Ehrengard is a talented fencer and a respected member of high society in the idyllic village of Babenhausen. Cazotte is a brilliant painter skilled in the art of seduction, with nary a penny to his name. When Cazotte meets Ehrengard, he’s immediately smitten. After being hired by the Grand Duchess to find a wife for her son (and only heir), Cazotte becomes enmeshed with the royal family — and their scandals — which brings him ever closer to the enchanting Ehrengard.
Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction is a Danish period film directed by Academy Award, Golden Globe, and two-time Palme d’Or winner Bille August (Pelle the Conqueror, The Best Intentions). It was written by Bille’s son, Anders August (A Fortunate Man, Follow the Money, The Pig) and stars BAFTA TV Award winner Sidse Babett Knudsen and Danish Film Award winner Mikkel Boe Følsgaard.
Watch it at the top of this article.
In the fairy-tale kingdom of Babenhausen, Cazotte — a young, self-appointed expert on love — is asked by the scheming Grand Duchess to help her secure an heir in her son, Prince Lothar. If the Prince doesn’t marry, the throne will go to Mr. Marbod and his wife, an unlikable pair who the Grand Duchess loathes. Cazotte agrees on one condition: She arranges that he paint a portrait of Ehrengard, a woman who’s far out of his reach. So Cazotte teaches the timid and introverted Prince, who has precisely zero interest in marriage, how to seduce his potential matches. The plan eventually backfires, and the royal family is forced into hiding. There, Cazotte falls for Ehrengard, the Princess’ maid of honor, and soon learns he’s far from an expert when it comes to matters of the heart.
Alice Bier Zandén as Ehrengard in ‘Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction.’
Yes, it is based on the novella Ehrengard by Karen Blixen, one of Denmark’s most celebrated authors. The novella was published posthumously under Blixen’s pen name Isak Dinesen. Blixen is best known for her 1937 novel Out of Africa, whose 1985 film adaptation — which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture — stars Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.
Why yes. Danish royal Queen Margrethe II designed the costumes and sets for the period film. The Queen has worked since the ’70s as a set and costume designer for Danish films, theater, and television shows.
“Karen Blixen’s stories have always fascinated me, with their aesthetic tales, their imagination, and their, to me, image-creating worlds,” the Queen told Netflix. “Who is Ehrengard? One of Karen Blixen’s intriguing female characters… I have tried to interpret Blixen’s fantastic universe in the creation of the découpages and costumes.”
The dresses, director Bille August told Netflix, are “the dominant feature of the film’s overall scenographic expression.”
The film takes place in the fictional village of Babenhausen, Denmark.
To learn more about what went into making the film, check out Lifting the Veil: Behind the Scenes of Ehrengard. The short documentary features conversations with Bille August and Queen Margrethe II about how they dreamed up the sets and costumes for the period film.
