Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction is a 2023 Danish romantic comedy period drama written by Anders August and directed by his father Bille August. It is based on the novel Ehrengard (1963) by Isak Dinesen.

Plot

In the fictional kingdom of Babenhausen, the artist Cazotte is hired by the Grand Duchess to help her son, Prince Lothar, marry and produce an heir. The plan backfires when Prince Lothar and Princess Ludmilla conceive a child several months before their wedding. The Prince and Princess go into hiding at Rosenbad, accompanied by Ehrengard, as lady-in-waiting, and Cazotte. While the Grand Duke's cousins, the Marbods, try to discover what is going on, Cazotte attempts to woo Ehrengard. After an unsuccessful attempt by the Marbods to kidnap the baby, Ehrengard protects the Princess and the real truth of the matter by telling the Marbods that she is the mother of the child. In the end, Cazotte reveals his better-known identity as Casanova.

Cast

Alice Bier Zandén as Ehrengard Mikkel Følsgaard as Mr. Cazotte Sidse Babett Knudsen as the Grand Duchess Emil Dorph as Prince Lothar Emilie Koppel as Princess Ludmilla Jacob Lohmann as Mr. Marbod Sara-Marie Maltha as Mrs. Marbod Christopher Læssø as Mr. Podolski

Production

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark designed 51 costumes for the film, as well as 81 decoupages that made up the basis for the sets. She is credited as set and costume designer, but was not paid by the production companies for her contributions. The film project was developed for over a decade by Jacob Jørgensen and JJ Film. Anders August ("The Marco Effect") wrote the screenplay adapted from Ehrengard (1963), a novel by Isak Dinesen. Marcella Dichmann from SF Studios and Netflix were involved in production, with Netflix also serving as distributor. Bille August directed the film.

Release

The film was released on Netflix on 14 September 2023.

References