The Girl King -- Setting, Details, and Design
Costumes
Women's Wear
Dresses displayed in The Girl King are a mix of period dresses, and dresses that would have been more popular before Kristina’s reign. Low-cut dresses, and dresses that are off shoulder were top fashion during the 1650s, as opposed to the dresses she wore in the film that had a high neck and did not show much cleavage or skin.(1) Had the costuming followed more traditional dresses of the time we would have seen lower necklines, and puffier sleeves. A dress that is of considerable noting is the dress Queen Kristina gave to Ebba Sparre. The dress is very similar to the actual one that Sparre is seen wearing in a portrait the Queen had made of her. The puffy sleeves, and off shoulder style, pearls and even the way Sparre held her hand is almost identical to the portrait. Because this is one of the only portraits done of Kristina or anyone in her social circle, the director most likely found this to be an important part to include.Men's Wear
The Girl King had an interesting challenge of creating the menswear clothing for Queen Kristina and for the men in the film. The costume department juxtaposed their outfits and did not follow the traditional dress of men for Kristina. Men’s pants were loose around the thighs unless covered by a suit jacket.(2) Kristina’s pants that she wore were fitted tightly to her entire leg. Kristina’s jackets and blouses are more ornamented than the advisors around her. These differences in men's costuming clearly show that while she was raised like a boy, she would not fit in as a man in a man’s world. Instead, she should attempt to fit into the women’s world.Hair
Queen Kristina was not a woman who cared about her appearance, including the state of her hair. This was portrayed accurately in the film, as the only times Queen Kristina’s hair was not in disarray were special events such as her coronation or times when the public would see her. It has been reported that she would run a comb through her hair once a week.(3) By not having her hair in perfect condition throughout the movie, it emphasizes her views of women of the time. Music assists in adding to a film’s events and moves the viewers to follow the emotions of the characters on screen. In The Girl King, some attempts were made to reflect the Baroque period of music, but occasionally the contemporary sounds would take away from the historical accuracy of the film even though they added to the emotions of the scene.Music
The coronation scene serves as an example of mixing contemporary and traditional music. The organ carries the scene and is the primary instrument of the score. Organs are considered a chordal instrument that can fill a room.(4) The orchestral score accompanying the organ was unnecessary and did not add to the seriousness of her crowning moment. The following scene features a small group of performers with musical adornments introduced in the age, like trills, vibratos, and tremolos.(5) Using these ornaments adds to the ambience a coronation dinner would have then. The final scene, again in the church where she was crowned, has a harpsichord as the primary instrument, symbolizing the relief she felt from the release of her duties. The up and down vocals do not match the traditional shape of music, where dynamics were a gradual process.(6) The use of less traditional musical elements may have been the director trying to show how Queen Kristina felt out of place in her time and gender roles. The contemporary features reflected her feelings in each scene, while the traditional background contrasted her non-traditional thoughts and actions. This reflects the constant war she had between expectations of her, the way she was raised, and the vision she had for Sweden.Setting
Lighting
Viewers may be surprised by the brightness of the film. One example from the middle of the film, has Kristina’s council around a table in a room with no windows and the lighting source clearly is not coming from the candles in the background. The unnatural lighting patterns only take away from the film for a short time, but would have been a great detail to consider to transport the audience to 1632.Location
The filming was done in Finland and Germany.(7) Landscape shots would have been similar to that of Sweden, even though they were not done in the country. The castle they used for exterior shots was Turku Castle in Finland. The castle Kristina would have reigned in (Tre Konor) was severely burned in a fire in 1697, hence why they did not film at the Tre Konor. A comparison picture displays the Tre Konor is 1661, and an exterior of the castle in the film.The Girl King, like many historical films, must pick and choose what events it portrays. The film allowed the viewer to get a glimpse of high Swedish society in the seventeenth century, but still be swept into the story of a scandalous historical figure's life. In regards to the setting and surroundings the film is accurate; and the variations made are meant to aid in developing character.
(1) Doreen Yarwood, Fashion in the Western World (London: B.T. Batsford Ltd, 1992), 41-53.
(2) Yarwood, Fashion in the Western World, 38-48.
(3) Paul Lewis, Queen of Caprice (New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1962), 55-57.
(4) Anthony Burton, A Performer's Guide to Music of the Baroque Period (London: The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, 2002), 4.
(5) Burton, A Performer's Guide, 43.
(6) Burton, A Performer's Guide, 7.
(7)"The Girl King: Filming Locations," IMDb, Access date: Jan 26, 2017, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1254322/locations.
Written and edited by Anna Buan & Marah Moy.
