In Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction, an artist chases his passion while being tasked to protect a Duke’s throne using his art of seduction. The movie is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Cazotte, a painter, impresses the Grand Duchess of the Kingdom of Babenhausen by talking about how art and seduction take time while painting her portrait. The Grand Duchess is certainly flattered though he rejects her advances.
She believes Cazotte can be a huge help to her. With the Grand Duke gravely ill, the Grand Duchess is on the verge of losing her throne to the Duke’s cousin unless her son, Prince Lothar, finds a suitable wife and gets married, which will allow him to inherit the throne.
The Grand Duchess hires Cazotte and tasks him to light a fire that will make her son want a love life. In exchange, Cazotte asks the Grand Duchess to arrange a meeting with a woman named Ehrengard, whom he met at the grand ball. He intends to paint a portrait of her.
Cazotte is fascinated by Ehrengard because of the way she looks at art. He is ambitious about seducing her and forming a genuine connection. However, a scandal and the presence of the Great Duke’s cousin and his wife make things difficult.
Performances
Mikkel Følsgaard, as Cazotte, is charming, and he lives up to the attributes of his character. Every time he seduces a character on the screen, a viewer will also get lost in his words. He easily catches the attention of viewers with his flattering delivery of dialogue.
Alice Bier Zanden acts cold as Ehrengard. A viewer can understand why an artist like Cazotte is attracted to Ehrengard, thanks to Zanden keeping Ehrengard as mysterious as she can.
Sidse Babett Knudsen, as the Grand Duchess, shares great chemistry with Følsgaard. They are able to portray how good of friends the Grand Duchess and Cazotte become.
Positives
Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction presents a fairy-tale world and a story with very less complications. The plot is kept pretty simple and to the point.
The tone used to present the main idea of the film is also quite easy to understand. Hence, when Cazotte talks about seduction or when the Grand Duchess is explaining the succession, nothing feels too complicated.
Every character introduction shines, from Cazotte sharing his knowledge to Ehrengard’s coldness to even minor characters like Princess Ludmilla being innocent.
The characters certainly leave an impact on the viewer, who will grow to care about them. The costumes further push this factor, making sure that the viewer will always remember these actors in this wardrobe.
Negatives
Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction struggles to nail its ending. It isn’t surprising or exciting; instead, it makes you a bit worried about how the film is trying to achieve its goal. Hence, the journey of the film overshadows the ending, as it doesn’t end up being memorable or impactful.
Verdict
Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction lives up to being a fairy tale, keeping things light, artistic, and beautiful. It easily absorbs a viewer into its world through its steady pace and its approach toward its topic.
Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction
Director: Bille August
Date Created: 2023-09-14 12:30
3.5
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