Welcome back to Movie Recap. Today I'm gonna show you a 2016 biographical war film called,
The Kings Choice. Spoilers ahead. Sit back, relax and enjoy the video.
The movie begins on April 8 at Skaugum, Asker, wherein King Haakon VII happily plays hide
and seek with his grandchildren in the middle of snowfall. While he counts from one to ten,
his grandchildren quickly find some hiding spots; Crown Prince
Olav suddenly appears at the front door. Due to that, King Haakon sluggishly walks
to approach his son, only to find out that the transport ship was torpedoed in Lillesand earlier
that day. Shocked, King Haakon also learns that the ship was carrying a dozen German soldiers,
but luckily, they were all rescued. Afterward, Olav gives his father,
Haakon, a letter. Then he closely expresses concern that the Government of Prime Minister
Johan Nygaardsvold refuses to give up Norway's neutrality in the face of German aggression.
It shows that Prime Minister Johan does not want to go against King Haakon's Foreign Minister
and does not want to negotiate with anyone. Due to that, it will all depend on Koht.
Technically, Olav wants his father to show the people how far they can go.
Yet, King Haakon chooses not to interfere with the decision of Prime Minister Johan but instead
watches the situation without doing anything. While Olav's waiting for King Haakon's response,
his wife, Martha, suddenly intervenes and informs Olav that Nico's calling him on the phone.
As Olav goes back inside their house, Martha talks with King Haakon,
reminding him to go to the doctor to check up on his back. Afterward, she suddenly opens up about
the occurring events and says that they can't be on the wrong side in the war. Once again, King
Haakon chooses not to respond to the said issue. Later at night, at the German Embassy in Oslo,
German envoy Curt Bräuer receives news from Norsk Telegrambyrå. So, he immediately calls
his wife to join him in listening to the radio. After carefully dropping his son in the bassinet,
Bräuer joins his wife in the living room. While listening, Anneliese informs Bräuer
that France and England have mined the coast to prevent the shipping of ores. Due to that,
Bräuer shows disbelief as he continues listening for more information about the German warships
readily invading some parts of Norway. Meanwhile, at Force Oscarsborg near Drøbak,
a soldier named Kopås informs Colonel Birger Eriksen that foreign ships are arriving by Færder
as Rauøy and Bolærne are reported fighting. Due to that, the Colonel commands Kopås to turn off the
lights at the fort and ask the Superintendent to evacuate from Hallangspollen to Hvidsten.
However, Kopås reminds him that they only have contingent for cannon 1.
So, Colonel Eriksen says to spread both cannon and call non-combatants. German ships are nearly
coming, and Colonel Eriksen immediately prepares his understaffed and inexperienced garrison for
combat despite not receiving orders to shoot. Early on April 9, Eriksen uses a binocular
and discovers that he spots the German cruiser Blücher entering Drøbak Sound.
Going back to the German Embassy in Oslo, Bräuer has left no choice but to sign a memorandum of
voluntary cooperation in the war despite not wanting to get involved. Technically,
military attaché Lieutenant-Colonel Hartwig Pohlman instructs Bräuer to convince the Norwegian
Government to allow the German troops into the country. Bräuer is mandated to encourage them
that the German's intention is not aggression. Unfortunately, despite disagreeing with the
sudden news from Pohlman and defending Norway from a British invasion, he has no choice but to follow
the order after finding out that Norway is the German's main target because of the shoreline.
It becomes a struggle for Bräuer because he knows that
Norway sacrificed a lot to maintain neutrality. Meanwhile, Colonel Eriksen eventually considers
the incoming German ship to be hostile. So, despite not receiving any instructions from
Oslo to engage, Colonel Eriksen already gives the order to load the cannon.
Once the cannon is ready, Colonel Eriksen receives another piece of news, saying that
Filtvet reported a German ship with lights off. Due to that, he commands his soldier to start
speeding up the lighthouse towards Drøbak, Sødem. Meanwhile, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
Oslo, Bräuer takes the German offer and immediately drives on the way to Foreign
Minister Halvdan Koht's office. Upon entering, Bräuer instantly delivers the message, wherein he
addresses the request to the Norwegian Government on behalf of the German leader, Adolf Hitler.
After giving the envelope, Bräuer states to Koht that the German come to defend Norway
from the British invasion. Then in return, the Norwegian military will provide no resistance.
Due to that, Koht says that he needs to discuss the offer first with the Government,
who is staying in the Cabinet next door. So, Bräuer remains silent and waits for the decision.
On the other hand, Colonel Eriksen receives a message that Captain Andersen wants a
categorical order about whether to fire torpedoes against the invading ship. Pissed off, Colonel
Eriksen refuses to follow Captain Andersen's order and commands his soldiers to get ready.
Minutes later, Colonel Eriksen already finds out that the invading ship passed for Småskjaer.
However, the soldier keeps reminding him to wait for confirmation from Kopås, but Colonel Eriksen
can't wait anymore. So, he immediately commands the troops to engage cannons 1 and 2 to fire.
Afterward, he tells Sødem to use the fortress' guns and torpedo battery.
Due to that, Colonel Eriksen watches the Blücher sink after multiple shoots.
Meanwhile, Bräuer receives terrible news from Koht after consulting the Cabinet.
Koht says that Norway is a sovereign nation, and it would cease to be accepted the German demands.
Afterward, he gives back the envelope as a result of saying no to Bräuer's offer.
On the other hand, King Haakon suddenly wakes up due to his assistant's message that the Prime
Minister wants to talk to him on the telephone. So, King Haakon immediately takes the call, only
to find out that there's an impending invasion due to repelled attack and that he needs to flee Oslo.
As King Haakon listens, he learns that the President leaves him an extra train for escape.
Later, the Royal Family immediately boards a train for Hamar.
Once inside, King Haakon receives a message from Peder that German ships were seen in all
major ports and across the country. So, Crown Prince Olav intervenes and asks if there's any
diplomatic contact and a possible trade. Seeing how worried her husband Olav is, Martha talks and
assures Olav to put his trust in Koht and the Government to solve the problems. Afterward,
Peder informs the Royal Family that the Government wants a second meeting when they get to Hamar.
Meanwhile, Bräuer orders Anneliese to contact Koht as he and the Norwegian
Parliament convenes to discuss negotiations with Germany. But then, Anneliese informs
him immediately that Koht cannot be reached. Upon their arrival in Hamar, King Haakon and Olav
eventually meet Prime Minister Johan Nygaardsvold and Hambro. Afterward, King Haakon learns that the
Germans finally invaded Oslo, so the Government immediately sends orders for mobilization.
However, Olav intervenes once again, emphasizing the words to his father that their
belief in neutrality remains clear. So, Hambro reassures Olav that new negotiations will come.
While walking, King Haakon finds out that his elder brother,
King Christian, was delivered to Denmark at 5 AM.
Meanwhile, Bräuer talks to Pohlman, his intermediary with the Norwegian Cabinet,
wherein he discovers that they take all the entrances and exits of highways in Oslo.
Technically, it shows its revenge for bombing the Blücher despite wanting to protect the Norwegians.
So, Bräuer tries to calm him down, saying that the Germans should let him negotiate and contact
the Government before further losses. Due to that, Pohlman reminds Bräuer
that once General Falkenhorst arrives tomorrow, Norway will be in their hands,
starting from the King to the smallest farmer. So, if today's deal fails in the hands of Bräuer,
Pohlman will have no choice but to put the action. Worried, Bräuer starts finding the Government as
he doesn't want the German troops to find it for him.
Later, King Haakon talks with Prime Minister Hambro, only to find out that the Government
has no determination to decide. So, Prime Minister Hambro made a final verdict himself,
which he chose to refuse to sign the waiver to negotiate between small groups.
Inside the Norwegian Parliament court, Prime Minister Koht announces that a German envoy asked
to resume negotiations based on documents sent to them earlier. Then they said 'no' for an answer.
But since most of the people in the Norwegian Parliament wanted a change, Prime Minister Koht
decided to resume the negotiations immediately. Suddenly, Olav intervenes and asks the Norwegian
Parliament officials what has changed in the last few hours. So, Prime Minister Koht answers,
telling him that Norway is under attack and the Government itself has lost control of a large
part of the country. Due to that, they continue the negotiations in the hope of a cease-fire.
After that, King Haakon eventually rises from his seat to leave,
telling them that he will be happy to support it if the Government wants to negotiate.
Upon leaving, Olav contradicts his father's decision again.
So, King Haakon clarifies that he should try to learn something instead of criticizing the
whole time. King Haakon is concerned about putting his family together and supporting
the Government, but Olav acts otherwise. Due to that, Olav argues with his father
and tells him that he should command the Government to start
mobilizing instead of being afraid to fight. Meanwhile, Bräuer discovers that Pohlman receives
orders from Berlin to send paratroopers to Hamar to capture the King and the Cabinet.
As Bräuer waits for Pohlman's response, Anneliese suddenly intervenes and calls Bräuer,
saying that police chief Kristian Welhaven wants to talk to him inside the office.
Once inside, Welhaven informs Bräuer that the Norwegian Government reported intending
to continue negotiations. Then he adds that all hostilities should cease immediately.
Due to that, Bräuer tells Pohlman, who's waiting outside the office, to stop the action against
Hamar. However, Pohlman says that he couldn't stop the soldiers anymore as they had already left.
Meanwhile, at the Farm Sælid Hamar, the Royal Family are peacefully having their
breakfast when suddenly they hear that Vidkun Quisling proclaims himself Prime Minister of the
Norwegian Government over the national radio. Due to that, Olav raises the radio volume,
only to find out Quisling is now calling upon the Norwegian people to accept the
German occupation forces, a deal they have to face after England broke Norway's neutrality.
Meanwhile, Anneliese tries to convince Bräuer to talk to Quisling,
but Bräuer says he can no longer take a stand because Quisling has already given a coup d'etat.
As German troops advance towards Hamar and Norway is now at war, the Royal Family
and the Cabinet have left no choice but to choose another option to relocate to Elverum.
Eventually, Bräuer receives a telephone call from the Prime Minister.
Upon taking it, Bräuer explains that Quisling will never be accepted as a government leader.
Due to that, the Prime Minister puts the call on Adolf Hitler.
Shocked, Bräuer has left no choice but to follow Hitler's order to go directly to the King
and convince him to recognize Quisling's Government. So, despite knowing that neither
King Haakon nor the Cabinet will agree with it, Bräuer begins to act on Hitler's behalf.
Upon their arrival at Elverum, the Royal Family eventually makes a tough decision on how they will
survive the war against the Germans. Despite not wanting the verdict, Martha accepts that
King Haakon and his husband, Crown Prince Olav, will remain in the country while she and their
three children will move to Sweden. Minutes after arriving at Elverum,
Martha and the kids immediately leave the place because the Germans are already on their way.
Meanwhile, King Haakon and Olav drive to Nybersgund to spend their night in the meantime.
Nybersgund is a closer place to the border with Sweden.
After midnight on April 10, the German paratroopers eventually attack a roadblock
at Midtskogen. So, the Norwegian volunteers took immediate action and then beat back the
enemies. Unfortunately, one of the young Norwegian volunteers, Seeberg, severely injures himself from
the explosive bomb while engaging in gunfire. At Nybergsund, the Cabinet meets to discuss
Bräuer's request to meet the King alone to end the hostilities, wherein Olav disagrees with sending
his father to them. However, the Cabinet has no choice as trading is the only option to have peace
in Norway. So, if King Haakon refuses to take Hitler's offer, the carnage will only worsen.
So, despite Olav's objections and fears for his father's security, Haakon agrees to meet
with Bräuer at Elverum. Due to that, Olav has left no choice but to agree with his father.
Later, Bräuer drives to Elverum alone. While King Haakon,
on the other hand, leaves Nybergsund early. A while later, Bräuer and King Haakon
finally arrive at Elverum Public School. Once inside, King Haakon begins the meeting
with Bräuer while the Cabinet listens to be the witnesses. But Bräuer insists that it's an order
from Hitler to have the conversation only between them. Leaving him no choice, King Haakon orders
the Cabinet to leave the room for a while. Once alone, Bräuer urges Haakon to follow the
example of his elder brother, King Christian of Denmark, to capitulate without further resistance.
He then shows that the official Government has no power, especially since Quisling has it already.
Afterward, Bräuer immediately tells King Haakon to sign the paper.
Frustrated, King Haakon explains that he cannot just give an immediate answer to
Bräuer's offer because the whole people must make the decision. Unfortunately, Bräuer only
infuriates King Haakon more, resulting in Haakon relaying his discussion to the Cabinet, for he
cannot accept Quisling as Norway's Prime Minister. Afterward, the Cabinet enters the room once again.
So, instead of King Haakon, the Cabinet replaces him and talks with Bräuer for negotiation. Due
to that, Bräuer has left no choice but to go and wait for King Haakon's response until the evening.
After, King Haakon goes back to Nybergsund and talks with his son, Olav.
Afterward, he calls for a meeting with the official, wherein he reveals that the German
negotiation is a heavy responsibility that he cannot support anymore. So, he gives the
decision to the Cabinet, for he will remain to his response of not accepting the German demands.
Technically, King Haakon would only offer to surrender if the Cabinet felt otherwise.
Inspired by King Haakon's decision, the Cabinet informs Bräuer of their refusal.
After receiving the King's response through the telephone call, Bräuer immediately notifies
Pohlman about it, only to find out that Hitler had already received the message.
The following day, German aircraft begins to bomb Elverum and Nybergsund to respond
to the Cabinet's decision. Due to that, Haakon and the Cabinet force to flee into the woods.
While running, King Haakon suddenly gets separated from his son, Olav, due to continuous explosions.
The movie ends with King Haakon, the Crown Prince Olav, and the Cabinet eventually
escaping to Britain after a sudden attack in Nybergsund. It is revealed that they stayed in
Britain until the war ended. Unfortunately, a record shows that thirty-four people lost their
lives during the bombings in Elverum. But on the other hand, all citizens from Nybergsund survived.
Then, years later, the German finally surrendered, and King Haakon eventually got reunited with his
grandson, Prince Harald, in London. Due to that, King Haakon, Crown Prince Olav,
and Prince Harad safely return to Norway to reunite with Martha and the other kids.