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The Exception is a 2016 romantic war film directed by David Leveaux (in his directorial debut) and written by Simon Burke, based on Alan Judd's 2003 novel The Kaiser's Last Kiss. The film stars Jai Courtney, Lily James, Janet McTeer, and Christopher Plummer. The plot is a fictionalized account of the life of exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II (Plummer). When a Wehrmacht officer (Courtney) is ordered to determine whether or not a British spy has infiltrated the Kaiser's residence with a view to assassinating the deposed monarch, he falls in love with one of the Kaiser's maids (James) during his investigation. The film is set in the occupied Netherlands during World War II.
In 2014, Egoli Tossell Film announced that development on a film adaptation of Judd's novel had begun. Principal photography in Belgium lasted six weeks in 2015. The film held its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival in the Special Presentations section. The film received a limited theatrical release and a video-on-demand release on 2 June 2017, through A24 and DirecTV Cinema in the United States. The film was released on 2 October 2017 in the United Kingdom through Signature Entertainment.
Contents
Plot
During World War II, Wehrmacht Captain Brandt takes command of the bodyguard of deposed German Emperor Wilhelm II at Huis Doorn, near Utrecht, the Netherlands. The Germans are concerned that an Allied spy may be planning to assassinate him. While Wilhelm has no power, the SS are aware that he still has great symbolic importance to the German people.
The Kaiser's adjutant, Colonel von Ilsemann, gives Brandt strict orders not to interfere with the female servants, but Brandt is quickly drawn into impulsive sex with one maid, Mieke de Jong. This develops into a passionate affair. She reveals to Brandt that she is Jewish, and after a pause, he replies, "I'm not," telling her not to share her secret with anyone else.
Gestapo Inspector Dietrich informs Brandt that the British Secret Service has an agent with a radio hidden in a nearby village, and orders Brandt to identify a second agent known to be inside the former Kaiser's household.
Before a visit from Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler, Brandt notices a smell of gun oil from Mieke's room. He follows Mieke when she visits the village pastor and hears her tell him that she is prepared to assassinate Himmler as revenge for the SS having murdered her father and husband. The pastor responds that assassinating Himmler is not their mission.
The SS pinpoints the pastor’s radio transmissions. They arrest and savagely torture him, demanding the name of the other spy. Shortly afterward, Wilhelm's ambitious wife, Hermine, tells him of Brandt and Mieke's affair. She expects Wilhelm to dismiss Mieke and have Brandt court-martialed, but the former Kaiser responds that even though he no longer rules Germany, he will rule his own house. He tells the lovers that he fathered illegitimate children before and after marrying his first wife, Empress Augusta Victoria. Saying he will not be a hypocrite, the Kaiser tells them to be more discreet.
During a house search before Himmler's arrival, Brandt himself searches Mieke's room to protect her cover. Brandt learns that the tortured pastor will soon reveal Mieke's identity, and he urges her to flee. She refuses.
Cast
Lily James as Mieke de Jong
Jai Courtney as Captain Stefan Brandt
Janet McTeer as Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz
Christopher Plummer as Kaiser Wilhelm II
Eddie Marsan as Heinrich Himmler
Ben Daniels as Colonel Sigurd von Ilsemann (in Dutch)(in German)
Mark Dexter as Dietrich
Kris Cuppens as Pastor Hendriks
Anton Lesser as General Falkenberg
Lucas Tavernier as SS-Colonel Meyer
Verona Verbakel as Wehrmacht Secretary
Alexis Van Stratum
Production
Pre-production
Christopher Plummer's longtime manager and one of the film's lead producers, Lou Pitt, was recommended Alan Judd's novel The Kaiser's Last Kiss. Pitt said, "The first time I heard about the novel was from Chris, who liked the character and setting quite a lot, as did I after reading it ... this would have been around 2005 or 2006. At the time, the book was under option, but for good reason, we kept an eye on it.”
On 21 May 2014, Egoli Tossell Film and its parent company Film House Germany revealed that a film adaptation of Judd's novel was in development. At the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Lotus Entertainment handled international sales for the film, previously titled The Kaiser's Last Kiss.
Casting
On 12 May 2015, it was announced that Lily James would play the character Mieke de Jong. On 7 July 2015, Jai Courtney was cast in the leading role as Captain Stefan Brandt. On 11 September 2015, Janet McTeer and Eddie Marsan joined the cast of The Kaiser's Last Kiss as Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz and Heinrich Himmler, respectively.
Filming
On 11 September 2015, it was confirmed that principal photography was underway in Belgium. The film was shot in 33 days over six weeks, primarily at Leeuwergem Castle and in various locations in Belgium in 2015.
Release
In October 2016, A24 and DirecTV Cinema acquired U.S distribution rights to the film. The film was released on 2 June 2017. The film was the closing-night selection of the 2017 Newport Beach Film Festival, where Lily James' performance was referred to as "a true breakout" by Festival co-founder and chief executive officer Gregg Schwenk. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the U.S. by Lionsgate on 8 August 2017.
Reception
Critical response
Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 75% based on 63 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Exception (The Kaiser's Last Kiss) elegantly blends well-dressed period romance and war drama into a solidly crafted story further elevated by Christopher Plummer's excellent work and the efforts of a talented supporting cast." Metacritic gives the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".