As some of you may know I am a big film buff especially movies about royalty.  Anyway, there are two films that I believe are an absolute must see in the coming months.

First, Kongens Nei (The King’s Choice).  Directed by Norwegian writer and director,  Mr. Erik Poppe, Kongens Nei tells the true story of the late His Majesty King Haakon VII of Norway and the German invasion of his country on April 9, 1940.  The film stars Mr. Jesper Christensen and Mr. Anders Baasmo Christiansen.

The entertainment industry trade paper, Hollywood Reporter, writes that the film focuses on “…the real events that turned a brave man into the people’s King.  At the risk of his life Haakon VII stood firm and after three days rejected the Nazi ultimatum, resulting in an air raid designed to kill the King…” 

Beta Cinema, the movie’s international disturber, notes that Kongens Nei is the story about:

“…three dramatic days in April of 1940, when the King of Norway is presented with the monstrous ultimatum from the Germans: surrender or die. 

With German Air Force and soldiers hunting them down, the royal family is forced to flee from the capital. They decide to go separate ways, not knowing if they’ll ever see each other again. While Crown Princess Märtha leaves Norway with the children to seek refuge in Sweden, King Haakon and Crown Prince Olav stay on to fight the Germans.  

After three days of desperately trying to evade the Germans, King Haakon makes his final decision, one that may cost him, his family and many Norwegians their lives.”

Kongens Nei was released on September 23, 2016.  Check your local mega theater chain or your independent/alternative cinema such as the Arclight in Los Angeles, California, for show times.

Next, we have the film A United Kingdom starring Ms. Rosamund Pike and Mr. David Oyelowo.

The film, directed by Ms. Amma Asante, tells the true story of the late Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana, later known as Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama, and his marriage to a British woman named Ruth Williams.

According to the British newspaper, The Guardian, the film is a:

“…true-life tale of unity in the face of cultural apartheid and political expediency remains as relevant as ever in these divided times.  

Rosamund Pike is Ruth Williams, a clerk from Blackheath, south London, working in Lloyds of London in 1947, who is swept off her feet by handsome law student Seretse Khama (Oyelowo). Ruth doesn’t know that Seretse is an African king in waiting, leader-to-be of the Bamangwato people of Bechuanaland (later Botswana), the British protectorate to which he is due to return on completion of his studies.

When Seretse proposes, having duly explained his true identity, Ruth imagines a new life away from the misty drizzle of London, a life that, she assures her fiance, will be taken ‘moment by moment – together’.

But when the news of this high-profile black-and-white union reaches neighboring South Africa, whose National party is busy enshrining apartheid in law, the cash-strapped British authorities move first to forbid and then to undermine the marriage, scared of alienating their supplier of cheap gold and uranium. Seretse’s regent uncle, Tshekedi Khama (Vusi Kunene), also refuses to countenance a white queen and a rift develops that threatens to tear apart more than just love.”

A United Kingdom will be released in the United States on February 17, 2017.