Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my pleasure to give an introduction to the screening of the film “the Wild Swans”.

I am particularly delighted that the film is screened here at the National Gallery of Art – an institution that is known throughout the world for its magnificent exhibition of art – and the culture and history it helps preserve. The film you are about to see similarly combines art, culture and history, hence this perfect setting.

The film relates strongly to my country and to my family. The fairytale of “the Wild Swans” is written by Hans Christian Andersen, who is still, to this day, one of the world’s most well-known and cherished storytellers. His fairytales have been translated into more than one hundred and fifty languages.

The work of Hans Christian Andersen is appealing because it never becomes stereotypical or predictable. Some of the fairy tales have happy endings, while others are sad. Some of the stories are set in fantasy lands, while others take place in realistic settings. His writing is often funny and whimsical, but at the same time it has a grave and unsettling undertone, which keeps us on the edge of our seats in suspense.

The fairytales are of course especially popular with children. The stories are entertaining, exciting and a little scary, but they also teach valuable lessons and promote reading.

However, Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales are equally relevant for adults. The stories are complex and layered and they raise universal moral and social issues.

The fairy tales are well-suited for reading out-loud. Countless children have shared precious moments with their parents reading stories at bedtime. My grandfather, King Frederik the ninth, read Hans Christian Andersen to my mother, and likewise my mother, Queen Margrethe the Second, read the fairy tales aloud to me when I was a child. Today, it is my turn to share the fairytales with my children. These are wonderful moments between child and parent.

The film you are about to see is an adaptation of the fairy tale “the Wild Swans”. This fairytale is a classic Hans Christian Andersen fairytale. It is set in a fantasy land, with kings, castles, magic creatures and witchcraft.

A young princess and her eleven brothers are banished by their evil step-mother.  The princess is sent away to the country side, while her brothers are turned into wild swans. The story shows how injustice can be overcome through struggle, perseverance and kindness.

Jacob Jørgensens film is an innovative combination of modern technology and the old art of decoupage. My mother, Queen Margrethe the Second, has composed the decoupages from pieces of paper – often images of paintings and pictures cut out from magazines. These compositions are used as the backdrop in the film, and the actors are transposed into the scenery using green screen technology. The elaborate costumes were also designed by the Queen.

Providing art work for a Hans Christian Andersen adaptation to me is a daunting endeavour. We are often disappointed when watching an adaptation of our favourite book into a movie. This challenge is even greater with the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. In childhood we probably all created our own ideas about what characters such as the Snow Queen, the ugly duckling and the little mermaid should look like.

I will let you be the judge of whether the film succeeds in this endeavour.

Personally, I think the combination of the decoupages, the artistic setting and the green screen acting provides a refreshing, beautiful and different approach to the fairy tale genre.

To me the scenery has a humorous, enchanting and illusive quality, perfect for a fairytale. The tension between the cut-outs, the slightly skewed angels and the distorted perspectives, create a distinct ambiance that reflects the magical, humorous and slightly un-settling quality of Hans Christian Andersen’s stories.

At first, the pictures appear as a cohesive composition, but the picture then invites us to explore the images more closely, and we will then discover hidden intricate details and surprises.

If you would like to take a closer look at the artwork yourselves, the decoupages and the costumes are on display at the Meridian International Center here in Washington, DC throughout the rest of June.

I hope you enjoy the film. Thank you.