{{short description|2016 film by David Leveaux}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}} {{Infobox film | name = The Exception | image = The Exception.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = [[David Leveaux]] | based_on = {{Based on|''[[The Kaiser's Last Kiss]]''|[[Alan Judd]]}} | producer = {{Plainlist| * Lou Pitt * Judy Tossell }} | writer = Simon Burke | starring = {{Plainlist| * [[Lily James]] * [[Jai Courtney]] * [[Janet McTeer]] * [[Christopher Plummer]] * [[Ben Daniels]] * [[Eddie Marsan]] * [[Anton Lesser]] * [[Mark Dexter]] * [[Martin Savage (actor)|Martin Savage]] }} | music = [[Ilan Eshkeri]] | cinematography = [[Roman Osin]] | editing = Nicolas Gaster | studio = {{Plainlist| * Egoli Tossell Film * Ostar Productions * Alton Road Productions * Silver Reel * Lotus Entertainment * [[Umedia]] * Film House Germany * Screen Flanders }} | distributor = {{Plainlist| * [[A24]]<br />[[DirecTV]] (United States) * [[Signature Entertainment]] (United Kingdom) }} | released = {{Film date|2016|9|12|[[2016 Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]|2017|6|2|United States|2017|10|2|United Kingdom|df=yes}} | runtime = 107 minutes<ref>{{cite news | url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/exception-2016 | title=The Exception (2016) | publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=31 July 2017 | access-date=31 July 2017 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20170731183014/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/exception-2016 | archive-date=31 July 2017 | url-status=dead | df=dmy-all }}</ref> | country = {{Plainlist| * United Kingdom * United States }} | language = English | gross = $872,805<ref>{{cite web | title=The Exception (2017) | url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=theexception.htm | publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] | access-date=9 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=The Exception (2017) | url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Kaisers-Last-Kiss-The-(UK)#tab=box-office | publisher=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] | access-date=20 August 2017}}</ref> }}
'''''The Exception''''' is a 2016 [[romantic drama film|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]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://film.britishcouncil.org/the-exception | title=The Exception | access-date=25 August 2016 | work=The British Council}}</ref> 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 [[Netherlands in World War II|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.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tiff-2016-special-presentations-wavelengths-919851 | title=Toronto: Christian Bale-Starrer 'The Promise,' Richard Gere-Starrer 'Norman' Get Gala Screenings | access-date=22 August 2016 | work=The Hollywood Reporter| date=16 August 2016 }}</ref> The film received a [[limited release|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]].
==Plot== During [[World War II]], [[Wehrmacht]] Captain Brandt takes command of the bodyguard of deposed [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|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 [[Schutzstaffel|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 [[Secret Intelligence Service|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 Reuss of Greiz|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 of Schleswig-Holstein|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.
Himmler extends an invitation from [[Adolf Hitler]] to Wilhelm to return to his former throne in Berlin. He then tells Brandt and Dietrich that the invitation is a bluff, intended to draw out and execute anti-Nazi monarchists in the [[German resistance to Nazism|German resistance]]. Hermine is overjoyed at the thought of becoming Empress of Germany. Still, Wilhelm, troubled by Himmler's boasts about [[Child euthanasia in Nazi Germany|the euthanasia of disabled children]], remains unsure even when von Ilsemann suggests that Wilhelm can become "a restraining influence."
When Brandt asks von Ilsemann whether an officer can serve something other than his country, the Colonel replies, "First you must decide what is your country and if it even still exists." Brandt tells von Ilsemann of Himmler's plans for the Kaiser's supporters.
Mieke delivers a message from [[Winston Churchill]] to Wilhelm, offering the Kaiser [[political asylum]] and the throne of a defeated Germany after the war. Wilhelm refuses, having decided that he is reconciled to the loss of his throne.
As the Gestapo closes in on Mieke, Brandt devises an escape plan. Wilhelm, Mieke, and Brandt escape in a van as the Kaiser pretends to have a heart attack. In the process, Mieke almost takes a suicide pill. Brandt saves her life and avoids capture by killing Dietrich. Mieke asks Brandt to flee with her, fearing he will be executed for the murders. Brandt insists that he has a duty to Germany and has a good alibi. As Mieke departs, Brandt asks Mieke to marry him. Before fleeing, she accepts and tells him to find her after the war is over.
Some time later, Brandt is working in Berlin. A package that contains a book of [[Nietzsche]]'s writings that Mieke had once shown him is delivered. Inside is written a London address. In London, Mieke is seated on a park bench when she is informed that Churchill is ready to see her. Rising, Mieke puts her hand on her stomach; she is pregnant with Brandt's child. In Doorn, Colonel von Ilsemann informs Wilhelm that Brandt has called from Berlin with wonderful news. Realising this means Mieke has escaped to Britain, Wilhelm is overjoyed.
==Cast== * [[Lily James]] as Mieke de Jong * [[Jai Courtney]] as Captain Stefan Brandt * [[Janet McTeer]] as [[Hermine Reuss of Greiz|Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz]] * [[Christopher Plummer]] as [[Wilhelm II, German Emperor|Kaiser Wilhelm II]] * [[Eddie Marsan]] as [[Heinrich Himmler]] * [[Ben Daniels]] as Colonel Sigurd von Ilsemann ([[:nl:Sigurd von Ilsemann|in Dutch]])([[:de:Sigurd von Ilsemann|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.”<ref>{{cite web | title=THE EXCEPTION PRESS NOTES Official Selection - Toronto Int'l Film Festival 2016 | url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/tribeca_cms_production/uploads/document/document/58e85dddbffdf0e5c4000003/THEEXCEPTION_Press_Notes_Final.pdf | website=Tribecafilm.com | access-date=30 July 2017}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Wiseman | first1=Andreas | title=Egoli Tossell readies bold slate | url=http://www.screendaily.com/news/egoli-tossell-readies-bold-slate/5072228.article | website=Screendaily.com | access-date=30 July 2017}}</ref> At the [[2015 Cannes Film Festival]], Lotus Entertainment handled international sales for the film, previously titled ''The Kaiser's Last Kiss''.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Ford | first1=Rebecca | title=Cannes: Lotus Entertainment Blooms With Bustling Business (Q&A) | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-2015-lotus-entertainment-795606 | work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=14 May 2015 | access-date=30 July 2017}}</ref>
===Casting=== On 12 May 2015, it was announced that [[Lily James]] would play the character Mieke de Jong.<ref>{{cite web | last1=McNary | first1=Dave | title=Cannes: Lily James Starring in Thriller 'The Kaiser's Last Kiss' | date=11 May 2015 | url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/cannes-lily-james-starring-in-thriller-the-kaisers-last-kiss-1201492254/ | publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | access-date=30 July 2017}}</ref> On 7 July 2015, [[Jai Courtney]] was cast in the leading role as Captain Stefan Brandt.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Jafaar | first1=Ali | title=Jai Courtney To Star Opposite Lily James In 'The Kaiser's Last Kiss' | url=https://deadline.com/2015/07/jai-courtney-lily-james-suicide-squad-terminator-kaisers-last-kiss-1201471746/ | website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] | date=7 July 2015 | access-date=30 July 2017}}</ref> 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.<ref name="THR">{{cite web | last1=Galuppo | first1=Mia | title=Janet McTeer Joins Jai Courtney, Lily James in 'The Kaiser's Last Kiss' | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/janet-mcteer-joins-jai-courtney-822303 | work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=11 September 2015 | access-date=30 July 2017}}</ref>
===Filming=== On 11 September 2015, it was confirmed that [[principal photography]] was underway in Belgium.<ref name="THR"/> The film was shot in 33 days over six weeks, primarily at [[Leeuwergem Castle]] and in various locations in Belgium in 2015.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://deadline.com/2017/06/christopher-plummer-lily-james-the-exception-zoe-lister-jones-band-aid-specialty-box-office-preview-1202106839/ | title=Christopher Plummer & Lily James Are 'The Exception'; Zoe Lister-Jones Directs 'Band Aid': Specialty Preview | website=[[Deadline Hollywood]] | date=1 June 2017}}</ref>
==Release== In October 2016, [[A24]] and [[DirecTV Cinema]] acquired U.S distribution rights to the film.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/lily-james-jai-courtney-world-934964 | title=Lily James-Jai Courtney World War II Drama 'The Exception' Nabbed by A24, DirecTV (Exclusive) | work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | first=Tatiana | last=Siegel | date=4 October 2016 | access-date=4 October 2016}}</ref> The film was released on 2 June 2017.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://a24films.com/films/the-exception/ | title=The Exception | website=a24films.com | access-date=13 February 2017}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://variety.com/2017/film/markets-festivals/1202032857-newport-beach-film-festival-1202032857/ | title=Newport Beach Film Festival Showcases International and Local Films in Resort Setting by the Sea | last=Clement | first=Nick | date=20 April 2017 | work=Variety | access-date=21 April 2017}}</ref> It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the U.S. by Lionsgate on 8 August 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Exception-DVD-Lily-James/dp/B071WTB7FH |title=The Exception |work=Amazon |date=8 August 2017 |access-date=12 August 2017}}</ref>
==Reception== ===Critical response=== {{Expand section|date=September 2019}} [[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."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_exception|title=''The Exception (2017)''|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media]]|access-date=22 May 2020}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] gives the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-exception|title=''The Exception''|website=[[Metacritic]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=22 September 2019}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title}} * {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Exception}} [[Category:2016 films]] [[Category:2016 romantic drama films]] [[Category:2010s spy films]] [[Category:2016 directorial debut films]] [[Category:American romantic drama films]] [[Category:American spy films]] [[Category:British romantic drama films]] [[Category:British spy films]] [[Category:World War II spy films]] [[Category:Films scored by Ilan Eshkeri]] [[Category:Films set in the Netherlands]] [[Category:Films set in 1940]] [[Category:A24 (company) films]] [[Category:Silver Reel films]] [[Category:Umedia films]] [[Category:Cultural depictions of Heinrich Himmler]] [[Category:Cultural depictions of Wilhelm II]] [[Category:2016 English-language films]] [[Category:2016 American films]] [[Category:2016 British films]] [[Category:English-language romantic drama films]]