The Exception

The Exception

Theatrical release poster
Directed by David Leveaux
Produced by
  • Lou Pitt
  • Judy Tossell
Written by Simon Burke
Based on The Kaiser's Last Kiss
by Alan Judd
Starring
Music by Ilan Eshkeri
Cinematography Roman Osin
Edited by Nicolas Gaster
Production
company
  • Egoli Tossell Film
  • Ostar Productions
  • Alton Road Productions
  • Silver Reel
  • Lotus Entertainment
  • Umedia
  • Film House Germany
  • Screen Flanders
Distributed by
  • A24 (United States)
  • Signature Entertainment (United Kingdom)
Release date
  • 12 September 2016 (2016-09-12) (TIFF)
  • 2 June 2017 (2017-06-02) (United States)
  • 2 October 2017 (2017-10-02) (United Kingdom)
Running time
 107 minutes[1]
Country
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Language English
Box office $704,443[2]

The Exception is a 2016 romantic war drama film directed by David Leveaux (in his directorial debut) and written by Simon Burke, based on the 2003 novel The Kaiser's Last Kiss by Alan Judd. The film stars Jai Courtney, Lily James, Janet McTeer and Christopher Plummer.[3] The plot is a fictionalized account of the last few days in the life of exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II (Plummer), where a German soldier, played by Courtney, tries to determine if the Dutch resistance has planted a spy to infiltrate the Kaiser's home in Holland during the onset of World War II, but falls for a young Jewish Dutch woman (James) during his investigation.

In 2014, Egoli Tossell Film announced that development on a film adaptation of Judd's novel had begun. Principal photography lasted six weeks in 2015, across Belgium. The film held its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival in the Special Presentations section.[4] The film received a limited release and video-on-demand release on 2 June 2017 through A24 and DirecTV Cinema in the United States. The film will be released on 2 October 2017 in the United Kingdom through Signature Entertainment.

Plot

During World War II, German soldier Stefan Brandt (Jai Courtney) is sent to head the personal bodyguard of exiled German Emperor Wilhelm II (Christopher Plummer). The Kaiser lives in a castle in the Netherlands, and following the invasion, the German authorities are concerned that Dutch spies may be watching the Kaiser. As Brandt begins to infiltrate the Kaiser’s life in search of clues, he finds himself drawn into an unexpected and passionate romance with Mieke (Lily James), one of the Kaiser’s maids whom Brandt soon discovers is secretly Jewish. A local SS officer informs Brandt that there is a British agent passing information from a nearby village which is being investigated. Mieke is an informant who reports to a pastor in town about what's happening inside the Kaiser's home. When Heinrich Himmler (Eddie Marsan), head of the SS, decides to come for an unexpected visit with a large platoon of SS men, Brandt is forced to choose between following the Nazi party line and following his heart.

Wilhelm's wife discovers that Mieke and Brandt are having an affair and brings it to Wilhelm's attention, expecting Wilhelm to dismiss Mieke and discipline Brandt. However, Wilhelm supports the love that they had for each other and on a couple of occasions had spoken to Mieke about a woman that he had loved before he had gotten married. Brandt suspects Mieke keeps a gun hidden in her room because of the gun oil he smells. When the time comes to have the house searched before Himmler's arrival, Brandt himself searches Mieke's room. Mieke's intention, once she hears of Himmler's scheduled arrival, is to assassinate Himmler in vengeance for the murders of her father and her husband by the Gestapo. Himmler meets with the SS officer and Captain Brandt, telling them that Hitler wants to invite Wilhelm back to Berlin. This is a trap meant to expose and eradicate those who support the restoration of the monarchy. Brandt passes the information along to Wilhelm.

Mieke confronts Wilhelm and reveals the message she carries from the British Prime Minister: Wilhelm is offered asylum in Great Britain and will be offered the German throne after the defeat of Nazi Germany. As the Gestapo closes in on the mansion, searching for the British agent, Brandt devises an escape plan. Wilhelm, Mieke, and Brandt escape in a van with Wilhelm pretending that he has a heart attack. On the way, Mieke asks Brandt to stop the van thinking that Wilhelm has died, but he was simply pretending, giving them a chance to escape. Mieke cannot continue the journey because she's been identified as the agent and would be killed. Brandt cannot abandon his duty as a German officer or he will be executed. They decide to part ways. While Mieke is running into the woods, Brandt asks her if she would marry him to which she says 'Of course' and continues into the woods.

It is then seen that Brandt is sitting at an office desk with mail being delivered to him in his office in Berlin. He opens a package which contains a book which Mieke used to read while an air raid siren goes off. Inside, Mieke has written a London address, so that Brandt will know where to look for her after the war. Mieke is seen sitting at a park by a lake and is approached by a lady who says that the Prime Minister is ready to see her. She puts her hand on her belly as she gets up from the bench; she's pregnant. As people are rushing out of the office in Berlin, Brandt is seen reading the book Mieke gave him; his fate is unknown.

Cast

Production

Pre-production

Christopher Plummer's longtime manager, Lou Pitt, one of the film’s lead producers, 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.”[5]

On 21 May 2014, Egoli Tossell Film, and their parent company Film House Germany, revealed that a film adaptation of Judd's novel, was in development.[6] At the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Lotus Entertainment was handling international sales for the film, previously titled The Kaiser's Last Kiss.[7]

Casting

On 12 May 2015, it was announced Lily James would play, opposite to Christopher Plummer, as Mieke de Jong.[8] On 7 July 2015, Jai Courtney was cast in the leading role as Captain Stefan Brandt.[9] 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.[10]

Filming

On 11 September 2015, it was confirmed that principal photography was underway in Belgium,[10] The film was shot in 33 days over six weeks in various locations in Belgium in 2015.[11]

Release

In October 2016, A24 and DirecTV Cinema acquired U.S distribution rights to the film.[12] The film was released on 2 June 2017.[13] The film was chosen as 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 CEO Gregg Schwenk.[14]

Critical response

Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 78% based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. 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."[15] Metacritic gives the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[16]

References

  1. ↑ "The Exception (2016)". British Board of Film Classification. July 31, 2017. Archived from the original on July 31, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  2. ↑ "The Exception (2017)". The Numbers. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "The Exception". The British Council. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Toronto: Christian Bale-Starrer 'The Promise,' Richard Gere-Starrer 'Norman' Get Gala Screenings". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  5. ↑ "THE EXCEPTION PRESS NOTES Official Selection - Toronto Int’l Film Festival 2016" (PDF). Tribecafilm.com. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  6. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas. "Egoli Tossell readies bold slate". Screendaily.com. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  7. ↑ Ford, Rebecca. "Cannes: Lotus Entertainment Blooms With Bustling Business (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  8. ↑ McNary, Dave. "Cannes: Lily James Starring in Thriller ‘The Kaiser’s Last Kiss’". Variety. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  9. ↑ Jafaar, Ali. "Jai Courtney To Star Opposite Lily James In ‘The Kaiser’s Last Kiss’". Deadline.com. Deadline. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  10. 1 2 Galuppo, Mia. "Janet McTeer Joins Jai Courtney, Lily James in 'The Kaiser's Last Kiss'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 July 2017.
  11. ↑ "Christopher Plummer & Lily James Are ‘The Exception’; Zoe Lister-Jones Directs ‘Band Aid’: Specialty Preview". Deadline.com. 1 June 2017.
  12. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (4 October 2016). "Lily James-Jai Courtney World War II Drama 'The Exception' Nabbed by A24 (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  13. ↑ "The Exception". A24. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  14. ↑ Clement, Nick (20 April 2017). "Newport Beach Film Festival Showcases International and Local Films in Resort Setting by the Sea". Variety. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  15. ↑ "The Exception (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  16. ↑ "The Exception reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
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