In a small duchy, a painter (Mikkel Boe Følsgaard) is smitten by a young woman (Alice Bier Zandén) and strikes a deal with the Grand Duchess (Sidse Babett Knudsen) who needs him to teach her son how to find a wife and secure the throne. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark had a dream of turning Karen Blixen’s last novel into a film, and who is better suited than Bille August, who depicted the author in The Pact (2021)? Well, maybe this conventional fairy tale did need a bit more spice; a new Dangerous Liaisons (1988) it ain’t, in spite of pretty production values.

2023-Denmark. VOD. 94 min. Color. Directed by Bille August. Screenplay: Anders Frithiof August. Novel: Karen Blixen. Cinematography: Jan Pallesen. Production Design, Costume Design: Margrethe II. Cast: Mikkel Boe Følsgaard (Cazotte), Sidse Babett Knudsen (The Grand Duchess), Alice Bier Zandén (Ehrengard), Emilie Kroyer Koppel, Jacob Lohmann, Emil Aron Dorph.

Trivia: Original title: Ehrengard: Forførelsens kunst. The story was previously filmed in Italy as Ehrengard (1986).