) in Germany, five centuries after an Italian 16th century painter's work portraying an Italian consecrated virgin forenamed Lucia (1521), the House of Vasa (1523-1672), an English ship named Mary Willoughby (1536), Danviken Hospital (1558-1861), a liturgy called "The Red Book" (1577), the quote: "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown." from Henry IV, Part II (1597), four centuries after the Protestant Union of Germany (1608-1621), the Catholic League of Germany (1609-1635), a Swedish confidant named Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna (1583-1654) became Lord High Councillor of Sweden (1612), the Second Defenestration of Prague (1618), a Scottish-English Electress of Palatine (1085-1803) named Elizabeth Stuart (1596-1662) was crowned Queen of Bohemia (1619), Great Children's House (1624-1785) in Queen Street (1639), Stockholm, in Sweden, the Instrument of Government (1634), a Swedish countess called Catherine of Sweden (1548-1638) was appointed (1636) guardian of the child of a German Queen Dowager named Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg (1599-1655), Battle of Prague (1648), the Peace of Westphalia (1648), a Swedish courtier and maid of honour named Ebba Magnusson Brahe (1596-1674) petitioned Queen Christina and thereby succeeded in creating a city called Jacobstad in Finland (1652), four centuries after Accademia degli Arcadi (1690) in Rome, Italy, a poet, in a poem, possibly created Mother Svea (1672), three centuries after an English-Scottish gardener named Philip Miller (1691-1771) named a life Acacia (1754), a Swedish physician described a life called the White Butterfly which he named Pieris rapae and the yellowhammer (1758), Stockholm Palace (1760) and a Swedish stage actress named Ester Lovisa Sofia Augusti Solomon (1756-1790) became a court singer (1773) and the Catholic Church in Sweden (1781).Made three centuries after a locality was named Vilhelmina (1804) after a German Queen consort named Friederike Dorothea Wilhelmina of Baden (1781-1826) who in 1797 was married per procura, the House of Bernadotte (1810), a Danish poet nicknamed Mother Koren referred to herself as "the noble abused foster daughter." (1814), two centuries after Wallin Girl's School (1831-1939) in Sweden, a Swedish Illis Quorum recipient named Carin Sophie Adlersparre (1823-1895) attended a finishing school (1836-1838), a Swedish instrumentalist named Marie Pauline Landby Åhman (1812-1904) started working (1851) at the Royal Swedish Orchestra (1526), a Scottish-Swedish governess named Jane Miller Thengberg (1822-1902) created a Girl's School for education of women teachers in Uppsala, Sweden called Klosterskolan (1855-1863), Riksdag (1866) in Sweden, an Icelandic painting called "Lady of the Mountain" (1866), Långholmen Prison (1880-1975), the birth of a Swedish chairperson named Signe Wilhelmina Ulrika Bergman (1869-1960) who participated in the Sixth Conference of the International Women's Suffrage Alliance (1911), an English art model named Lady Edith Villiers (1841-1936) became Lady of the Bedchamber (1895), a Swedish Madame named Gertrud Virginia Adelborg (1853-1943) authored a writing regarding women's political right to vote (1898), a Swedish poet lived at a place nicknamed the Blue Tower (1908-1912) and a royal UK training ship named HMS Clio (1858-1919) was certified for the reception of boys (1908), a term called the Electra complex (1913), ninety-four years after a Swedish social worker named Nelly Maria Thüring (1875-1972) became a member of the Riksdag (1921), eighty-two years after a feature film starring a Swedish actress named Greta Lovisa Gustafsson (1905-1990) called "Queen Christina" (1933), sixty-nine years after a Swedish author named Elin Matilda Elisabet Wägner (1882-1949) who was a teacher at Fogelstad Citizen School for Women (1922-1954) became a member (1944) of the Swedish Academy (1786), a singer with names meaning foreign and dweller in the valley sang: "Alas my love you do me wrong to treat me so discourteously … I sent thee kerchiefs for thy head ... that made thee be our harvest queen … fare thee well, adieu …" (1959), thirty-nine years after the Instrument of Government (1974), a Swedish author surnamed Norén wrote: "Song about woman's revolting roles" (1976), ten years after Equal Pay Day (2005), seven years after a voice sang within the mirror's edge: "… no shadows … red lights … let it … racing through …" (2008), contains a great and timely score by composer Anssi Tikanmäki.This versatile retelling which is set in Sweden in the 17th century and where an Empress regnant of peace silences those at Her Majesty's Pleasure asking for a successor by committing a Most Excellent act where she declares her first cousin her son, is impelled and reinforced by its cogent narrative structure, substantial character development, rhythmic continuity, comment by Her Majesty: "I will have a private audience with whom I please." and the immediate acting performances by Swedish actress Malin Buska and Finnish actress Laura Birn. A dynastic narrative feature.
ccorral419
Palm Springs International Film Festival- Film Review: The Girl King. Director Mika Kaurismaki and Writer Michel Marc Bouchard bring to the screen the tale of Sweden's 17th-century monarch Kristina, who takes the thrown at the age of six and later assumes the power over her country at the age of 18. The fact that she is a woman now reigning of the country run by men, takes a back seat to her desire to change her country from war and division to a society of peace. While this battle to turn her people around is fought by many, there is an underlying need/call for her to marry and producer an off-spring. Yet, with many a handsome suitor at her taking (including Lucas Bryant and François Arnaud), Kristina (Malin Buska) has eyes on her lady-in-waiting Countess Ebba Sparreat (Sarah Gadon). For a film that is relatively unknown (except in the Gay/Lesbian arena), this small film is produced with excellence, featuring terrific acting, period piece costumes, intriguing dialogue and storyline that keeps the audience waiting to see what Kristina will do with her life. Small independent films that pack a wallop like "The Girl King" are what Film Festivals are all about.
vivaldi-bgd
The super-interesting trailer for The Girl Kind promised more than was really in the movie. It's kind of an open and unfinished story on multiple levels - Kristina's reign regarding the military campaign, country reforms and her personal life. All these important stories were merely touched in the movie. We never got to see whether or not Kristina actually reformed anything in Sweden at the time, the military campaign was also very vague and her relationship with the Countess deserved much more.I indeed expected more to be seen between the two ladies in terms of chemistry and storyline. Though they shared enough time on screen, the relationship is missing a lot. We could only get a glimpse of Buska and Gadon's potential in a few scenes where they showed subtle, unspoken affection between the two characters. It's a pity the director did not use more of their talent to tell a very personal story of Kristina and how deep the relationship with Sparre must have been. There is enough historical evidence to confirm Kristina's sexuality. A character so passionate about knowledge, philosophy and art surely must have been even more passionate about the affairs of the heart. It's a pity only the dark side of it was depicted in the movie. In spite of this movie being about Kristina, obviously a lot of her is embedded in Sparre's character. Unfortunately, Sparre's side of the love coin was left unexplored.
