1994 yielded at least two versions of Hamlet of vastly different quality. Of course, the animated masterpiece known as The Lion King is a fairly faithful adaptation of the classic Shakespeare source material. The other you probably have not heard of, and if you have you likely have not heard much good about it. In truth, it is not technically an adaptation of Hamlet, but rather an adaptation of the Danish legend of prince Amleth, which would go on to inspire Shakespeare. Anyone familiar with the play will clearly see the similarities, only without the attention to detail and dialogue that the famous playwright brought to the proceedings. This little-known film is Royal Deceit (alternatively known as The Prince of Jutland). The most notable thing by far about the film is its cast; a baby-faced Christian Bale only had a few films such as Newsies under his belt, while great performers such as Helen Mirren (F9: The Fast Saga) and Gabriel Byrne (Hereditary) must have been in need of some money. The film from Gabriel Axel (Babette’s Feast) is not good, but you almost feel as if you have to watch it out of respect for the performers.
For those who need a refresher on the basics of the plot, Bale plays the young Amled, son of Hardvendel (Tom Wilkinson) and Geruth (Helen Mirren) – the King and Queen of Jutland. When the King’s brother, Fenge (Gabriel Byrne), gets tired of not having what his brother has, he gathers a small group of men and plots the death of his brother. When he succeeds on his mission, the rightful heir to the throne Amled is left “mad” due to seeing his father and brother killed right in front of him. The now simple-minded Amled is left to wander around the village while Fenge ascends to the throne and shacks up with Geruth with a head-spinning quickness. The only thing that might throw a wrench into Fenge’s straightforward plan is if the secret of his duplicity were ever to get out to the people and his new Queen. In an effort to cover his tracks for good, he sends Amled away to a foreign relative where he plans to arrange his death, but Amled might not be as stricken with madness as he appears.
If you endeavor to seek out Royal Deceit, it may be best to take my approach to the film. It will become readily apparent about ten minutes into the film that you are watching something terrible. It is at this point that you can accept the film’s deficiencies and openly make fun of it with a close friend or loved one. The approach taken with this film is simply bizarre at times. The dialogue that these otherwise great performers are saddled with is wildly amateurish and overly expository. Worse still is the actual character choices that are made throughout the entirety of the film. That the whole film is rendered pointless by the fact that if Amled dropped his charade of pretending to be mad earlier then his uncle never would have gotten to become king and sleep with his mom is very frustrating. From the moment he is “struck with madness,” Bale gives an over-the-top performance of a crazy person who crows like a rooster and chews on random branches. It really has to be seen to be believed. When he is in his right mind, he scarcely fares better as he sets himself up for dangerous confrontations when it’s unnecessary.
The fight scenes in Royal Deceit are not thrilling or well-executed. If you have seen a high school play where a gangly teenager lumbers forward and awkwardly sticks his fake blade into his co-star, you are not miles away from the same energy of this film. There never seems to be any real stakes throughout the narrative. Every scene fails to build on the previous one. The feature also has a very strange relationship with women, as within the opening minutes you get a gratuitous bathhouse scene where a group of women walk around naked for no good reason. This is a recurring theme throughout the film with multiple shots of naked women being stirred out of sleep or otherwise surprised in various ways. There are many other fun faces that pop up throughout the film from Brian Cox (Succession), who has a brief but memorable role, to a very young Kate Beckinsale, who could be described as almost less than two-dimensional. The movie is ridiculous, but is one that you can have fun with under the right circumstances. Do not look at the cast and think there might be undiscovered greatness. This is a blight on most careers, but one at which you can laugh.
Video Quality
Royal Deceit makes its Blu-Ray debut courtesy of MVD Entertainment with a digital AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 that appears to be derived from an older master that is in decent shape. Instances of print damage such as nicks and scratches are pretty consistent, but overall clarity and detail is impressive given the quality of the source material. The presentation is enjoyable throughout most of the runtime with image stability and delineation being quite strong. This transfer maintains the natural film grain of the presentation with only minor instances of seeming a bit loose. The picture maintains a nice depth even in long shots, and colors are well saturated within the greens and brown of the natural world. Skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels hold up well with very little in the way of crush. This presentation is a really nice effort that is honestly better than you would expect for this title.
Audio Quality
This new Blu-Ray comes with a LPCM 2.0 mix that features all of the sounds of the film quite well. This is a film that utilizes its score quite effectively in a way that makes the film really come alive. It is presented with a great clarity and a pleasing fidelity as it comes through the room. The dialogue holds up wonderfully, coming through clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. The environmental effects are delineated nicely from the clanging of swords against one another to the animal noises. The track avoids most instances of age related wear and tear or distortion. This is a track that represents the film in an impressive manner. Optional English subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Trailers: The nearly two-minute trailer for Royal Deceit is provided here as The Prince of Jutland. There are also trailers provided for Adam Resurrected, Camino, Savage Dog and Close Range.
Final Thoughts
Royal Deceit is a huge misfire in almost every conceivable way, but under the right circumstances you might be able to enjoy mocking it with others. Even the performers who would typically be the saving grace of a film such as this are unable to conjure any enthusiasm in their roles. The new Blu-Ray for MVD Entertainment is serviceable in its A/V presentation but there is next to nothing in terms of special features.
Royal Deceit is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: MVD Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
